Minnesota and UCLA Earn Trips to 2026 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships
The event will take place April 16-18 in Fort Worth, Texas
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Minnesota and UCLA will represent the Big Ten Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, after earning spots in the semifinals of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships. The semifinals are slated for 4:30 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET on April 16 inside Dickies Arena and will air on ESPN2. The NCAA Finals on April 18 will be televised on ABC at 4 p.m. ET.
The fourth-seeded Bruins finished atop the podium in the Corvallis Regional with a score of 197.725, securing back-to-back trips to the semifinals. No. 13 Minnesota was right behind them in second place with a 197.625 for its first appearance in the semifinals since 2022.
The Big Ten has eight individual qualifiers competing in the NCAA Championships. Michigan’s Sophia Diaz and Carly Bauman will compete on uneven bars and balance beam, respectively, rotating Stanford. Michigan State will have three gymnasts in Nikki Smith (all-around), Sage Kellerman (vault, uneven bars) and Gabi Ortiz (floor exercise). Smith will rotate with LSU, while Kellerman and Ortiz will be with Georgia. Ohio State’s Tory Vetter will take part in the all-around and Cameron Smith will compete on vault. Vetter will join Florida’s rotation and Smith will be with Stanford. Iowa’s Aurélie Tran is rotating with Minnesota as she competes on uneven bars.
The Big Ten is back in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships for the second straight year after UCLA and Michigan State advanced last season. Minnesota and UCLA are joining Oklahoma and Arkansas in the second semifinal on April 16.
2026 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships
Semifinal I – 4:30 p.m. ET
Sophia Diaz, Michigan – Uneven Bars (rotating with Stanford)
Carly Bauman, Michigan – Balance Beam (rotating with Stanford)
Nikki Smith, Michigan State – All-Around (rotating with LSU)
Sage Kellerman, Michigan State – Vault and Uneven Bars (rotating with Georgia)
Gabi Ortiz, Michigan State – Floor Exercise (rotating with Georgia)
Tory Vetter, Ohio State – All-Around (rotating with Florida)
Cameron Smith, Ohio State – Vault (rotating with Stanford)
Semifinal II – 9 p.m. ET
Aurélie Tran, Iowa – Uneven Bars (rotating with Minnesota)
Minnesota – Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, Vault, Uneven Bars
UCLA – Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, Vault