The No. 13 Minnesota women’s gymnastics team is headed back to the NCAA National Championships after finishing second at the NCAA Regionals in Corvallis, Oregon.
Minnesota competed against No. 4 UCLA, Iowa and Washington in Friday’s regional semifinal. The Gophers scored a 196.975 to finish second behind UCLA and advance to the regional final.
In Sunday’s regional final, Minnesota was the underdog against UCLA, No. 12 Utah and No. 5 Alabama. The Gophers placed second with a 197.625, behind UCLA, securing their first trip to nationals since 2022.
Key Moments
Minnesota head coach Jenny Hansen, in her 12th season with the Gophers, noted how confident the team was feeling heading into the postseason.
“We’re so excited to be getting to go to the regional championships again,” Hansen said. “We’ve had a really great last week and a half of practice, just fine-tuning everything we’ve been working on all season.”
Hansen said it is important to start strong and maintain momentum throughout the meet.
“Everything matters at this point,” Hansen said. “Our ultimate goal is to be at the national championship, so advancing through regionals is the first step.”
Minnesota has made NCAA Regionals for 45 years in program history, including 30 straight, and has advanced to nationals three times under Hansen’s leadership.
A key contributor this season has been freshman Arianna Ostrum, who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was named WCGA Second Team All-American on vault and all-around. Ostrum led the Gophers with 13 event titles this season, including five on vault and floor, and three all-around titles.
Ostrum said she has grown a lot this season.
“College gymnastics is all about little details and doing your best every week,” Ostrum said.
Ostrum said the team focused on refining its skills before regionals.
“We’re really focusing on small things, like landings and pointing our toes,” she said. “Just doing what we do best.”
Ostrum said handling the postseason atmosphere comes down to mindset.
“At the meet, it’s about staying in our own team bubble and pretending it’s practice,” she said. “The cheering and all the noise are just there for us to use as an advantage.”
Standout Performances
Minnesota advanced out of Friday’s semifinal despite a slow start. The Gophers scored a season low 49.000 on floor in the first rotation, but improved in the next three events.
The Gophers were in third going into the final rotation before strong beam performances by senior Brooklyn Rowray and junior Jordyn Lyden, helping the team secure its spot in the regional final.
In Sunday’s regional final, Minnesota relied on strong all-around performances to finish second in a close meet behind UCLA.
The Gophers opened with a 49.450 on floor and stayed in contention. They sealed their nationals berth after a strong beam performance by Lyden and Rowray once again.
Ostrum led Minnesota with a third-place finish in the all-around, while Lyden won event titles on bars and beam.
What’s Next
Minnesota will compete at the NCAA National Championships from April 16-18 in Fort Worth, Texas.
