Courtesy of Morgan Givens, Oklahoma Sooners
It’s conference championships weekend! Which teams will take the conference crowns, which conferences will come down to the last routines, and who’s pulling off upsets? Here are my predictions!
ACC
Courtesy of Cal Women’s Gymnastics
The ACC gained gymnastics teams again just last season. The conference grew from three teams to four in 2024 with the addition of Clemson’s program, and to six this year with former Pac-12 members Cal and Stanford. NC State won the first title in 1984 and the second title last year.
I think the conference title will come down to one of the teams from the west. Cal, Stanford, and NC State, all teams capable of putting up a score in the 197 range, are ranked as the ACC top three based on National Qualifying Score (NQS), as well as scoring average and season high. The separation between first and third in the conference is about one point; Cal and Stanford are separated by .400 in NQS and Stanford and NC State are separated by about .500.
If I had to guess one team to win the title, though, I’m going with the regular season champions, Cal. However, Cal beat Stanford in their dual meet this season only by .150 at home, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Stanford right on their tails.
The ACC Championship takes place tomorrow with session one (Clemson and Pitt) at 2:30PM and session two (Cal, Stanford, NC State, and UNC) at 7PM and will be streamed on the ACC Network and ESPN+.
Big 12
Courtesy of Utah Gymnastics
The Big 12 looks much different from last year with a loss of Oklahoma and a gain of Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State from the Pac-12. With Oklahoma as the 2024 champions, a new team will take the crown.
Utah, the Big 12 regular season champions, is the favorite to win the title, and I think they will. They are ranked #4 in the nation and have about a point over Denver in NQS and scoring average. Denver won the championship title in 2021, upsetting #1 Oklahoma, and could do the same with Utah not having too much room for error.
The Big 12 Championship takes place tomorrow with session one (BYU, West Virginia, and Iowa State) at 2PM on ESPN+ and session two (Utah, Denver, Arizona, and Arizona State) at 7PM on ESPNU.
Big Ten
Courtesy of UCLA Gymnastics
The winner of the Big Ten Conference Championship will be decided after two days and three sessions of competition. Taking place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of the only Big Ten team to win the national title, 12 teams will battle for the title.
The Big Ten has two teams ranked in the nation’s top ten: new member and regular season champions #5 UCLA and reigning conference champions #9 Michigan State. I think the Bruins will win their first Big Ten title, but in an intense battle with the Spartans. UCLA ranks about three tenths higher than Michigan State in NQS, but their scoring average is only about two tenths higher, and their dual meet was only separated by one tenth. Michigan State gets to start on beam which gets the most nerve-wracking event out of the way, and UCLA will go in Olympic order which means they finish on the floor exercise, their strongest event.
The Big Ten Championship will be available on Big Ten Network, with session one (Nebraska, Ohio State, Washington, and Rutgers) tonight at 6PM, session two (Penn State, Iowa, Maryland, and Illinois) at noon tomorrow, and session three (UCLA, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Michigan) at 5PM tomorrow (see you there!).
EAGL
Courtesy of Towson Gymnastics
I expect the EAGL Championship to be a tight race between Towson and George Washington. Towson, the regular season champions, ranks first in NQS, about three tenths ahead of GW. GW is only a tenth behind Towson in scoring average, though, and has the higher season high.
Towson and George Washington are going to battle through the final rotation for the EAGL title. Since the two teams have already faced each other five times this season, and Towson has taken the W in three of those meetings and by a larger margin of victory, I’m taking Towson for the three-peat.
The EAGL Championship (Towson, George Washington, Temple, New Hampshire, and LIU) will be on ESPN+ tomorrow at 5PM.
GEC
Courtesy of Penn Gymnastics
Penn is coming off their fourth straight regular season title while going 10-0 against GEC teams and putting up their second highest NQS in program history with a 195.345 (trailing only last year’s score). With the team’s record against the other GEC teams this season, holding over a point of separation from second place in NQS and scoring average, and having home floor advantage, I’m confident Penn will see their fourth straight GEC Championship title.
The GEC Championship takes place tomorrow with session one (Bridgeport, Cornell, William & Mary, and Southern Connecticut) at noon and session two (Penn, Yale, Brown, and West Chester) at 6PM, both sessions available on ESPN+.
MAC
Courtesy of Reilly Hall, Kent State Golden Flashes
The MAC Championship is going to be a true four horse race down to the final routine. Central Michigan, Kent State, Ball State, and Western Michigan, the top four teams in that order based on NQS, all have a fair shot at the crown. Central Michigan, the host of the meet, has the highest NQS with a 195.665; Kent State is the regular season champions with a perfect 6-0 record in the conference; Ball State has the highest scoring average with a 195.232 and the highest score in the conference this season with a 196.900; Western Michigan is the reigning champions and has the second highest score in the conference with a 196.500 and has a scoring average higher than CMU’s.
When it comes to NQS and scoring average, first place and fourth place are only separated by around two tenths. It really is going to be anyone’s meet. But if you ask me to pick one team, you know I’m going to pick the Golden Flashes!
The MAC Championship (Central Michigan, Kent State, Ball State, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, and Bowling Green) can be found on ESPN+ tomorrow at 2PM.
MIC
Courtesy of Illinois State Gymnastics
Without Lindenwood’s program, a new MIC champion will be crowned. Illinois State ranks first in the conference with an NQS of 195.545 and scoring average of 195.169, which are four tenths and six tenths higher than those of Texas Woman’s. Texas Woman’s does, though, have the highest score in the conference this season with a 196.600, and Illinois State’s highest score is a 196.150. Interestingly enough, Illinois State and Texas Woman’s did not face each other during the regular season. While I think Illinois State will win the title, it will be interesting to see what happens when the two teams face each other for the first time this year.
The MIC Championship (Illinois State, Texas Woman’s, S.E. Missouri, and Centenary) is tonight at 5PM and can be watched using this link.
MPSF
Courtesy of Southern Utah Gymnastics
Reigning MPSF champions Southern Utah has the highest NQS in the conference by about seven tenths with a 196.315 and the highest scoring average by over a point. In their dual meet earlier this month against UC Davis, the second ranked team in the conference, SUU won by 0.350. While I think SUU will win another MPSF Championship title, they beat UC Davis by just a tenth last year, so we should see another close and exciting meet.
The MPSF Championship (Southern Utah, UC Davis, Sacramento State, and Alaska) is tomorrow at 6PM and can be watched using this link.
MW
Courtesy of Boise State Gymnastics
The Mountain West is the newest conference in gymnastics as it began sponsoring the sport last year. In last year’s MW Championship, only 0.150 separated first and third place, and 0.05 (that’s just a toe point!) separated Boise State and Utah State. This year’s championship is set to be just as much of a nailbiter.
Here’s what makes the MW the most interesting conference: everyone has competed against each team twice this season, Boise State has the season wins over San Jose State and Air Force, and the rest of the conference season series are even. Boise State could take the crown again, but as this season and last year’s championship have shown, every routine for every team counts!
The Mountain West Championship (Boise State, Utah State, San Jose State, and Air Force) is tomorrow at 5PM and can be found using this link.
SEC
Courtesy of LSU Gymnastics
The most dominant team of the past decade, the reigning national champions, the team with the highest score in the nation, and the team shattering program records all face off in the SEC Championship. And that’s just the second session featuring Oklahoma, LSU, Florida, and Mizzou! The SEC’s motto is “It Just Means More” which means more teams in the nation’s top 10 than any other conference (#1 Oklahoma, #2 LSU, #3 Florida, #7 Mizzou, #8 Kentucky, and #10 Georgia), as well as more possibilities of big scores and upsets.
Both sessions are going to be wild rides and I expect to see the leader to change after each rotation. At no point will it be clear cut who the winner will be until the final routine of the final session. Oklahoma and LSU have a share of the regular season title, but as LSU already has a victory over Oklahoma this year, I think they’ll win their second SEC Championship title in a row. At the same time, I also wouldn’t be surprised if any of the evening session teams went lights out to take the crown. This meet in particular is always my favorite conference meet and I cannot wait to see how it plays out!
Both sessions will be available on the SEC Network and ESPN+ tomorrow with the first session (Kentucky, Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama) at 3:30PM and the second session (Oklahoma, LSU, Florida, and Mizzou) at 8PM.
NCGA National Championship
Courtesy of UW-Oshkosh Gymnastics
The National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Nationals, which also takes place this weekend, will feature the top three teams from the WIAC (UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater, and UW-La Crosse) and NCGA East (Brockport, Cortland State, and Rhode Island) for the biggest meet in Division III gymnastics.
UW-Oshkosh is ranked first based on season average score (SAS) with a 193.9563 and has the highest score of the season in DIII with a 194.350. Based on the average of all scores this season, second-ranked UW-Whitewater has the highest average with a 192.439 to UW-Oshkosh’s 192.323. I think it will be a tight battle between UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater for the title this year, and I think UW-Oshkosh will win their fourth NCGA Championship title in a row.
The NCGA Nationals will be streaming for free using this link at 2PM tomorrow.
Edited by Giana Robertaccio