Report on the Florida Gators gymnastics team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 2 Florida gymnastics team heads to Minneapolis, Minnesota, for NCAA Regional action. The NCAA Gymnastics Committee unveiled the fields for each of the six 2016 NCAA Region Championships sites Monday. NCAA Minneapolis Regional competition is set for Saturday, April 2 at 5 p.m. ET in theSports Pavilion.
The field for the NCAA Minneapolis Gymnastics Regional includes No. 2 Florida, No. 11 Denver, No. 16 Minnesota, No. 20 Missouri, No. 28 Ohio State and No. 31 BYU.
The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each region site advances to the NCAA Championships, set for April 15-16 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
Last year, UF won the program’s 15th NCAA Regional title in Morgantown, West Virginia, to advance to its 33rd NCAA Championships. Florida won its third consecutive NCAA title in 2015, edging Utah 197.85 – 197.80 for the win.
Each of the six regions have three teams among the nation’s top 18, with one team each from the nation’s No. 1-6, No. 7-12, and No. 13-18 ranking positions. The final three spots in each regional were filled from teams ranked 19-36 by regional qualifying score. The committee tried to keep those teams within their own region as much as possible.
Florida is the only team in the Minneapolis Regional field which advanced to the 2015 NCAA Championships. All of the other teams have qualified for NCAA Championships’ action in the past. Minnesota will be looking to return to the NCAA Championships after missing the 2014 event, as the Gophers qualified in 2013 by taking second in the Gainesville Regional. Denver, led by Florida gymnastics alumna Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart, last advanced in 2008. BYU has appeared in seven NCAA Championships’, with the last coming in 2005. Missouri appeared in the 2010 NCAA Championships in Gainesville and Ohio State advanced in 2012 and 1985.
Florida will open regional competition on the bye before bars.
In addition, five all-around competitors (who are not on a qualifying team) and one individual specialist per event advance to each of the six regions. The all-around competitors and event specialists came from within the region. Iowa State sophomore Haylee Young will be paired with the Gators for regional competition.
For the third consecutive season, the seeding determined at the time of regional selections will be maintained throughout the championships. Standard bracketing procedures will be followed with teams seeded 1, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 12 placed on the left side of the bracket and teams seeded 2, 3, 6, 7, 10 and 11 placed on the right side of the bracket.
2016 NCAA Minneapolis Region Competition Order | ||||||
Vault | Bye | Bars | Beam | Bye | Floor | |
I | BYU | Florida | Ohio State | Denver | Missouri | Minnesota |
II | Minnesota | BYU | Florida | Ohio State | Denver | Missouri |
III | Missouri | Minnesota | BYU | Florida | Ohio State | Denver |
IV | Denver | Missouri | Minnesota | BYU | Florida | Ohio State |
V | Ohio State | Denver | Missouri | Minnesota | BYU | Florida |
VI | Florida | Ohio State | Denver | Missouri | Minnesota | BYU |
2016 NCAA Gymnastics Regional Fields (with national rank) | |
Minneapolis Regional (Minneapolis, Minn.) – April 2 @ 5 p.m. ET | |
2. | Florida |
11. | Denver |
16. | Minnesota |
20. | Missouri |
28. | Ohio State |
31. | BYU |
Ann Arbor Regional (Ann Arbor, Mich.) – April 2 @ 6 p.m. ET | |
6. | Auburn |
7. | Michigan |
18. | Stanford |
24. | Eastern Michigan |
25. | Penn State |
33. | New Hampshire |
Iowa City Regional (Iowa City, Iowa) – April 2 @ 5 p.m. ET | |
1. | Oklahoma |
12. | Nebraska |
13. | Arkansas |
19. | Iowa |
30. | Kent State |
35. | Central Michigan |
Athens Regional (Athens, Ga.) – April 2 @ 4 p.m. ET | |
3. | LSU |
9. | Georgia |
13. | Oregon State |
22. | ArizonaAssociations / Rankings |
27. | George Washington |
36. | Michigan State |
Salt Lake Regional (Salt Lake City, Utah) – April 2 @ 8 p.m. ET | |
5. | Utah |
8. | UCLA |
17. | Washington |
23. | Southern Utah |
29. | Illinois-Champaign |
32. | Utah State |
Tuscaloosa Regional (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) – April 2 @ 5 p.m. ET | |
4. | Alabama |
9. | California |
15. | Boise State |
21. | Kentucky |
26. | West Virginia |
34. | Bowling Green |