The final showdown of NCAA Women’s Gymnastics has arrived. Kicking off Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas, and concluding Saturday, the championship is one of the most anticipated events in women’s collegiate sports. Experts agree – this year, the team title race is “wide open.”
On Thursday, the ‘Elite Eight’ take to the floor in two semifinal sessions, both televised live on ESPN2. The top two teams from each session will advance to Saturday’s national championship on ABC.
The ‘Elite Eight’ will also be joined by 20 individual athletes representing their programs in the all-around and on the four events. Three-time Olympic medalist Oregon State’s Jade Carey qualified to compete as the top all-around gymnast from her respective region. Carey’s 2024 Olympic teammate, Joscelyn Roberson, will also represent Arkansas in the all-around after a historic freshman debut.
Schedule & Streaming
Thursday, April 17: National Semi-Finals ‘Elite Eight’
Semi-Final I (Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida, Alabama): 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Semi-Final Final II (LSU, Michigan State, Utah, UCLA): 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Saturday, April 19: National Championship ‘Four On The Floor’
National Championship: 4 p.m. ET on ABC
Meet the teams vying for the crown.
The Frontrunners: LSU, Oklahoma, Florida
LSU heads into Fort Worth as the number-one team in the nation. This marks the first time any team other than the Oklahoma Sooners has held the No. 1 postseason ranking in over a decade. Fittingly, LSU shocked the field in 2024, winning the program’s first NCAA National Championship. This year, they look to “protect the crown.”
With defending NCAA All-Around Champion Haleigh Bryant and SEC Freshman of the Year Kailin Chio at the helm, the Tigers are looking better than ever – perhaps even stronger than their 2024 championship form.
If LSU hopes to repeat, it must hold off a hungry Sooners roster. Although they successfully defeated their newfound rivals at the 2025 SEC Championships, NCAAs have historically belonged to the Sooners.
While LSU rose to the occasion in 2024, Oklahoma shockingly collapsed. After multiple fluke errors, the Sooners’ postseason bid ended ‘Elite Eight” Semifinal round, cutting short an otherwise historic season.
While K.J. Kindler’s squad missed the grand prize in 2024, stellar individuals Audrey Davis and Faith Torrez claimed individual titles despite the team result.
Along with SEC Gymnast of the Year Jordan Bowers, the star gymnasts will lead the Sooners’ revenge tour this week. ESPN Commentator John Roethlisberger lauded the Sooners’ consistency in a recent media press conference.
Known for their consistency throughout the season, the Sooners have not scored below a 197.550 in 2025. “90% of the time Oklahoma goes out there and they’re going to put up a championship quality performance,” the Olympian said.
Though he raved about the Sooners and Tigers, Roethlisberger and his colleagues cited another SEC team as a potential frontrunner: the No. 3 Florida Gators.
The Gators are looking for their first title since 2015, and 2025 could be their year. Equipped with Olympic alternate Leanne Wong and UCLA transfer Selena Harris, the Gators continue to improve as the season progresses.
Florida’s best finish in the last decade was second in 2023 and 2022. In Wong’s last year in a storied NCAA and elite career, the Gators could propel themselves to the first title under Head Coach Jenny Rowland. “Florida might have the highest ceiling of any team in the NCAA,” Roethlisberger added. “But they’ve also had some fluctuations.”
If Florida’s athletes can harness their landings and deliver consistent routines across the four rotations, 2025 truly could be the year of the gator.
The Wild Cards: Utah, UCLA
NCAA Championships are in the DNA of 2025 Big 12 Champion Utah and 2025 Big Ten Champion UCLA. The Utah Red Rocks remain tied as the winningest program in college gymnastics history, with ten NCAA Championships. The Bruins sit just below the Red Rocks with eight.
However, Utah has not claimed the title in nearly thirty years. The renowned program has finished third overall for four consecutive seasons and is hungry for more. In many ways, the 2025 Red Rocks is their strongest squad yet.
The team sports an embarrassment of riches, including Olympic silver medalist Grace McCallum (USA), Olympic bronze medalist Amelie Morgan (GBR), and the number-one overall recruit, Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Avery Neff.
Will 2025 be the year that they finally secure the ultimate crown? With their immensely talented roster, the title is firmly within reach. “We’re not afraid to talk about wanting to win a National Championship,” Utah Coach Carly Dockendorff told media.
While the Utes remain a top team, questions swirl regarding their ability to deliver complete meets when competing on the road. The Utes’ top score on the season has been 198.100, but their highest outside their home state is 197.425. In an era where a 198 is a requisite for a national title, a low 197 is unlikely to deliver a national title.
Much like their Pac-12 rivalry of old, the Red Rocks will need to get through the UCLA Bruins. After a troubling 195 team total to start the season, Janelle McDonald’s Bruins have gone 197+ at an unprecedented thirteen straight meets.
While the team has “been up and down” over the years, the Bruins seem to have configured a winning culture. In their first season as conference members, the Bruins took the Big Ten by storm, winning both the championship meet and regular season title over an uber-talented Michigan State team.
2025 is a swan song for star seniors Brooklyn Moors, Chae Campbell, and Emma Malabuyo, and along with the star power of Olympic Champion Jordan Chiles, UCLA’s energy – and gymnastics quality – continue to climb.
Add in freshmen phenoms Macy McGowan and Mika Webster-Longin, and the talent is apparent. As always, consistency is key for both star-studded teams. Can UCLA dial in and claim their first title since 2018?
Underdogs: Michigan State, Missouri, Alabama
Calling any of these eight teams an “underdog” almost feels misleading. Still, three of them head into the 2025 NCAA Championships with something to prove. Michigan State, in particular, has generated considerable buzz in recent months—and they might just be ready to shake things up.
The Spartans’ meteoric rise continues to enthrall and impress the gymnastics community. “If we could go to a sports book in Vegas for gymnastics…I think a lot of people would want to put money on Michigan State,” Roethlisberger said.
At the ‘Sweet Sixteen,’ the Spartans finished second to National Champion LSU by just .050, a staggeringly small margin. With their huge 198 score, the Green & White punched their first ticket to the NCAA Championships since 1988.
Earlier in 2025, the Spartans fought the star-studded Bruins at the Big Ten Championships, posting another massive 198+ score, the gold standard in gymnastics. Known for their outstanding vault rotation, Mike Rowe’s Spartans just need to find their landings, and a historic title could be within reach.
The Missouri Tigers are having a historic season of their own. Led by perfect ten machine Helen Hu, the Tigers’ qualification to Fort Worth marks just their fourth in program history. Commentator and Olympic silver medalist Samantha Peszek had thoughts about the Tigers: “I’m scared of them,” she said.
“They’re one of those teams that has nothing to lose at NCAA Championships,” Peszek added. The Tigers season high of 198.100 – their highest score in Mizzou history – puts them right in contention for a national title.
Despite my label, Peszek recalled that the Tigers reject the “underdog” title. Instead, they prefer to be “undeniable.” “We do not want to be called underdogs,” senior Amari Celestine told Peszek during a postseason interview.
“They’re not just happy to be there (in Ft. Worth)…they’re they’re there to compete.”
Lastly, the Crimson Tide. Few thought Alabama would make it to the Sweet Sixteen – let alone Fort Worth. At one point, the Tide fell to the bottom of the SEC conference, tallying a 1-7 record. However, the Tide is undeniably a team “on the rise.”
The Crimson Tide rolled to their highest total of the season at the most crucial moment. Needing a near-perfect meet, the Tide delivered a huge 197.675 to upset defending runner-up California in the Sweet Sixteen round. After a season of disappointments, they are firmly back in the mix.
Underdog, frontrunner, or wild card, anyone is in the mix this year. “If Alabama and Missouri and Michigan State made it to the finals. We’d be all going holy cow,” Roethlisberger said. “But at the same time, we shouldn’t be surprised.”