2023 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship: Preview and stars to watch
Can Oklahoma retain its 2022 title? Will Olympians Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum power their teams to titles? The action gets underway this week.
Artistic Gymnastics
The new NCAA womenâs gymnastics season starts in earnest this week with several top-tier match-ups including a clash of the last three schools to win national titles, and world and Olympic champions Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles all set for action at the Super 16 event in Las Vegas.
With competitions beginning on Friday (6 January), hereâs what to look for ahead of the 2023 womenâs collegiate season.
Can OU do it again?
Reigning NCAA champions the University of Oklahoma will be top contenders to win their second title in a row in 2023. A win at Aprilâs NCAA Championships would be their fifth national title win since 2016.
In the opening week of competition, theyâll face off with the last two schools to claim NCAA team titles the University of Michigan (2021) and the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as Leeâs Auburn University in the Saturday (7 January) evening session at the Super 16 competition in Vegas.
The squad enters the 2023 season in good position, having lost only three routines from two gymnasts (Carly Woodard, beam and floor; and Karrie Thomas, bars) from their 2022 winning team.
They should find replacements easily with former elite gymnasts Faith Torrez and Ava Siegfeldt ready for their freshman campaigns. Torrez finished seventh at the 2019 U.S. womenâs World Championships selection event, while Siegfeldt qualified to the 2021 U.S. Olympic team trials.
Coach K.J. Kindler, who owns five NCAA team titles, has proven year after year that she knows not only how reload her team but also how to get them in tip-top form when it matters most.
Suniâs last year
Lee announced in November that, while she would return for her sophomore campaign with Auburn, it would be her last.
"Today I'm sharing a decision that has weighed on me for a very long time," Lee, 19, said in a video posted to her social media platforms. "This will be my last season competing at Auburn University. I'm so excited to share that after this season I will be returning to elite gymnastics. I have my sights set on Paris 2024 and I know what I have to do to get there."
Lee, the surprise Olympic all-around gold medallist at Tokyo 2020 after teammate and favourite Simone Biles withdrew to focus on her mental health, led Auburn to a best-ever fourth place finish at last yearâs NCAA championships.
What can she do in 2023?
Well, if videos of her recent training are any indicator, Lee should be setting herself up not only for more NCAA history but also to be in a very strong position in the summer and beyond to contend for the U.S. team at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
Rising level
Lee, of course, is not the only Tokyo 2020 Olympic medallist competing in the NCAA with Carey, the Olympic floor exercise champion, and Chiles and Grace McCallum, team silvers with the U.S., also preparing for their sophomore seasons.
Carey and Chiles both helped the U.S. win a historic sixth consecutive world team title in November, while Carey also claimed the vault gold medal and floor bronze. Chiles was the floor exercise silver medallist.
Neither has yet to declare how they will balance the demands of Paris 2024 dreams with NCAA gymnastics, though many expect they may sit out a season, at least, to prepare for the Games. Meanwhile, McCallum has neither returned to elite competition nor ruled out a desire to make a run at a second Games.
Until then, look for Careyâs Oregon State Beavers, Chilesâ UCLA Bruins and McCallumâs Utah Utes to rely on their superstars for solid routines on all four events.
Carey and Oregon State will also start her 2023 campaign at Vegasâ Super 16 event, competing in the Friday evening (6 January) session against Stanford University, the University of Georgia and Rutgers University.
Utah faces Louisiana State University in their season opener on Friday.
Donât count out Florida or Michigan
But it doesnât take an Olympic medallist to contend in the NCAA.
The University of Florida has proven that, finishing a close second at 2022 NCAAs with stars Trinity Thomas and Leanne Wong, the 2021 world all-around runner-up and U.S. Olympic alternate, powering them.
Both Thomas and Wong return for the 2023 season alongside 2017 world all-around champion Morgan Hurd, 2020 U.S. Olympic alternate Kayla DiCello and former U.S. national team members Sloane Blakely, Riley McCusker, a world team gold medallist, and Victoria Nguyen.
Florida will open their season in a quad meet at home against Ball State, Lindenwood and West Virginia.
Another team to keep an eye on out in 2023 is Michigan who won the NCAA title in 2021. With the fifth-year returns of stars Natalie Wojcik and Abby Heiskell, the Wolverines retain nearly every routine that led them to the top of the podium two seasons ago.