Pittsburgh Welcomes Top Collegiate Gymnasts for NCAA Regional
Action continues with three meets at the Petersen Events Center
PITTSBURGH – Many of the top NCAA women’s gymnastics teams are in the City of Champions this weekend for the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Pittsburgh Regional Championships. Co-hosted by the University of Pittsburgh and SportsPITTSBURGH, three meets will take place across three days at the Petersen Events Center, with two teams earning the right to advance to the NCAA National Championships Semifinals.
Action officially began on March 30, with Penn State defeating Towson, 195.7-195.45, in the first round. Competition continues today with a pair of Second Round quad meets:
Second Round Meet #1 | 2 p.m.
- No. 7-ranked California
- No. 10-ranked Michigan State
- Western Michigan
- West Virginia
Second Round Meet #2 | 7 p.m.
- No. 2-ranked Florida
- No. 15 Arizona State
- Maryland
- Penn State
Individual all-around and event specialist qualifiers also will compete alongside the teams on Friday, including three Pittsburgh Panthers: sophomore Hallie Copperwheat (all-around) and freshmen Natalia Pawlak (uneven bars) and Reyna Garvey (balance beam).
The top two teams from each quad meet will advance to the Regional Final on Sunday, April 2, at 5 p.m.
Tickets for the remaining three sessions are on sale now through Pitt’s ticket office.
“The University of Pittsburgh is thrilled to host the NCAA Collegiate Gymnastics Regional Championships for the first time in the City of Champions,” Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke said. “The Petersen Events Center is the ideal venue for fans to see the caliber of dynamic collegiate gymnastics and teams competing this weekend.”
Tops among the gymnasts competing in Pittsburgh is Florida fifth-year senior Trinity Thomas. A York, Pennsylvania, native, Thomas is the three-time SEC Gymnast of the Year. The nation’s third-ranked all-around gymnast (39.75 NQS/39.734 AVG), Thomas shows a nation-best seven 10.0 scores on the season, and her career total of 27 is one behind the all-time collegiate leaders.
“Pittsburgh’s partnership with the NCAA has produced many exciting, memorable championship moments throughout the years, and we’re very happy to keep that tradition going with the NCAA Collegiate Gymnastics Regional Championships,” SportsPITTSBURGH Executive Director Jennifer Hawkins said. “There will be several elite gymnasts competing inside the Pete this weekend, and we encourage Pittsburghers to make their way to Oakland and check out all the exciting competition.”
The top two teams and the top all-around competitor (who is not on an advancing team) from the Pittsburgh Regional receive an automatic berth to the NCAA National Championships Semifinals. Additionally, the top event specialist who is not on an advancing team or an all-around competitor also will advance to the semifinals in that event only.
The 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Pittsburgh Regional Championships is the first of two NCAA events in Pittsburgh in the next 10 days, as Duquesne University and SportsPITTSBURGH will co-host the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Regional Championships April 7-8 at AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes. Then, in the fall, Clarion University and SportsPITTSBURGH will co-host the 2023 Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship Nov. 16-18 at the UPMC Events Center.
Pittsburgh was awarded 11 events for the 2022-26 NCAA cycle. The region completed its most successful cycle of NCAA event bids last year, hosting 16 preliminary and championship events from Nov. 2018 through March 2022. Those events drew more than 69,000 unique event attendees, producing just over $38 million in direct visitor spending.
To learn more about the 2023 NCAA Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Regional Championships and other sporting events planned for Pittsburgh, please visit SportsPITTSBURGH.com.
