March Madness: Gymnastics Edition
- Alyssa Klauminzer
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
The 2026 NCAA gymnastics postseason is here!
Fill your brackets out and queue up ESPN+ because March Madness is only getting started!
36 NCAA gymnastics teams have the chance to compete for the 2026 title. The postseason begins with regionals, which are divided into four sites. On April 1 and 2, the teams ranked 29-36 will compete in dual play-in meets for a spot in the regional semi-finals. The semi-finals with the top 32 teams take place April 2 and 3, with the top two teams of each meet advancing to the regional finals (the Sweet 16). Then the top two teams from each regional final on April 4 and 5 will advance to the Elite Eight in Fort Worth on April 16.
Let's break down this year's bracket!
Kentucky Regional
Central Michigan (195.597 NQS) and Rutgers (195.398 NQS) will compete in the play-in. This is CMU's first time advancing to regionals as a team since 2021, and Rutgers' second year in a row advancing. This should be a close matchup, as the teams are separated by only two-tenths based on their National Qualifying Scores (NQS). CMU's highest score this season is 196.100, and Rutgers' is 196.550. Scores have been up and down for both teams all season long, so the meet will come down to who can dial in and hit during the meet.
#8 Mizzou (197.178 NQS), #9 Arkansas (197.170 NQS), NC State (196.452 NQS), and Maryland (195.845 NQS) will compete in the first semi-final. Mizzou finished in third place at Nationals last year and will be a tough team to beat as they've been consistent and look to head back to Fort Worth. Arkansas is a team that's looking to take the next leap, and in a year where they broke the SEC attendance record and recorded their first perfect 10 in program history, they could find themselves back at Nationals. NC State upset their rival, North Carolina, twice this year, and can be a sneaky team as they're capable of capitalizing on other teams' mistakes. Maryland seemed to find their stride heading into the B1G Championships, and if they can hit on all four events, they can become a dangerous team that leaves the others with no room for error.
#1 Oklahoma (197.980 NQS), #16 Kentucky (196.550 NQS), Ohio State (196.492 NQS), and the winner of Central Michigan vs. Rutgers, will compete in the second semi-final. The Sooners have been ranked #1 in the nation since January 26; they are the reigning national champions and look to stay on top to win their eighth national title. Kentucky has climbed 20 spots this season to compete in their regional as a ranked team and will look to continue their climb in front of their home crowd. Ohio State is an incredible team on floor, and if they can get all four events to click, they'll pose a threat to the ranked teams.
The individual qualifiers for the Kentucky regional are Luciano Alvarado-Reid (CMU), Chloe Cho (Illinois), Gabrielle Dildy (Rutgers), and Zoe Middleton (Ball State) in the all-around; Charlie Behner (Kent State), Jersey Bingman (Kent State), Taylor Ingle (SEMO), Lia Kmieciak (CMU), Emily Leese (Rutgers), and Nova Staruk (Bridgeport) on vault; Charlie Behner (Kent State), Mary Rose Bellan (Ball State), Lia Kmieciak (CMU), and Ashley Szymanski (Ball State) on bars; Summer Clancy (Illinois), Delaney McMahon (Ball State), Heidi Schultz (Kent State), and Ashley Szymanski (Ball State) on beam; and Sophie Dewar (Brown), Eden King (Illinois), Emily Leese (Rutgers), Ava Molina (Ball State), and Abby Royer (Southern Connecticut) on floor.
Oregon State Regional
San Jose State (195.725 NQS) and Washington (195.420 NQS) will compete in the play-in. SJSU has the highest NQS of the play-in teams. They're three-tenths above Washington in terms of both NQS and season average, but Washington has recorded a higher score than them. This should be another close matchup, as SJSU has been consistent and has scored above 196 four times, and Washington has met the mark three times.
#5 Alabama (197.498 NQS), #12 Utah (197.075 NQS), Denver (196.383 NQS) and Oregon State (196.106 NQS) will compete in the first semi-final. Alabama is a strong and consistent team and has not dipped below 197 this season. Utah had a slow and rough start, but seems to have found their groove; they've never missed Nationals and are not looking to end that streak now! Denver isn't ranked as high as they've been in the past, but they have shown they're capable of scoring 9.925+ on every event and hitting the 197 mark. Oregon State is at their best when they're at home, so competing in Corvallis could help the Beavers pull off an upset.
#4 UCLA (197.540 NQS), #13 Minnesota (196.842 NQS), Iowa (196.473 NQS), and the winner of SJSU vs. Washington, will compete in the second semi-final. UCLA has found their groove and is coming off their second undefeated B1G season in a row and their second highest season score. Minnesota has had a bit of an up-and-down season, but when they hit, they are capable of putting up big scores. Iowa is having one of their best seasons, setting a new program-best team score and selling out their arena; they'll look to carry their momentum of a strong B1G performance into the postseason.
The individual qualifiers for the Oregon State regional are Amelia Moneymaker (UC Davis) in the all-around; Kaviana Jurries (SJSU), Sophie Patterson (SJSU), and Mikaela Pitts (SJSU) on vault; Samantha Macasu (SJSU), Deiah Moody (Washington), Kristina Shchennikova (Boise State), Lilly Tubbs (Washington), and Mahleea Werline (Boise State) on bars; Kaitlyn Driessen (Sac State), Chelsea Hallinan (Washington), Sydney Kho (Boise State), Kristin Lin (Washington), Deiah Moody (Washington), Sophie Patterson (SJSU), and Lilly Tubbs (Washington) on beam; and Caitlin McWilliams (Washington) on floor.
LSU Regional
Air Force (195.605 NQS) and Nebraska (195.561 NQS) will compete in the play-in. Air Force just had a historic season, breaking their program record team score four times, which propelled them to their first regional appearance since 2002! Nebraska was in the regional semi-finals last year, and if they can find their stride and hit on all four events, they could get there again.
#7 Stanford (197.248 NQS), #10 Michigan (197.111 NQS), North Carolina (196.393 NQS), and Utah State (195.905 NQS) will compete in the first semi-final. Stanford has been a strong team this season and recorded their second-highest score in program history. Michigan is showing improvement and growth, and wants to make it back to Fort Worth, where they won the national title in 2021. North Carolina had some dips in scoring during the regular season but showed they can hit the 197 mark. Utah State found their groove at the end of the regular season, and will look to continue building momentum coming off their MW title win.
#2 LSU (197.920 NQS), #15 Clemson (196.686 NQS), Auburn (196.498 NQS), and the winner of Air Force vs. Nebraska, will compete in the second semi-final. LSU has been one of the strongest and most consistent teams this year; they won the NCAA title in 2024, and will look to put up two strong performances at home to give them momentum toward another title. Clemson is competing at regionals for the first time and will look to ride the energy of winning their first ACC championship title. Auburn has had a rough season, especially with injuries, but when the team removes the outside noise, they are capable of hitting the 197 mark.
The individual qualifiers for the LSU regional are Alyssa Bigler (Air Force), Kylee Greene (Air Force), Isabella Minervini (Towson), Serena Mullin (New Hampshire), and Maggie Slife (Air Force) in the all-around; Polina Belanovski (Towson), Jocelyn Lannon (Towson), and Sophia Rice (WVU) on vault; Camryn Chiu (Pitt), Hallie Copperwheat (Pitt), Molly Peterson (Nebraska), Jaime Pratt (Pitt), and Reese Samuelson (WMU) on bars; Mady Harvey (New Hampshire), Amber Lowe (WVU), and Celia Trotter (Towson) on beam; and Isabella DeCroo (Towson), Adriana Hoffman (Towson), Lauren Homecillo (Nebraska), McCall McMullen (New Hampshire), and Emerson Smith (WVU) on floor.
Arizona State Regional
Nothing like a rivalry meet to kick off a regional! Arizona State (195.590 NQS) and Arizona (195.583 NQS) will compete in the play-in.
#6 Georgia (197.391 NQS), #11 Michigan State (197.103 NQS), BYU (196.228 NQS), and Southern Utah (195.818 NQS) will compete in the first semi-final. Georgia is having their best season in a decade and even put up one of their highest scores in over 15 years; nobody has more championship titles than the GymDogs, and they're looking to get back on top for the first time since 2009. Michigan State has been a team on the rise, and will look to find themselves back at Nationals for the second year in a row. BYU has consistently put up scores in the 196 range, and their highest score, a 197.225, came on the road, so they have the chance to put up a big score in Tempe. Southern Utah has been just shy of the 197 mark multiple times this season, and can definitely be a threat and capitalize on mistakes from other teams.
#3 Florida (197.753 NQS), #14 Cal (196.716 NQS), Penn State (196.470 NQS), and the winner of Arizona State vs. Arizona, will compete in the second semi-final. Florida is coming off an SEC Championship win over #1 Oklahoma and #2 LSU, and has put up the two highest scores in the nation this year. After adjusting to a coaching change this year, Cal has proven they are still a strong team and are capable of putting up scores in the 197 range. Penn State has improved since last year and has also shown they're capable of putting up a 197.
The individual qualifiers for the Arizona State regional are Abigayle Martin (Arizona) and Kimberly Smith (ASU) in the all-around; Jordan Barrow (Penn), Safia El Mammann (ASU), Sophia Isbell (TWU), and Jessa Janicke (Arizona) on vault; Lola Montevago (GW) on bars; Kayla Lee (ASU) and Tirzah Wise (Arizona) on beam; and Manama Fofana (Penn), Kyleigh Ghanbari (TWU), Sophie Hernandez (TWU), Deana Sheremeta (GW), and Emma Strom (Arizona) on floor.
The meets at the four regional sites can all be watched on ESPN+. The NCAA semifinals on April 16 will be on ESPN2, and Four on the Floor will be on ABC on April 18.
Edited by Mithzi Silva