Gophers Travel to Fayetteville for Arkansas Regional

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The No. 15 University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team will compete this week at the Fayetteville Regional, which will take place April 3-6, 2024. The Fayetteville Regional will be hosted by the University of Arkansas and is one of four regional meets held nationally. Competition will take place at Bud Walton Arena. The Gophers received the No. 15 overall seed and will compete on Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the second round against No. 2 LSU, No. 18 Oregon State and the winner of the play-in matchup between Boise State and BYU. On the other side of the regional bracket is No. 7 Arkansas, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 24 Arizona and Nebraska. The top two scores from each session will advance to the Regional Finals, which will take place on Saturday, April 6 at 5 p.m. CT. The top two teams from the Regional Final will advance to the NCAA Championships April 18-20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

MEET INFORMATION
No. 15 Minnesota vs. No. 2 LSU, No. 18 Oregon State and Boise State OR BYU (Play-In Matchup)
2024 NCAA Regional Championships
Thursday, April 4, 2024
7 p.m. CT
Bud Walton Arena
Fayetteville, Ark.
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Stats: Virtius

EVENT ROTATION ORDER:
Minnesota: Floor-Vault-Bars-Beam
LSU: Vault-Bars-Beam-Floor
Oregon State: Beam-Floor-Vault-Bars
Boise State/BYU: Bars-Beam-Floor-Vault

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

The No. 15 Minnesota women's gymnastics team capped off their regular season with a 16-6 (6-3 B1G) record, their most wins since the 2019 season and the second-most all-time in the 10 years of Jenny Hansen's tenure (18-4 in 2019).
The Gophers finished fourth in the B1G regular season standings with a 6-3 league record. Minnesota then finished second at the Big Ten Championships on March 23 with a score of 197.500, missing winning the conference crown by .100 to Michigan State (197.600). It was the second-best finish at Big Ten's since 2006 (won Big Ten title in 2021).
Minnesota will be making its 43rd NCAA Regionals appearance all-time in 2024 in year 50 of program history. The Gophers have made regionals for the past 28 seasons (not including 2020 COVID year).
The 'U' has made nationals three times (2016, 2021, 2022) in the past nine seasons, finishing second each time in their regional. Their two regional titles in program laurels came in 1980 and 1982.
Four Gophers (Gianna Gerdes, Mya Hooten, Lauren Pearl, Ella Sirjord) were named All-Big Ten. Hooten (bars, floor, vault) won three Big Ten individual titles while Sarah Moraw (beam) won a B1G championship as well.
Mya Hooten was named a WCGA regular season First Team All-American on both floor and vault. It was her fourth straight first team honor on floor and third straight on vault (two-time second team honoree).
Nine different Gophers have won event titles at some point this season. Hooten (18) and Gerdes (11) lead the way.
The Gophers best performance of the season came two weeks ago in their senior day quad with a dazzling 197.725. They've gone over 197 four times in 2024, including Feb. 3 at Penn State (197.525), March 8 at Alabama (197.400) and Feb. 10 against Michigan (197.175).
The 'U' holds wins over Oregon State, BYU, Southern Utah, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Penn State, Illinois (2x), Nebraska, Rutgers, Talladega College, UC Davis, Air Force, Northern Illinois and West Va. this year.

SCOUTING LSU

The No. 2 ranked LSU Tigers (19-3, 5-2 SEC) took home the SEC Championship last weekend, their fifth as a program, with a 198.075 score. The score matched the programs highest at the championships to place them in first overall across all eight teams in both sessions of the competition. Milestones this year include an undefeated home season, nine ranked victories over top-20 opponents and two program high scores this year, with the highest score in LSU history coming in a 198.475 victory over No. 7 Arkansas.
LSU is led by fourth-year head coach Jay Clark, who's in his 13th season there overall after serving as an associate head coach for nine years prior. He led the Tigers to a fourth place finish overall at the NCAA Championships. Haleigh Bryant finished as the All-Around Champion at the NCAA Championships. The Tigers finished the year in the top 10 for all four events (No. 3 on vault, No. 3 on floor, No. 9 on bars and No. 10 on beam).
Five Tigers were named to the All-SEC teams, led by WCGA Regular Season All-Americans Haleigh Bryant (1st Team AA, Vault, Bars, Beam, Floor) and Kiya Johnson (2nd Team AA, 1st Team Floor). Konnor McClain was named WCGA First Team All-America on beam.

SCOUTING OREGON STATE

The No. 18 Oregon State Beavers (12-4, 4-3 Pac-12) are led by 27th-year head coach Tanya Chaplin. In 2023, the Beavs earned their second-straight Pac-12 Regular Season Title. This year, they advanced to postseason for the 49th-straight season.
For postseason honors, rookie Sophia Esposito was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year while two-time Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year Jade Carey was named First Team All-Pac-12 and a WCGA First Team All-American on bars. Sage Thompson also earned first team all-league honors.
Jade Carey earned her second-straight NCAA all-around title in 2023. She earned at least one Perfect 10 on all four events last season, just the 13th NCAA Gymnast ever to accomplish that feat. She finished as the NCAA Runner-Up on beam in 2023.

SCOUTING BOISE STATE

The Boise State Broncos (20-5, 5-0 MW) are led by 14th-year head coach Tina Bird. She's led BSU to a historic season, winning the inaugural Mountain West Championship with a score of 196.550 last weekend. Bird was named coach of the year in the league while Emily Lopez was named Mountain West Gymnast of the Year.
The Broncos have qualified for regionals in each of the past 16 seasons, and will compete in the play-in round on Wednesday against BYU. The Broncos concluded the regular season with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 196.715, ranking 29th. Boise State is ranked 21st on beam, posting an NQS of 49.300. Individually, senior Emily Lopez finished the regular season as the Bars Specialist of the Year in the Mountain West.

SCOUTING BYU

Led by 10th-year head coach Guard Young, BYU (11-15, 3-5 Big 12) heads into the postseason after taking home a third place finish with a final score of 197.050 in its first-ever Big 12 Championships.
The Cougars best performances of the season have come in the last two weeks, with their Big 12 Championships score and their 196.750 tally in a quad meet at Washington.
Sophomore Kylie Eaquinto was named Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week on March 19 after posting a 9.975 on floor. She's one of three weekly award honorees this season for BYU.

WEEK 12 STANDOUTS; LAST TIME OUT

The No. 15 University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team took second at the 2024 Big Ten Championships with a score of 197.500.
No. 9 Michigan State took home the Big Ten title with a score of 197.600 followed by No. 10 Michigan (197.225) and Ohio State (197.050).
Mya Hooten tied for Big Ten titles on vault (9.975, second of her career), floor (9.950, third of her career) and uneven bars (9.925, first of her career) In total, Hooten is a three-time Big Ten floor champion (2022-24), two-time vault champion (2023-24) and now an uneven bars champion.
Sophomore Sarah Moraw won her first B1G title with a 9.925 on balance beam in front of her friends and family in her home state of Michigan.
The Gophers started the evening by posting their best bars score (49.375) of the season, topping the 49.325 it posted at Alabama and Penn State. They continued their day with a 49.475 on beam and floor before finishing with a 49.225 on vault.
A record six Gophers made the B1G All-Championships team: Gianna Gerdes, Mya Hooten, Katie Horak, Sarah Moraw, Lauren Pearl, Ella Sirjord.

LAST SEASON

The 'U' is coming off a 2023 season that saw it post a 10-6-1 (4-4-1 Big Ten) meet record, finishing fifth in the regular season standings. The Gophers went on to finish third at the Big Ten Championships (197.250) and fifth at the NCAA Regionals (197.200). They will be looking to qualify for nationals for the third time in the last four seasons in 2024.

GOPHERS HISTORY AT NCAA REGIONALS

Minnesota will be partaking in the NCAA Regionals for the 43rd time in program history this week in Fayetteville, Ark. The Gophers hold two regional titles, which came in 1980 and 1982.
Under Jenny Hansen, the Gophers have advanced out of regionals three times, making nationals in 2016, 2021 and 2022 with second place finishes. The Gophers went on to finish sixth at nationals in 2022, their best finish in program history.
In 2022, The No. 8 University of Minnesota gymnastics team competed in the Norman Regional and earned a score of 197.725 to advance to the NCAA National Championships. Minnesota entered the final rotation trailing Cal for the second position to qualify for nationals. The Gophers, recorded a meet-best 49.650 to send them to Texas. Mya Hooten led the Gophers with a nearly flawless 9.975.
Also in 2022, Minnesota qualified for the NCAA National Championships as a team for the sixth time ever. The Gophers also earned a spot in the championship meet in 1997 (10th-place finish), 2002 (ninth), 2013 (eighth), 2016 (12th) and 2021 (eighth). 2022 marked the first time in school history that the Gophers qualified for the NCAA Championships as a team in consecutive years.
In 2021, the No. 8 Gophers punched their ticket to NCAA Nationals after placing second in the Athens Regional Championship. The Gophers posted a 197.425 and were second only to Florida who had a team score of 197.700. Then freshman Mya Hooten had a huge performance for the Maroon and Gold, posting a 9.950 on floor and vault. All four of four-year All-American Lexy Ramler's routines earned a 9.900 or above from the judges. Ramler had a 9.950 on beam, 9.925 on bars and a 9.900 on both vault and floor.

HOOTEN EARNS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA ON FLOOR AND VAULT

For the fourth straight season, University of Minnesota senior gymnast Mya Hooten has been named an All-American by the WCGA. Hooten was named a First Team All-American on both floor and vault. She's now a four-time WCGA First Team All-American on floor and a three-time WCGA All-American on vault (two-time second team).
Now a seven-time WCGA All-America honoree, Hooten joins Lexy Ramler (2018-22) as the only Gophers to earn All-America honors in four consecutive seasons.
Student-athletes with the top eight National Qualifying Scores (NQS) for the regular season (with ties), for each event plus the all-around earned All America honors. Second team All-America honors are earned by student-athletes ranked Nos. 9-16 (with ties) in the NQS.
Hooten, has earned three perfect 10s on floor this season, bringing her career total to nine ahead of regional competition. Her season average on floor sits at a spectacular 9.945 before regionals, with an NQS of 9.980. On vault, Hooten holds a 9.885 average with a season-high of 9.975, which she earned at the Big Ten Championships last weekend. Hooten's NQS is 9.925 heading into next week's regional.

FOUR GOPHERS EARN ALL-BIG TEN ACCOLADES

Gopher gymnasts Gianna Gerdes, Mya Hooten, Lauren Pearl and Ella Sirjord were named to the All-Big Ten teams, the conference announced. Hooten and Gerdes made the first team while Pearl and Sirjord were named to the second team.
Gerdes, a Delaware, Ohio native, takes home her second consecutive First Team All-Big Ten honor. Gerdes holds 11 event titles this season, including six in the all-around. Her 39.452 all-around average puts her at No. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 23 nationally. She earned a career-high 39.575 in the all-around on March 1 at Boise State, topping her previous career-best of 39.525.
Mya Hooten has earned her fourth consecutive All-Big Ten honor, including her third first team accolade. Hooten currently ranks as the No. 2 floor gymnast in the country with a 9.945 average. She's tallied three perfect 10's this season and has gone 9.95-or-better on the event seven times in 11 meets. Hooten has collected 15 event titles in 2024, including eight on floor, five on vault and two on the uneven bars.
Milford, Mass., native Lauren Pearl took home Second Team All-Big Ten honors after a banner junior season that saw her post averages of 9.889 on floor, 9.823 on beam and 9.793 on vault. She has earned career-highs in each event this year, including two 9.950s on floor, a 9.950 on beam (March 17) and two 9.875s on vault. Pearl was named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week on March 12.
A senior out of Andover, Minn., Ella Sirjord has had a wonderful final season in the Maroon and Gold, capped with Second Team All-Big Ten honors. Sirjord had battled through injury throughout her career and had not competed in non-exhibitions before 2024. She has been a mainstay on both the uneven bars and balance beam for Minnesota, winning three beam event titles and has gone 9.900-or-better four different times.

WCGA AND ROAD TO NATIONALS RANKINGS

Entering the NCAA Regionals the Golden Gophers stayed at No. 15 in the Road to Nationals rankings. The 'U' ranks 8th in the nation on beam, 11th on the floor, 19th in vault and 21st on bars.
Minnesota's Gianna Gerdes ranks 24th in the nation in all-around. Mya Hooten ranks 2nd in floor and 8th in vault. Brooklyn Rowray was ranked No. 1 in the country on beam after posting a 9.975 on Jan. 6. She hasn't competed since then after suffering an achilles injury on Jan. 13.
Minnesota began the 2024 season ranked No. 18 in the WCGA Preseason poll. The 'U' is coming off a 2023 season that saw it go 10-6-1 (4-4-1 Big Ten), finishing fifth in the conference standings. The 'U' finished third at the Big Ten Championships (197.250) and fifth at the NCAA Regionals (197.200). They will be looking to qualify for nationals for the third time in the last four seasons in 2024.
The Gophers ended 2023 ranked No. 18 in the nation, including a No. 12 rank in floor, 14th in vault, 19th in bars and 40th on beam.

PEARL PUTS THE WORLD ON NOTICE

A highly recruited athlete out of Milford, Mass., junior Lauren Pearl has had her best season as a Gopher in 2024. The Second Team All-Big Ten honoree holds a 9.887 average on the floor (second on the team) along with a 9.829 beam average (third on the team).
An All-B1G Championships Team selection, Pearl has totaled 9.900-or-better seven times this year on floor. On beam, she's gone 9.850-or-higher eight times, including a career-high 9.950 on senior day March 17. On vault, Pearl has hit 9.875 twice, a career-high tally for her.

UP NEXT
The NCAA Regional Finals take place on Saturday, April 6 at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+. The two top scores from each session Thursday will compete in the finals.

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Gianna Gerdes

Mya Hooten

Katie Horak

Sarah Moraw

Lauren Pearl

Brooklyn Rowray

Ella Sirjord