NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship Returns to Fort Worth

It’s time for the best college gymnasts in America to make their way to Fort Worth once again as Dickies Arena hosts the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships April 13 and 15.

Defending champion Oklahoma is back after posting the second highest qualifying score in regional competition. The Sooners won the Norman Region with a score of 198.050, topped only by California’s 198.075 to win the Pittsburgh Regional.

Also in the field are Los Angeles Regional winner Utah along with LA runner-up UCLA; Denver Regional winner and runner-up University of Denver and LSU; Norman Regional runner-up Kentucky; and Pittsburgh Regional runner-up Florida.

“It’s a huge honor for the city of Fort Worth to be able to host the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships,” said Jason Sands, Executive Director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission. “It’s one of the most electrifying championship atmospheres in sports with these world class athletes putting on a display of power and grace with unparalleled technical skill. We’ve got Oklahoma back to defend their title with some blue bloods like Florida, LSU, Utah and UCLA determined to knock them off their pedestal. Look out for Cal, Kentucky and Denver as well.”

Competition begins with two sessions on Thursday (April 13). The first, at 1:45 p.m., features Denver, Florida, LSU and Cal, while the evening session at 7:45 includes Kentucky, Oklahoma, UCLA and Utah. The top two teams from each semifinal session will advance to the championship finals Saturday (April 15) at 2:45 p.m.

Photo credit: Martin Rulsch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Thursday’s competition will be broadcast on ESPN2. Saturday’s championship will be on ABC.

The top three finishers are returning from last season when the Oklahoma Sooners won their fifth national championship in eight years. Florida finished second, followed by Utah.

The Sooners narrowly edged the Gators with a score of 198.2000 to 198.087.

The leading individual all-around qualifier this season is Abby Heiskell of Michigan with a score of 39.675 in the Denver Regional, followed by Hannah Scharf of Arizona State with a 39.625 in the Pittsburgh Regional. Also, Ohio State’s Payton Harris won the Norman Regional with a 39.600 and Chloe Widner of Stanford captured the LA Regional with a 39.550.

Fort Worth has been host to this prestigious championship since 2019 and is contracted to host through 2026. There was no competition in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited about the opportunity to welcome these amazing athletes, coaches and passionate fans to our great city for a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Sands said. “These athletes have worked tirelessly the majority of their lives to get to this moment, and we have been planning with our partners like Texas Woman’s University, Dickies Arena and our community and hospitality partners to ensure their experience in Fort Worth is unforgettable. We take great pride in being able to host this championship.”

Like so many other sporting events Fort Worth has hosted in recent years, Sands noted, this is another great opportunity for the national spotlight to shine on the city.

“Fort Worth has really made a name for itself in the past few years as a premiere sports event destination, and this championship holds an extra special place in our hearts as we have seen it thrive and grow so much during its time here in Fort Worth,” he said. “The sport of women’s gymnastics is experiencing this excitement and momentum like never before and if you get out to the event and watch in person you’ll understand why.”

Also in 2019, the Fort Worth Sports Commission teamed up with the NCAA Readers Become Leaders program and the Fort Worth ISD to implement the program in kindergarten through fifth grades as part of the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, which that season was held at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

More than 17,000 FWISD students participated in the program, reading a total of more than 6.7 million minutes. It was the single biggest community outreach program in NCAA history.

The program has continued with great success. In four years, the program has seen more than 55,000 students read more than 29 million minutes.

In 2022, the 10-week initiative featured 40 elementary schools representing 14,788 students who read a total of 14,940,594 minutes. All students received a free book courtesy of the NCAA and Scholastic Book Company for participating.

As for the competition in the arena, event officials report that in the NCAA this season, the number of perfect 10s recorded by participants has doubled over previous seasons, promising an exciting program.

Fans can purchase tickets to each individual session, or purchase an all-session ticket through Ticketmaster. For more information,  about the championship, the NCAA Readers Become Leaders Program or things to do in Fort Worth, visit the Fort Worth Sports Commission’s website.

NCAA Division I Gymnastics Championships

April 13 and 15, Dickies Arena

April 13

Broadcast on ESPN2

Semifinal Session 1, 1:45 p.m.

Denver, Florida, LSU and Cal

Semifinal Session 2, 7:45 p.m.

Kentucky, Oklahoma, UCLA, Utah

April 15

National Championship, 2:45 p.m.

Top two finishers from each semifinal session

Broadcast on ABC

Individual qualifiers (with regional scores)

All around: Abby Heiskell, Michigan; Hannah Scharf, Arizona State; Payton Harris, Ohio State; Chloe Widner, Stanford.

Vault: Courtney Blackson, Boise State; Naomi Morrison, Michigan; Ava Piedrahita, Penn State; Lauren Williams, Arkansas.

Bars: Luisa Blanco, Alabama; Natalie Wojcik, Michigan; Emily Lopez, Boise State; Cassidy Rushlow, Penn State.

Beam: Nora Flatley, Arkansas; Gabrielle Stephen, Michigan State; Alisa Sheremeta, Missouri; Jade Carey, Oregon State.

Floor: Sierra Brooks, Michigan; Elexis Edwards, Ohio State; Derrian Gobourne, Auburn; Delanie Harkness, Michigan State.

This article, written by Rick Mauch, originally appeared in the Fort Worth Business Press and is shared with permission.