Freshman Kayla Smith of the West Virginia University gymnastics team was named to the 2026 All-Big 12 Conference Gymnastics Teams, according to a March 18 announcement from the league.
Smith received recognition on both the All-Around Team and the All-Freshman Team, marking her first career All-Big 12 honors. She is the first Mountaineer freshman to earn a spot on an All-Big 12 Team since Kirah Koshinski was honored for vault in 2016, and the first all-around honoree from West Virginia since Kendra Combs in 2022.
Smith becomes only the third Mountaineer selected for the All-Big 12 Freshman Team and is now West Virginia’s eighth different gymnast to receive all-conference honors. The Richmond, Virginia native achieved a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 39.095 in all-around this season, ranking sixth in the conference. Her career-best score stands at 39.225, and she has recorded five scores above 39.0 during this season.
Competing as an all-around gymnast in every meet so far this year, Smith’s twelve appearances are the most by a Mountaineer freshman since Nicolette Swoboda in 2014. She leads her team with a total of 467.225 points and has reached the podium eighteen times, including nine event wins and six all-around titles.
Smith’s selection to the All-Freshman Team came through a vote by Big 12 coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own athletes. The conference names its teams based on NQS rankings prior to the Big 12 Championship, with top performers recognized across each event and in all-around competition.
West Virginia will next compete at the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship on Saturday, March 21 at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. The No. 6-seed Mountaineers are scheduled for an afternoon session against No. 5 Arizona State.
