Thursday, April 2
Tempe, Ariz..
10 p.m.
Florida Gators
vs
Arizona State or Arizona
Hands up to celebrate with eMjae Frazier at the 2026 Southeastern Conference Championship meet. No. 3 Florida is looking for more celebratory moments this week in Tempe as a top two finish sends the Gators to the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. [Photo: Madilyn Gemme]
No. 3 Gators Start NCAA Tempe Regional Action Thursday
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | Gymnastics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 3 Florida gymnastics begins NCAA Tempe Regional competition Thursday at 10 p.m. ET in Desert Financial Arena.
Thursday's NCAA Tempe Regional second round action includes two sessions. The top two teams from each session move ahead to Saturday's final, with the top two teams advancing to the NCAA Championships, set for April 16 & 18 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Thursday's session assignments:
Session I at 4 p.m. ET: No. 6 Georgia, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 24 BYU and Southern Utah
Session II at 10 p.m. ET: No. 3 Florida, No. 14 California, No. 20 Penn State and Arizona or Arizona State
Regional Set-Up:
This is the seventh year for the following regional championships format:
How to Follow the Gators:
NCAA Regional Info:
Florida advanced to the NCAA Championships 41 times in the meet's 43-year history, missing the 2000 and 2019 events. Florida moved from NCAA Championships semifinal competition to the NCAA team final 17 of the Gators' last 20 national competition appearances (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). Florida won the 2013, 2014 and 2015 NCAA titles.
The Tempe Regional includes two teams that won conference meet titles – Florida (Southeastern Conference) and Southern Utah (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation). This regional includes teams from five different conferences – No. 3 Florida and No. 6 Georgia (SEC), No. 11 Michigan State and No. 20 Penn State (Big Ten), No. 14 California (ACC), No. 24 BYU, No. 32 Arizona State, No. 33 Arizona (Big 12) and No. 28 Southern Utah (MPSF).
Rowland Returns to ASU
The NCAA Regional brings things full circle for Florida head coach Jenny Rowland, returning her to the very place where her college journey began.
After an accomplished elite career, Jenny Ester Rowland started her collegiate career at Arizona State—and wasted no time making history. As a freshman in 1993, she delivered the Sun Devils' first-ever perfect 10.0 on uneven bars during a Feb. 12 home meet against Boise State and San Jose State.
Just a couple of weeks later, she added another notable performance—winning the all-around title when Florida traveled to Tempe on Feb. 25, an early connection to the program she now leads.
Rowland capped her season by earning All-America honors on uneven bars at the NCAA Championships.
1993 was her only collegiate season, relocating to the Sooner State where she finished her degree.
Last Time Out: Florida Wins SEC Championship Meet Title
In a championship decided by the slimmest of margins, No. 3 Florida rode a scorching uneven bars rotation to capture the title at the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championship meet, surging from third place in the final rotation to reclaim the conference trophy.
Florida delivered the meet's top event score – an eye-popping 49.80 on uneven bars that included a 10.0 by Selena Harris-Miranda - to edge rivals No. 1 Oklahoma (198.15) and No. 2 LSU (197.95) with a 198.175. The margin between UF and OU was just 0.025, the narrowest margin possible. The razor-thin victory marks the third time in the meet's 45-year history a champion was decided by that margin - and the second time Florida has come out on top, joining its 2016 win.
The nation's top three teams traded the lead through the first three rotations. Florida opened with a strong 49.525 on balance beam to take the early advantage before LSU slipped ahead by 0.025 at the midway point. Oklahoma then surged into first entering the final rotation behind a 49.625 beam score.
But the final rotation belonged to Florida.
With each contender rotating to one of its nationally ranked strengths — LSU on vault, Florida on bars and Oklahoma on floor — all three delivered the top scores of the meet on those events. Florida's explosive bars set proved decisive, lifting the Gators back into first and sealing the program's 13th SEC championship.
It is Florida's first conference title since winning back-to-back crowns in 2022 and 2023.
Seven Gators earned All-SEC honors at the league championship meet – Skye Blakely, Kaya DiCello, Danie Ferris, eMjae Frazier, Harris-Miranda, Riley McCusker and Anya Pilgrim. Blakely shared the 2026 SEC Specialist of the Year honor in the league's post-season honors released March 25.
Thursday's NCAA Tempe Regional second round action includes two sessions. The top two teams from each session move ahead to Saturday's final, with the top two teams advancing to the NCAA Championships, set for April 16 & 18 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Thursday's session assignments:
Session I at 4 p.m. ET: No. 6 Georgia, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 24 BYU and Southern Utah
Session II at 10 p.m. ET: No. 3 Florida, No. 14 California, No. 20 Penn State and Arizona or Arizona State
Regional Set-Up:
This is the seventh year for the following regional championships format:
- Nine teams compete at four regional sites – Arizona State, Kentucky, LSU and Oregon State
- Regional First Round – Lowest two seeded teams at each site compete to advance to regional semifinal
- Regional Second Round – Eight teams compete, split into two four-team sessions. Top two teams in each second round session advance to regional final
- Regional Final – Four teams compete, with top two teams advancing to NCAA Championships, set for April 16-18 in Fort Worth, Texas.
How to Follow the Gators:
| When: | NCAA Second Round | Thursday, April 2 at 4 and 10 p.m. ET (Florida in evening session) |
| Venue: | Desert Financial Arena | Tempe, Ariz. |
| Stream: | ESPN+ covers all regional action again this season. Alex Perlman and past Georgia All-American Sydney Snead call the action at the Tempe Regional |
| Afternoon | Evening | |
| Live Scores: | Virtius Afternoon | Evening |
| Tickets: | Tickets |
| Starting Event | V | UB | BB | FX |
| 4 p.m. ET | Georgia | Michigan State | BYU | Southern Utah |
| Starting Event | V | UB | BB | FX |
| 10 p.m. ET | Florida | California | Arizona or ASU | Penn State |
NCAA Regional Info:
Florida advanced to the NCAA Championships 41 times in the meet's 43-year history, missing the 2000 and 2019 events. Florida moved from NCAA Championships semifinal competition to the NCAA team final 17 of the Gators' last 20 national competition appearances (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). Florida won the 2013, 2014 and 2015 NCAA titles.
The Tempe Regional includes two teams that won conference meet titles – Florida (Southeastern Conference) and Southern Utah (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation). This regional includes teams from five different conferences – No. 3 Florida and No. 6 Georgia (SEC), No. 11 Michigan State and No. 20 Penn State (Big Ten), No. 14 California (ACC), No. 24 BYU, No. 32 Arizona State, No. 33 Arizona (Big 12) and No. 28 Southern Utah (MPSF).
Rowland Returns to ASU
The NCAA Regional brings things full circle for Florida head coach Jenny Rowland, returning her to the very place where her college journey began.
After an accomplished elite career, Jenny Ester Rowland started her collegiate career at Arizona State—and wasted no time making history. As a freshman in 1993, she delivered the Sun Devils' first-ever perfect 10.0 on uneven bars during a Feb. 12 home meet against Boise State and San Jose State.
Just a couple of weeks later, she added another notable performance—winning the all-around title when Florida traveled to Tempe on Feb. 25, an early connection to the program she now leads.
Rowland capped her season by earning All-America honors on uneven bars at the NCAA Championships.
1993 was her only collegiate season, relocating to the Sooner State where she finished her degree.
Last Time Out: Florida Wins SEC Championship Meet Title
In a championship decided by the slimmest of margins, No. 3 Florida rode a scorching uneven bars rotation to capture the title at the Southeastern Conference Gymnastics Championship meet, surging from third place in the final rotation to reclaim the conference trophy.
Florida delivered the meet's top event score – an eye-popping 49.80 on uneven bars that included a 10.0 by Selena Harris-Miranda - to edge rivals No. 1 Oklahoma (198.15) and No. 2 LSU (197.95) with a 198.175. The margin between UF and OU was just 0.025, the narrowest margin possible. The razor-thin victory marks the third time in the meet's 45-year history a champion was decided by that margin - and the second time Florida has come out on top, joining its 2016 win.
The nation's top three teams traded the lead through the first three rotations. Florida opened with a strong 49.525 on balance beam to take the early advantage before LSU slipped ahead by 0.025 at the midway point. Oklahoma then surged into first entering the final rotation behind a 49.625 beam score.
But the final rotation belonged to Florida.
With each contender rotating to one of its nationally ranked strengths — LSU on vault, Florida on bars and Oklahoma on floor — all three delivered the top scores of the meet on those events. Florida's explosive bars set proved decisive, lifting the Gators back into first and sealing the program's 13th SEC championship.
It is Florida's first conference title since winning back-to-back crowns in 2022 and 2023.
Seven Gators earned All-SEC honors at the league championship meet – Skye Blakely, Kaya DiCello, Danie Ferris, eMjae Frazier, Harris-Miranda, Riley McCusker and Anya Pilgrim. Blakely shared the 2026 SEC Specialist of the Year honor in the league's post-season honors released March 25.
Players Mentioned
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/ GymnasticsAnya Pilgrim - Pre Regionals 3-31-26
Tuesday, March 31
Jenny Rowland - Pre Regionals 3-31-2026
Tuesday, March 31
Jenny Rowland - Post NCAA Regional Announcement 3-23-26
Monday, March 23
Kayla DiCello - Post NCAA Regional Announcement 3-23-26
Monday, March 23
