Kentucky Earns Ninth Consecutive National Seed, Will Host NCAA Regional
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the ninth consecutive NCAA Women’s Gymnastics championship, the Kentucky Wildcats have earned a national seed. Kentucky has earned the No. 16 overall seed in the 2026 tournament and is set to host NCAA Regional competition for the first time since 2010. The NCAA Lexington Regional will take place inside Historic Memorial Coliseum on April 2, 3, and 5.
Kentucky is seeded fourth within the Lexington Regional and will begin competition in Semifinal II at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 3. All-Session Tickets for the NCAA Lexington Regional are available now. Single Session Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 25.
The Wildcats are making the program’s 37th all-time NCAA Regional appearance, including 21 consecutive regional berths. Kentucky has also earned a national seed in every championship since 2017. The Wildcats had not earned a national seed prior to the beginning of the current streak.
Kentucky has surged up the national standings to extend its national seed streak, jumping from No. 39 in the rankings on January 19 to No. 16 at the time of selections. After not scoring above 196.500 in any of its first four meets, the Wildcats have scored above that mark in each of its final seven meets of the season—including four scores above 197. Kentucky enters the postseason with a National Qualifying Score of 196.550.
The Wildcats will be joined in the Lexington Regional by No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma, No. 8 Missouri, No. 9 Arkansas, Ohio State, North Carolina State, Maryland, Central Michigan, and Rutgers. Also competing in Lexington will be individuals from Ball State, Brown, Bridgeport, Illinois, Kent State, Southeast Missouri, and Southern Connecticut.
Competition in Lexington will begin on Thursday, April 2 at 2 p.m. ET with a dual meet between Central Michigan and Rutgers, with the winner claiming the final spot in Friday’s Regional Semifinals.
Semifinal action will take place on Friday, April 3. Semifinal I will feature No. 8 Missouri, No. 9 Arkansas, NC State, and Maryland at 1 p.m. ET. Semifinal II will begin at 7 p.m. ET and will see No. 16 Kentucky joined by No. 1 Oklahoma, Ohio State, and the winner of Central Michigan and Rutgers. Individual competitors will also compete during the semifinal sessions.
The top two teams from both semifinal sessions will advance to the regional final at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 5. The four advancing teams will battle it out for two available qualifying positions to the 2026 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas on Thursday, April 16.
Every session of the NCAA Lexington Regional will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The top scoring individual on each apparatus and the all-around from a non-advancing team will also advance to the National Semifinals. Individual qualifiers will be based on scores from Friday’s regional semifinals.
The Vault – Kentucky Gymnastics Booster Club
The Vault is the Official Booster Club of Kentucky Gymnastics. Joining The Vault means investing directly in our program. Your contributions help us provide top-notch training facilities, essential equipment, and opportunities for our athletes to excel in this challenging environment. Every dollar counts, and every Vault member makes a difference. Our various membership club levels offer fantastic benefits with each contribution strengthening our program and empowering our athletes as they compete at the highest levels.
You can join The Vault by clicking this link or you can donate directly by visiting this link. For questions or any other information, please contact Amy Coyle (amy.coyle@uky.edu)
For the latest on the Kentucky gymnastics team, follow @UKGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
