NCAA Regionals Weekend - Road to Nationals

This past weekend, 64 teams competed for a chance to advance to the NCAA National Championship in Fort Worth, Texas, in two weeks. I had the opportunity to watch many of the meets on TV across all four regional sites—Baton Rouge, Tempe, Lexington, and Corvallis—over five days of incredible gymnastics.

For those unfamiliar with the process, teams qualify for regionals through the NCAA selection show and are placed into one of four regional sites across the country. From there, teams compete through multiple rounds, with the top two teams from each regional advancing to the national championship.

Each regional featured a strong lineup of teams. In Baton Rouge, teams included Stanford, Michigan, North Carolina, Utah State, LSU, Clemson, Auburn, Air Force, and Nebraska (play-in). The Tempe regional featured Georgia, Michigan State, BYU, Southern Utah, Florida, Cal, Penn State, Arizona State, and Arizona (play-in). In Lexington, the teams included Missouri, Arkansas, NC State, Maryland, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio State, Central Michigan, and Rutgers (play-in). Finally, the Corvallis regional included Alabama, Utah, Denver, Oregon State, UCLA, Minnesota, Iowa, San Jose State, and Washington (play-in).

My week started on Wednesday, where I balanced classes and homework while watching the Baton Rouge and Tempe play-in meets. Nebraska defeated Air Force to advance, while Arizona State won against Arizona to move on.

Thursday was packed with action, and I watched every session. Stanford and Michigan advanced from the first Baton Rouge session, while Rutgers moved on from the Lexington play-in. Georgia and Michigan State advanced from Tempe, and Florida along with California moved on from the second Baton Rouge session.

Friday continued with more exciting competition. Arkansas and Missouri advanced from the first Lexington session, while Utah and Alabama moved on from the first Corvallis session. In the second Lexington session, Oklahoma and Ohio State advanced, and UCLA along with Minnesota moved on from Corvallis.

Saturday featured the Baton Rouge and Tempe Regional Finals. The teams that secured their spots in Fort Worth from these regionals were Georgia (their first appearance since 2019 an incredible accomplishment), Florida, Stanford, and LSU.

On Sunday, I watched the Lexington and Corvallis Regional Finals. The final teams to punch their tickets to Fort Worth were Oklaloma and Arkansas from Lexington, along with UCLA and Minnesota (first time since 2022) from Corvallis.

The NCAA Gymnastics Regionals is always one of my favorite events to watch. It’s exciting to see the intensity, talent, and determination as teams fight for a spot at nationals.

Congratulations to all the teams that qualified and to every athlete and coach on an incredible season. I can’t wait to see what happens at the NCAA National Championship in Fort Worth—and I’m already looking forward to next season!