O’Connell Center Construction Bumps NCAA Gymnastics Regional to 2017
Monday, July 20, 2015 | Gymnastics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a sport known for its acrobatics, Florida and Georgia are executing a “flip” of NCAA Regional Championship years.
In late 2013, the NCAA released the host sites for NCAA Gymnastics regional and championship events for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Florida was awarded the April 2, 2016 NCAA Regional Championship. But since that announcement, the Stephen C. O'Connell Center renovation moved back a year, with the scheduled start set for mid-March 2016.
Florida and Georgia agreed to swap host years, with the O'Connell Center serving as site for the April 1, 2017 NCAA Regional Championship. Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum will now host one of the six regional sites on April 2, 2016.
This will be the 12th NCAA Regional held in the O'Connell Center. The format brings six teams to a regional site, with a top-two finish sending those teams to the NCAA Championships. The 2016 NCAA Championships return to Fort Worth, Texas, on April 15-17. St. Louis, Missouri, will serve as host to the NCAA Championships on April 14-16, 2017.
| Upcoming NCAA Gymnastics Regional & Championship Sites | ||
| Year | Regional Sites (Host School) | NCAA Championships (Host) |
| 2016 | Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan) | Fort Worth, Texas – Fort Worth Convention Center (Texas Woman's University) |
| Athens, Ga. (Georgia) | ||
| Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa) | ||
| Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota) | ||
| Salt Lake City, Utah (Utah) | ||
| Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Alabama) | ||
| 2017 | Gainesville, Fla. ( Florida) | St. Louis, Mo. – Chaifetz Arena (Missouri & St. Louis Sports Commission) |
| Champaign, Ill, (Illinois) | ||
| Fayetteville, Ark. (Arkansas) | ||
| Lincoln, Neb. (Nebraska) | ||
| Morgantown, W.Va. (West Virginia) | ||
| Seattle, Wash. (Washington) | ||
| 2018 | Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State) | St. Louis, Mo. – Chaifetz Arena (Missouri & St. Louis Sports Commission) |
| Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota) | ||
| Raleigh, N.C. (NC State) | ||
| Salt Lake City, Utah (Utah) | ||
| Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Alabama) | ||
| University Park, Pa. (Penn State) | ||
