The West Virginia University gymnastics team will begin its postseason at the 2026 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship inside the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, on March 21. The Mountaineers are set to compete in Session I with Arizona State, starting at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
This event marks an important opportunity for the Mountaineers as they face their five league opponents for the second time this season. Last year, West Virginia finished seventh at the Big 12 Championship with a team score of 194.875. The program’s only individual event title at the conference championship came in 2014 when Hope Sloanhoffer won the all-around.
Freshman Kayla Smith has been a standout performer for West Virginia this season, competing in every meet as an all-around gymnast and earning recognition on both the Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Around Teams earlier this week. Smith leads her team with 467.225 points and has achieved 18 podium finishes so far. She is expected to make her thirteenth all-around appearance at the championship, which would be a freshman record since Hall of Famer Janae Cox’s performance in 2004.
The Mountaineers ended their regular season with strong performances on the road, scoring above 195 points in two consecutive meets and collecting thirteen podium finishes across those competitions. In national rankings, West Virginia’s vault lineup is ranked No. 30 with a National Qualifying Score of 48.923 and holds a season high of 49.125.
Individually, Smith ranks sixth in the Big 12 Conference and seventh in the southeast region for all-around competition this year. Other notable rankings include Sophia Rice at twelfth place in conference vault standings and Amber Lowe holding fourteenth place on bars within the conference.
Looking ahead, fans can follow live coverage of Saturday’s first session on ESPN+ or track live stats through WVUsports.com.
