After an unforgettable season chock full of surprises, viral moments, dominant performances and even the occasional scoring controversy or two, the 2023 NCAA championships are upon us in Fort Worth, Texas.
The competition gets underway Thursday with the first semifinal (3 p.m. ET on ESPN2) as Florida, California, LSU and Denver battle for their spot in Saturday’s team final. Oklahoma, Utah, UCLA and Kentucky will compete in the night session (9 p.m. ET on ESPN2), and the two highest-scoring teams from each semifinal will advance. Gymnasts will also be competing Thursday for the all-around and individual event titles — awarded to the top scorers at the end of semifinal II.
Of course, these are the NCAA championships and anything can happen. We’re in for an exciting day of close competition — and we’ll have updates on all of the action here:
It’s go time
The gymnasts are warming up, and Florida (with Trinity Thomas there as well) started the day with a dance party. The countdown begins.
Who to watch in Semifinal I
The biggest question leading into the weekend has undoubtedly been the status of Florida star and reigning all-around champion Trinity Thomas. The fifth-year senior injured her right leg during regionals and was unable to compete in the regional final.
During Wednesday’s practice session, Thomas trained exclusively on bars, giving fans a glimmer of hope that she will compete in at least the one event.
Still, Thomas’ presumed absence for most of the competition is a major blow to the Gators, who for much of the season appeared to be a front-runners for the NCAA title. Florida has the talent to advance to Saturday’s final even with Thomas’ limited participation, but it won’t be easy.
Who else should you be keeping an eye on during the first semifinal? LSU’s Haleigh Bryant is the likely favorite from the afternoon session to take the early lead in the all-around race. Freshman phenom eMjae Frazier and California will be looking to keep their record-setting season going. And Denver’s sixth-year senior Lynnzee Brown, one of college gymnastics’ most beloved figures, could put up big numbers on bars and floor — and force one more meet in her legendary career. –D’Arcy Maine
Get more predictions from Kathy Johnson Clarke, Sam Peszek, John Roethlisberger and many more here.
Championship history
Georgia has won the most national titles overall, with 10, and had a streak of five titles in a row from 2005 to 2009. But the Bulldogs haven’t won since 2009, and did not qualify to compete in Fort Worth this year.
Utah dominated the 1980s to the mid-1990s and has nine titles overall, with the most recent coming in 1995. Recently, Oklahoma has been the team to beat, with five national titles since the Sooners first won in 2014 (a tie for the title with Florida — the only tie in history.)
The full breakdown of national titles:
Georgia: 10 (1987, 1989, 1993, 1998-99, 2005-09)
Utah: 9 (1982-86, 1990, 1992, 1994-95)
UCLA: 7 (1997, 2000-01, 2003-2004, 2010, 2018)
Alabama: 6 (1988, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2011-12)
Oklahoma: 5 (2014 [tied], 2016-17, 2019, 2022)
Florida: 3 (2013, 2014 [tied], 2015)
Michigan: 1 (2021)
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