University of Illinois to Host NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will host the 2026 NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships on April 17-18, 2026. The event is scheduled to take place at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.

Competition Format and Schedule

The championships will begin on April 17, 2026, with two pre-qualifying sessions. These sessions are scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and 7 p.m. CT. The top three teams from each of these two sessions will advance to the National Championship.

The National Championship finals will be held on April 18, 2026, starting at 6 p.m. CT.

Qualifying Teams and Field

The NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Committee has announced a field of 12 teams for the qualifying sessions. This includes all five Big Ten schools: Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, and Ohio State.

The qualifying teams and their scores include:

• Oklahoma (328.150)
• Michigan (324.250)
• Stanford (322.988)
• Nebraska (320.963)
• Ohio State (317.863)
• Penn State (315.375)
• Illinois (315.075)
• California (314.913)
• Greenville (311.325)
• Navy (310.850)
• Army (309.963)
• Springfield (308.500)

Oklahoma, Michigan, and Stanford entered the event as the top three qualifiers. Michigan enters the competition as the defending champion, having won their seventh championship with a score of 332.224 points.

Session Assignments

The 12 teams have been divided into two sessions for April 17:

Session I (2 p.m. ET) will feature Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, California, Greenville, and Springfield.

Session II (8 p.m. ET) will feature Michigan, Stanford, Penn State, Illinois, Navy, and Army.

Broadcasting and Coverage

ESPN will provide live coverage of the event. The qualifying sessions on April 17 will stream on ESPN+, while the National Championship on April 18 will air nationally on ESPN2.

Individual Qualifiers

The competition also features individual qualifiers in the All-Around category, including athletes from William & Mary, Simpson, Air Force, and others.

• Luke Tully (William & Mary)
• Braxton Jones (Simpson)
• Sam Brown (Air Force)
• Brian Rollison (Simpson)
• Tai Gopaul (Air Force)
• Noah Doiron (Simpson)
• Niko Greenly (William & Mary)
• Jack Matlock (Air Force)
• Jonathan Irwin (William & Mary)
• Jack Foltyn (Air Force)
• Paul Tiedemann (Simpson)
• Jared Fry (Air Force)
• William Bacus (Simpson)
• Alex Campbell (Simpson)