Ncaa Gymnastics

NCAA Gymnastics

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is often called the N-C Double-A or N-C-Two-A for short. The NCAA is a voluntary association made up of almost 1,200 college institutions, conferences, individuals and organizations. It is the largest athletic organization in the world, and governs over college gymnastics programs. The NCAA insists that college athletes be scholars before competitors, and NCAA gymnastics is not an exception. The best gymnast at a high school will not be approached by NCAA gymnastics recruiters unless that gymnast is in the top 3% of the high school’s class ranking. In order to be recognized by NCAA gymnastics programs, graduating gymnasts must put themselves out and get themselves noticed. It is recommended to apply to as many colleges as possible that offer gymnastics programs. It is a smart idea to have an athletic profile prepared composed of clips from newspapers and letters of recommendation from gymnastics coaches, as well as any awards or recognition the gymnast may have received. Excellent grades and gymnastic achievements are necessary for consideration by Division I and Division II schools.

NCAA Gymnastics Championships

In August of 2006, the NCAA adopted the three division setup for its collegiate programs to compete within in order to advance to the NCAA gymnastics championships. The three divisions are Division I, Division II, and Division III. Under NCAA gymnastics championship rules, only Division I and II schools may offer their gymnasts athletic scholarships. In general, large schools compete in Division I events and smaller schools compete in Divisions II and III. In 2007, the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships came to a conclusion with Courtney Kupets of Georgia winning a victory in the vault with a score of 9.9188. Another winner was Morgan Dennis of Alabama, who took first place in the floor exercise. Morgan’s score was a 9.9625.

NCAA Men's Gymnastics

Men’s NCAA gymnastics follow the same divisions and championship guidelines as women’s gymnastics, with some of the events differing. Men participate in Division I, II and III schools, with the same competition guidelines and athletic scholarship restrictions. In 2007, the NCAA Mens Gymnastics Championship closed on April 14, with individual events being the final events. Jonathon Horton from Oklahoma won top honors on the floor and Horizontal Bar events. Also, Tim McNeill of California took first place in the Pommel and Parallel Bars events. As far as school-wide recognition, Penn State University of Pennsylvania added to its men’s gymnastics achievements by taking home its twelfth team championship.