UF Gymnastics: Florida is 2021 NCAA Gymnastics Championships Top Seed

Courtesy of University Athletic Association

BY MARY HOWARD

Florida competes at April 1-3 NCAA Athens Regional

Florida claims the top overall seed for the 2021 NCAA Gymnastics Championships.

The Gators head to Athens, Ga., for the April 1-3 NCAA Regional Gymnastics Championships. The NCAA Gymnastics Committee revealed the fields for the four NCAA Region Championship sites Monday afternoon.

This is the second year for the following regional championships format.

  *   Nine teams compete at four regional sites:
  *   Regional First Round – Lowest two seeded teams at each site compete to advance to regional semifinal
  *   Regional Semifinal Round – Eight teams compete, split into two four-team semifinals. Top two teams in each semifinal advance to regional final
  *   Regional Final – Four teams compete, with top two teams advancing to NCAA Championships, set for April 16-17 in Ft. Worth, Texas.

The nine-team field for the NCAA Athens Gymnastics Regional includes:

  *   No. 1 Florida
  *   No. 8 Minnesota
  *   No. 9 Denver
  *   No. 16 Illinois-Champaign
  *   No. 18 Georgia
  *   No. 24. Oregon State
  *   No. 25 Central Michigan
  *   No. 26 North Carolina State
  *   No. 35 Western Michigan

NCAA Regional Competition Info:
For the seventh consecutive season, the seeding determined at the time of regional selections will be maintained throughout the championships. Florida was also the No. 1 seed for the first season of maintained seeding (2014).

Standard bracketing procedures will be followed with teams seeded 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 16 placed on the left side of the bracket and teams seeded 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, and 15 placed on the right side of the bracket.

For the first time, the four NCAA regional semifinal and final competitions are available live on ESPN3 with coverage of every gymnast and apparatus.

Gators in NCAA Regional Competition:
Florida has advanced to the NCAA Championships 36 times in the meet’s 38-year history, missing only the 2000 and 2019 events.

The Gators have won 18 NCAA Regional Championships – 1982, ’84, ’85, ’87, ’97, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’18.

Fantastic Four Format:
At the national championship site, the eight-team field will compete in two four-team semifinals. The top two teams in each semifinal advance to the NCAA team final.

ESPN2 airs both NCAA Semifinals on April 16. The NCAA Championship final makes its debut on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET on April 17.