The fight to be named gymnastics national champions for the 2025 season is on. Regional competitions are this weekend, and the national championship is set for April 17-19.
Tuscaloosa is one of the four regional host sites for the 2025 gymnastics postseason, with the host location changing each season.
There are nine teams at each regional site, meaning that only the top 36 teams in the nation make it to the regional postseason. The top 16 teams are seeded, and the remaining 20 teams are placed geographically.
The host sites this season are Alabama, the University of Washington, Penn State and the University of Utah.
No. 12 Alabama hosts No. 6 Cal, Clemson, No. 3 Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, North Carolina State, No. 14 Oregon State and Rutgers.
The Tuscaloosa regionals will be from Thursday to Sunday. On Thursday, Clemson beat Rutgers 195.400 to 193.875 to earn a spot in the Friday sessions.
Friday will be split into two quad-style sessions, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. CT. Alabama will compete against Cal, UNC, and Iowa in the first session. The second session will feature Oregon State, Florida, NC State and Clemson.
The regional championships are on Sunday. For a team to advance to the regional championships, it must place in the top two of its Friday session. With two sessions, four teams will advance to the finals on Sunday.
To advance to the national championships in Fort Worth, Texas, a team must place in the top two at its regional finals. Alabama will need to place in the top two on Friday and Sunday to move on.
Alabama has already competed against UNC this season and won by almost 2 points. Alabama also finished ahead of Iowa at Missouri’s Zou to the Lou quad meet, scoring 196.75 to the Hawkeyes’ 195.
With margins like these in previous contests against UNC and Iowa, Alabama can and will hope to do it again. Cal currently has an NQS of 197.605 compared to Alabama’s 197.205.
With that, Alabama needs to make sure it sticks landings and has no-fall routines to finish in the top two on Friday and make it to Sunday’s regional finals.
