The NCAA Gymnastics Sweet 16: Road to the Fort Worth Championships

The NCAA gymnastics postseason has reached its critical juncture. After 12 weeks of regular-season competition and two grueling postseason rounds, the field has narrowed to the final 16 teams. These athletes now face the Regional Finals—commonly known as the “Sweet 16″—where only the top two finishers from each regional site will secure a ticket to the NCAA Championship Semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas.

Regional Breakdowns: The Battle for the Elite Eight

The Regional Finals are spread across four host cities: Baton Rouge, Tempe, Lexington, and Corvallis. Each site features a high-stakes showdown between four teams vying for two available spots at Dickies Arena, where the championships begin on April 16 .

Baton Rouge Regional

The No. 2-seeded LSU Tigers enter the final as a dominant force on their home floor. LSU recently posted a school-record 198.375, the highest regional score in program history . They will compete against No. 7 Stanford, No. 10 Michigan, and No. 15 Clemson.

Tempe Regional

The Tempe site features No. 3 Florida, who enters the finals as one of the favorites after winning the SEC championship . Florida will face off against No. 6 Georgia, No. 11 Michigan State, and No. 14 California.

Lexington Regional

No. 1 Oklahoma is the favorite to defend its national title this season . Joining them in the final are No. 8 Missouri, No. 9 Arkansas, and No. 16 Ohio State. Notably, Missouri’s appearance marks the program’s sixth consecutive season advancing to the Sweet 16 .

Corvallis Regional

No. 4 UCLA, a Large Ten champion, leads the charge in Corvallis . They will compete alongside No. 5 Alabama, No. 12 Utah, and No. 13 Minnesota for a spot in the semifinals.

LSU’s Historic Momentum

LSU’s path to the Regional Final was marked by a historic performance in the second round. The Tigers achieved top 10 scores in school history across every single event:

• Vault: 49.475 (Tied for 8th highest in program history)
• Bars: 49.625 (Tied for the best regional bars score in program history)
• Beam: 49.575 (3rd highest regional beam score)
• Floor: 49.700 (Matches the program’s top regional floor mark)

A top finish in the Baton Rouge final would grant the Tigers their 16th regional championship title .

Regional Finals Schedule

The Sweet 16 action takes place over the weekend of April 4-5. Fans can follow the results as teams fight for their positions in the Elite Eight .

Saturday, April 4

• 6 p.m. ET: LSU, Stanford, Michigan, Clemson
• 8 p.m. ET: Florida, Georgia, Michigan State, Cal

Sunday, April 5

• 5 p.m. ET: Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio State
• 8 p.m. ET: UCLA, Alabama, Utah, Minnesota

Key Takeaways for the Postseason

• The Format: 36 teams started the regionals; only 16 remain. Two teams from each of the four regional finals advance to Fort Worth.
• The Favorites: Oklahoma (No. 1), Florida (No. 3), and UCLA (No. 4) are highlighted as top contenders .
• The Stakes: The top two teams from each site move on to the NCAA Championship Semifinals starting April 16 at Dickies Arena .