BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Gymnastics is set to open the 2026 season ranked No. 2 by the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA), the organization announced Tuesday.
LSU tallied 1,859 points and five first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll, marking the second straight year that the Tigers will begin the season ranked No. 2 nationally and third-straight season at No. 3 or higher, reinforcing the program’s sustained position among the nation’s elite.
The Tigers haven’t placed lower than No. 6 in the preseason coaches poll over the last 14 years, also being amongst the top five teams in the nation in 13 of their last 14 seasons, dating back to 2014.
The defending national champions Oklahoma topped this year’s poll, marking their eighth time slated at No. 1, totaling 1,960 points and 39 first place votes. Florida, UCLA and Utah round out this year’s top five, while every SEC team earned a spot in the top 12.
The WCGA Preseason Poll is voted on by head coaches and assistant coaches from NCAA women’s gymnastics programs nationwide and serves as an early indicator of the competitive landscape heading into the season.
LSU is coming off back-to-back SEC Championships and a SEC regular season title in 2025 under Head Coach Jay Clark, who enters his sixth season at the helm. The Tigers will face one of the toughest schedules in the country, highlighted by multiple matchups against preseason top-15 opponents.
The 2026 season opens with a marquee quad meet on Saturday, January 10, as No. 2 LSU competes in the third-annual Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad in West Valley City, Utah, alongside No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Utah. The meet will air live on ABC, setting the stage for a season filled with national exposure.
LSU’s 2026 schedule features five home meets inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, including the home opener against No. 9 Kentucky on January 23, as well as marquee SEC showdowns against No. 11 Auburn, No. 8 Alabama and No. 10 Arkansas. The Tigers will also travel to face No. 7 Missouri on January 30 and the top-ranked Sooner on February 20 before their last road test at No. 3 Florida on March 8.
The Tigers are scheduled to appear on ESPN platforms eight times in 2026 across ABC, ESPN2 and SEC Network. LSU shares the national lead for most televised regular-season meets with Oklahoma, further solidifying the program’s prominence on the sport’s biggest stages
Postseason action begins with the SEC Championships on March 21 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before Baton Rouge once again serves as a host site for NCAA Regionals from April 3–5 inside the PMAC. The road to the national title concludes at the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 16 and 18 at Dickies Arena, with championship coverage airing on ABC .
Fans can get a first look at the 2026 LSU Gymnastics squad ahead of their season opener at the program’s annual Gymnastics 101/Open Mike Night in the PMAC on Friday, January 2 at 6:30 p.m. CT. Admission is free to the public and the exhibition night will stream on SECN+.
The full 2026 schedule can be found here while individual meet tickets are now on sale at lsutix.net. Fans can stay up to date with all things LSU Gymnastics by following the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
2026 WCGA Preseason Poll:
- Oklahoma (1960 points) (39 first place votes)
- LSU (1859 points) (5 first place votes)
- Florida (1804 points) (4 first place votes)
- UCLA (1784 points) (4 first place votes)
- Utah (1751 points) (1 first place votes)
- Michigan State (1638 points)
- Missouri (1589 points) (2 first place votes)
- Alabama (1518 points)
- Kentucky (1434 points)
- Arkansas (1433 points)
- Auburn (1367 points)
- Georgia (1332 points)
- Stanford (1256 points)
- Michigan (1200 points)
- Minnesota (1199 points)
- Denver (1132 points)
- Oregon State (1004 points)
- Arizona (990 points)
- Clemson (985 points)
- California (880 points)
- Ohio State (871 points)
- Iowa (779 points)
- North Carolina State (739 points)
- North Carolina (634 points)
- Arizona State (627 points)
- Penn State (627 points)
- Nebraska (598 points)
- Maryland (567 points)
- Southern Utah (532 points)
- BYU (443 points)
- Illinois (429 points)
- Boise State (354 points)
- Utah State (248 points)
- Washington (240 points)
- West Virginia (145 points)
- Rutgers (131 points)
Also receiving votes: Iowa State (120 points), Towson (94 points), Pittsburgh (63 points), UC Davis (61 points), Central Michigan (36 points), George Washington (36 points), San Jose State (32 points), Ball State (31 points), Kent State (29 points), Temple (11 points), Western Michigan (9 points), Pennsylvania (8 points), New Hampshire (7 points), Illinois State (5 points), Sacramento State (4 points), Texas Woman’s (3 points), Air Force (1 points), Fisk (1 points)