13 Apr And then there were 4! 2023 Women’s NCAA Championships | Preview + How To Watch
The time is now. The 2023 NCAA Championship Final will take place on Saturday, April 15 and feature Utah, Oklahoma, LSU and Florida! Last year was a season labeled “A Season Like No Other” – this year, a new headline is about to be written.
Saturday, April 15th
Session 1 Results:
1. LSU 197.4750 2. Florida 197.400 3. Cal 196.9125 4. Denver 196.500
Session 2 Results:
1. Utah 198.2250 2. Oklahoma 198.1625 3. UCLA 197.9125 4. Kentucky 197.125
Vault: Olivia Trautman 9.950
Bars: Jordan Chiles 10.0
Beam: Maile O’Keefe 10.0
Floor: Jordan Chiles 9.9875
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How To Watch:
Thursday, April 13th
- Semifinal 1 | 3 p.m. ET |Main Broadcast: ESPN2 Event Feeds: VT UB BB FX
- Cal, Denver, Florida & LSU
- Semifinal 2 | 9 p.m. ET |Main Broadcast: ESPN2 Event Feeds: VT UB BB FX
- Kentucky, Oklahoma, UCLA & Utah
Saturday, April 15th
Who To Watch & Why:
Semifinal 1
#3 Florida
The big question. The big question for the Florida Gators is whether superstar Trinity Thomas will be able to compete. After abruptly stopping mid floor routine in the Regional Semifinal, Florida reported the 5th year senior standout sustained a lower leg injury and is taking things day by day. Despite the loss of Thomas, the Gators posted a 197.800 to advance to the NCAA Championships. However, the Gators finished second to the Cal Bears which makes for a thrilling Semifinal 1 featuring a rematch with the Bears, as well as the LSU Tigers and Denver Pioneers who pulled off upsets against #3 Michigan to advance. It really is anyone’s game!
In Fort Worth, the Gators will look to freshman phenom Kayla DiCello and Leanne Wong to bring in those big 9.95+ scores near the end of every rotation. Luckily Florida has a very strong supporting cast with gymnasts like Riley McCusker, Victoria Nguyen, Payton Richards, Ellie Lazzari, Rachel Baumann and Sloane Blakely, all of which are capable of putting up scores in the 9.9 range and keeps the Gators in the conversation even without their star athlete. If the Gators want a shot at the title this year, the key will be consistency across the board and bringing in as big of a score as they can on bars, beam and floor to create some cushion. At the Regional Finals the Gators had four 10.0 start values in their vault lineup and only two scores above 9.9. It’s not the end all be all, but puts the Gators at a slight disadvantage compared to a team like Oklahoma. Stuck landings are a must to keep the gap close here!
#4 California
Game on. The Cal Bears are on a roll after what has been another record-breaking season! The Bears posted their highest NCAA postseason score (198.075) to win their first ever NCAA Regional Championship and advance to the NCAA Championship for only the fifth time in history. Cal is a team stacked with talent and big names like eMjae Frazier (who broke Cal’s All-Around record in the finals with a 39.750), Madelyn Williams, Nevaeh DeSouza, Mya Lauzon and Andi Li – just to name a few!
Cal has one of the best bar and beam teams in the country (their beam performance in the Regional Final was one of the best we’ve ever seen in the NCAA) which is where they will end their day during Semifinal #1. If the Bears can get a strong start on floor and vault, where they are ranked #10 nationally on both events, expect them to be right in the mix to make their first Four on the Floor appearance and possibly even have a shot at the title. The Bears posted the highest team score out of all the teams competing in the Regional Finals! – Could they assume “favorite” status heading to Fort Worth?!
#6 LSU
Let’s Geaux! The LSU Tigers have had to overcome incredible adversity this season to make it back to the NCAA Championships, including the loss of one of their star athletes Kiya Johnson early in the season. The road has been anything but easy for the Tigers, but they don’t call them the fighting tigers for nothing! With the help of some huge scores from star Haleigh Bryant at the Denver Regional and the entire team rising to the occasion to ensure the Tigers didn’t count a score below 9.850 on any event, the Tigers were able to edge out the Michigan Wolverines and advance to the NCAA Championships by winning the tie-breaker (all scores count).
Now that they’ve punched their ticket, don’t expect LSU to relax and be satisfied with simply qualifying to the NCAA Championships. With KJ Johnson back on vault, Chase Brock’s consistency improving, and big numbers (think 10.0’s) possible all four events from Aleah Finnegan and Bryant, expect the Tigers to be hungry for more and ready to fight for a spot in the Final.
#8 Denver
Bracket buster! The Denver Pioneers will make their sixth NCAA appearance as a team after coming out of the Denver Regional Final on top (197.875), ahead of LSU, Michigan, and Oregon State. The Pioneers could really make a mark with another performance like that in Fort Worth! The team is led by sixth year and fan favorite Lynnzee Brown who looks better than ever, and who is bringing in huge scores for the Pioneers as expected on all four events, in addition to junior Jessica Hutchinson who has scored a 10 on beam and floor already this season.
The Pioneers will have Olympic rotation order during Semifinal 1, which could be a benefit and allow the Pioneers to get a solid start on vault, bars and beam where they are ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Pioneers have had an incredible season, breaking their team, vault, beam and floor records this year and coming within .025 of breaking the bar record, so we anticipate them to keep that fire lit in Fort Worth in what is expected to be the most competitive NCAA Championships yet!
Semifinal 2
#1 Oklahoma
The defending champs are ready to roll! Oklahoma has been undeniable for the vast majority of the season, maybe showing a few signs of nerves in the post season, but they always know how to rebound and get the job done! In fact, it’s become their trademark. The Sooners didn’t escape Regionals as easily as one might have expected; Ohio State and Arkansas really gave them a run for their money in the Semifinals. The five-time national champions ended up counting a fall on beam in the Finals but still managed a 198.085 to advance to the Championship. Yup, you read that right.
The Sooners strength is their ability to bounce back from a mistake and be lights out on the remaining routines/events. When it comes to winning a national title, it’s all about being as clean as possible and minimizing deductions and the Sooners are excellent at that. Ranked in the top three on every single event nationally, the Sooners don’t really have a weak spot are are capable of putting up an entire lineup of 9.9+ scores. Olivia Trautman continues to be reliable, particularly on vault where she hasn’t gone below 9.925 all season. Ragan Smith, Jordan Bowers & Kat LeVasseur are three of the Sooners biggest scorers as well — all capable of perfection. We all remember Smith’s celebratory leap into KJ Kindler’s arms following their final rotation on beam in 2022 – will the Sooners capture the same magic and grab their sixth NCAA title in 2023?
#2 Utah
Could this be the year? Utah has had their ups and downs this season, such as losing Grace McCallum early in the season (Psst: Did you see she’s back training on bars?!), however, the Red Rocks are looking stronger than ever in the post season, winning both the PAC 12 Championships (197.925) and the LA Regional (198.050) and are primed to take the title.
Jaedyn Rucker has come through big time with back to back 10s on vault at regionals (don’t forget she’s the reigning NCAA champ here), as well as Maile O’Keefe who is clean and consistent across the board. (She’s practically unstoppable on beam with an NQS of 9.980 this season). The Red Rocks can really capitalize on beam where they are the #1 team in the nation and haven’t gone below 49.400 this whole season – if they do it Fort Worth, it will surely pay dividends in their run for the top spot. The storied Red Rocks have also done a great job of finding their vault landings so far in the post season and could use those extra tenths to keep themselves in the hunt for their first NCAA team title since 1995.
#5 UCLA
Turning the page. The new and improved UCLA Bruins are looking confident and focused heading into their first NCAA Championship since 2019. The Bruins have a tough battle ahead if they want to finish in the top two of the second semifinal, however, if their performance at Regionals proved anything it’s that they are certainly capable of it!
Vault has been the Bruins lowest scoring event all season, but at Regionals the game changed with Brooklyn Moors back in the lineup with a 10.0 start value (she scored 9.9 both days of Regionals) and Selena Harris scoring the first perfect 10 on her career on that event! With only three 10.0 start values in the Bruins lineup, stuck landings are an absolute must if the Bruins want to keep themselves in the mix to advance to the NCAA Finals, but they showed they could do it at Regionals! Ranked #1 nationally on floor and 5th on bars and beam, the Bruins have huge scoring potential on the remaining three events with gymnasts like Jordan Chiles (who could score a 10 on every event), Chae Campbell and Margzetta Frazier in the lineup — so don’t count the Bruins out!
#7 Kentucky
The Cats are back! For just the second time in program history (the first being 2018) the Kentucky Wildcats have punched their ticket to the NCAA Championships as a team. The Wildcats advanced in second place out of the Norman Regional with the second highest score in program history (197.850) in addition to breaking the program beam record (49.575).
Kentucky shines on vault, where they have four 10.0 start values (they are down one since freshman Bridget Borque tore her achilles) and will start the competition in semifinal 1. The Wildcats have done a great job this season with executing their vaults with clean form and stuck landings. (Arianna Patterson has been clutch with several 9.9+ scores this season!) Just doing their normal would set them up nicely after rotation 1 with the hope of building momentum. Watch for Isabella Magnelli to anchor the Wildcats beam lineup with a huge score (she’s gone 9.975 this season) and Raena Worley (who we are still on 10.0 Watch for) on every event. If Worley is at her best, she can challenge anyone on any team and help lead the Cats right to their very first “Four on the Floor” NCAA Final.
Photo credits: Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics
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From Tokyo to Salt Lake City – Grace McCallum
BJ Das is Bring Out the Best in the Bruins
One Day Better – eMjae Frazier
Haleigh Bryant is Locked In and Ready to Lead
The Perfect Time to Redefine By Kathy Johnson Clarke
Janelle McDonald – Building The Bruins Next Chapter
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