Flipping Into Fort Worth: Eight Teams Compete for the 2026 NCAA Gymnastics Title
- Alyssa Klauminzer
- Apr 11
- 6 min read
The stage is set for the 2026 NCAA gymnastics championships! Let's take a look at the eight teams competing for the national title.
LSU
LSU, the 2024 champions, narrowly missed out on making the championship final last year and are ready to fight to be back on top. The biggest storyline for the Tigers this season has been Kailin Chio's twelve (and most likely counting) perfect 10s and uncanny ability to stick every vault. LSU graduated stars Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan, but they have not slowed down. They're ranked second in the nation, they're the only team to rank in the top three on all four events, they've scored 198 six times and only dropped below 197 once, and they've never counted a miss this season. Expect big scores from Chio, of course, as well as Amari Drayton, Kaliya Lincoln (who just scored a 10 on floor), and Konnor McClain (if she's cleared to compete).
Stanford
Stanford won the ACC Championship in 2025 but didn't make it to Nationals. This year, Clemson beat them by only a quarter of a tenth for the ACC title. It came down to the conference rivals again for a spot at Nationals, and Stanford needed to be near perfect to make it back for Fort Worth. Senior Taralyn Nguyen nailed her Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.950, and Stanford clinched a spot in the Elite Eight by less than a tenth.
The Cardinal had an amazing season, including scoring a 198 for the first time in 22 years. Athletes like Nguyen, Anna Roberts (who's been perfect on vault and floor), and Olympians Ana Bărbosu and Levi Jung-Ruivivar, are capable of putting up big, clutch scores for Stanford. I think they can be a dark horse at Nationals this year.
Florida
The Gators have three national titles, coming in 2013, 2014, and 2015. They have been the hottest team over the past month, and hold the highest score of the season with a 198.575, and if they can replicate a performance like the one they had at the SEC Championship, they have a great shot at a fourth title. Florida missed out on the championship final last year, but if they continue to attack the equipment and not hold back, there's no slowing them down or stopping them. The Gators have four incredible all-arounders, who are capable of putting up big scores on every event and have reached perfection, in Selena Harris-Miranda, eMjae Frazier, Kayla DiCello, and Skye Blakely.
Georgia
The Georgia GymDogs are the best team in NCAA gymnastics history with 10 national titles. They haven't come out on top since 2009, though, and this is their first appearance at Nationals as a team since 2019. Now in the second year under head coaches Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts, the GymDogs are so back! They only scored below 197 once, and they scored their first 198 in the regular season since 2009. Georgia has multiple athletes capable of scoring 9.950+ on every event. Freshman CaMarah Williams has been a star on her three events, Ja'Free is as consistent and confident as ever, and Ady Wahl and Nyla Aquino have both looked amazing on vault and floor. It's also possible that star Lily Smith, who broke her foot a couple weeks ago, could make a return to the uneven bars.
Oklahoma
The 2025 national champions are ready to defend their title! This is Oklahoma's 22nd straight appearance at Nationals. They have consistently been the most dominant team of the past decade, and as the top-ranked team in the nation, they're not slowing down any time soon. The Sooners scored eight 198+ scores this season, and their lowest score was 197.425 in week two! They put up another 198 to win the Lexington regional final and counted all scores of 9.900+ on beam and floor, where they went 49.750 and 49.600, respectively. Oklahoma has many athletes capable of putting up big scores on every event. Faith Torrez has scored two perfect 10s on beam this season (and she could add floor at Nationals, where she's been perfect before too), Mackenzie Estep and Addison Fatta have both been perfect on vault this season, and Elle Mueller and Ella Murphy are incredibly strong and consistent on their three events.
The Sooners have won seven national titles. Will they win their eighth this year?
Arkansas
Arkansas upset Missouri, last year's third-place team, to make their first Nationals appearance since 2024. It's been a record year for the Razorbacks, as Morgan Price scored their first perfect 10 in program history, and they set a new SEC attendance record with 15,512 fans. Gaining Price, an all-arounder and transfer from Fisk, has been a huge boost for the Razorbacks. Other athletes who can come up big for them are two-time World medalist Joscelyn Roberson, vault and floor specialist Lauren Williams, and freshman Allison Cucci.
The Razorbacks haven't had a finals appearance since 2012, but if they have clean, hit routines, I think they can break into the Four on the Floor.
UCLA
UCLA has won seven national titles, with their last one coming in 2018. After a couple of rougher years due to coaching changes, the Bruins have really found their stride under head coach Janelle McDonald and are looking like the top team they are known to be. Of course, they have Olympic star Jordan Chiles, who has 19 career perfect 10s, and will be exciting to watch in her final NCAA performances. Other key athletes for UCLA this year have been freshmen Tiana Sumanasekera and Ashlee Sullivan, senior beam specialist-turned-three-eventer Ciena Alipio, and Sydney Barros, who's having a breakout year.
The Bruins came in second last year; will they come out on top this year?
Minnesota
Big things are happening in the Big Ten! Minnesota upset both Alabama and Utah, ending Utah's historic 49-year streak of Nationals appearances, to make their first trip to Nationals since 2022. The Corvallis regional final, between Minnesota, UCLA, Alabama, and Utah, was a closely contested meet and nail-biter through the final routines. Minnesota also had the challenge of finishing on beam, but that was no match for the Golden Gophers, as it was their highest scoring event of the day!
Minnesota may be the lowest ranked team at Nationals, but they definitely have every capability of making it to the championship final. They've also been an incredibly underrated team this year. Athletes who are must-see for the Golden Gophers are Big Ten Freshman of the Year Arianna Ostrum, Jordyn Lyden, who's having the best season of her career, Irish elite gymnast Emma Slevin, and Canadian Olympian Ava Stewart.
LSU, Stanford, Florida, and Georgia will compete in the first semifinal on April 16 at 4:30PM EST on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The individuals competing in this session are Maggie Slife (Air Force) and Nikki Smith (Michigan State) in the all-around, Gwen Fink (North Carolina) and Sage Kellerman (Michigan State) on vault, Sophia Diaz (Michigan) and Kellerman on bars, Carly Bauman (Michigan) and Abigayle Martin (Arizona) on beam, and Brie Clark (Clemson) and Gabi Ortiz (Michigan State) on floor. Slife and Clark will be the first gymnasts to represent their colleges at the national championships.
Oklahoma, Arkansas, UCLA, and Minnesota will compete in the second semifinal on April 16 at 9PM EST on ESPN2/ESPN+. The individuals competing in this session are Avery Neff (Utah) and Tory Vetter (Ohio State) in the all-around, Shyla Bhatia (Denver) and Cameron Smith (Ohio State) on vault, Aurélie Tran (Iowa) and Hannah Horton (Mizzou) on bars, Ana Padurariu (Utah) and Delaynee Rodriguez (Kentucky) on beam, and Ella Zirbes (Utah) and Creslyn Brose (Kentucky) on floor.
Individual championship titles will be determined at the end of the second semifinal. The top two teams from each session will move on to compete in the Four on the Floor on April 18 at 4PM EST on ABC and ESPN+.
Only eight teams remain. Who do you think will win the national championship?
Edited by Mithzi Silva
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