Gymnastics title race shapes up

Florida goes into the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s gymnastics championships as a team favorite, with a deep all-around lineup and the Southeastern Conference title already in hand. (ncaa.com) The national meet runs April 16 to 18 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Florida advanced by winning the Tempe Regional final with a 198.050 after posting 198.125 in the regional second round. (ncaa.com) The field in Fort Worth is eight teams: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana State, Stanford, Oklahoma, Arkansas, University of California, Los Angeles, and Minnesota. The two national semifinals are set for Thursday, April 16, and the championship is Saturday, April 18. (ncaa.com) Florida’s case starts with scores. The Gators won the Southeastern Conference championship on March 21 with a 198.175, edging Oklahoma’s 198.150 by 0.025 after a meet-best 49.80 on uneven bars. (floridagators.com) Kayla DiCello has become one of the names to watch in the all-around race even with a limited sample. In two of her three all-around appearances this season, she scored above 39.700, including a 39.725 for second place at the Southeastern Conference championships. (sg.news.yahoo.com) (floridagators.com) The all-around picture is crowded, not clear-cut. Forbes’ championship preview listed Louisiana State’s Kailin Chio, University of California, Los Angeles’ Jordan Chiles, and Utah’s Avery Neff among the top contenders alongside Florida’s DiCello and Skye Blakely. (forbes.com) Leanne Wong’s name still hovers over Florida’s season, but not as a competitor in Fort Worth. Wong told The Independent Florida Alligator in March that she was no longer on the team and was watching Florida’s postseason push from the sidelines. (alligator.org) That shift helps explain why Florida’s title hopes now rest on depth as much as star power. At the Southeastern Conference meet, Selena Harris-Miranda scored a 10.0 on bars, while DiCello and Skye Blakely both went 9.95 or better in the closing rotation that decided the title. (floridagators.com) Florida has been close before in Fort Worth. The Gators finished runner-up to Oklahoma in 2023, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association record book lists Florida’s last national title in 2015. (ncaa.com) Now the path is short and unforgiving: one semifinal on Thursday, one final on Saturday, and no carryover scores. Florida arrives with the league trophy, a 198-plus postseason ceiling, and enough all-around options to make the title race feel open until the last routine. (ncaa.com) (floridagators.com)