Story courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan Gymnastics has been selected to compete in the 2026 NCAA Lexington Regional, the NCAA announced Monday on an ESPN broadcast.
The Chippewas will travel to Lexington, Ky. to compete at the University of Kentucky starting April 2. CMU will face Rutgers as the teams will compete in the play-in dual meet on April 2 at 2 p.m. ET held at Kentucky's Memorial Coliseum. The winner of the play-in matchup will advance to the second round of the regional on Friday, April 3 against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 16 Kentucky, and No. 18 Ohio State.
This is the first time the entire Chippewas team has advanced to an NCAA Regional since 2021.
Also competing in the Lexington Regional are No. 8 Missouri, No. 9 Arkansas, No. 21 NC State and No. 27 Maryland. The top two teams from each Round 2 quads advance to the regional final on April 5 at 5 p.m. ET.
Central Michigan enters the NCAA postseason coming off a strong performance on Saturday at the Mid-American Conference Championships. The Chiippewas captured both the MAC regular-season title and the tournament championship.
The Chippewas are ranked No. 31 nationally with a 195.597 NQS score and will look to continue their momentum against a competitive regional field.
Competition at the Lexington Regional begins April 2 at 2 p.m., with coverage available on ESPN+.
In addition to the Chippewas team selection, 11 total gymnasts from the Mid-American Conference have qualified for NCAA Regional competition as individuals.
Representing the Cardinals on bars will be senior Mary Rose Bellan and junior Ashley Szymanski. Junior Delaney McMahon and Szymanski will both compete on beam. Junior Ava Molina earned a spot on floor, while senior Zoe Middleton will compete in the all-around.
Mary Rose Bellan locked up her first NCAA Regional berth on bars after winning the individual title at last Saturday's MAC Championships with her second 9.900 of the season. The effort helped raise her bars NQS to 9.850 which is sixth in the MAC and 119th nationally.
Ashley Szymanski will compete in a pair of events at the NCAA Lexington Regional, earning her third straight regional berth on bars along with her first bid on beam. Named the MAC Specialist of the Year for the second straight season last Saturday, Szymanski earned First Team All-MAC honors after leading the league and ranking 72nd nationally on beam with an NQS of 9.870. Over on bars, she ranked second in the MAC and 47th nationally with a NQS of 9.895.
Delaney McMahon earns her first NCAA Regional berth on beam after ranking second in the league and 79th nationally with a NQS of 9.865. A four-time event winner of the course of the season, the Second Team All-MAC honoree registered eight scores of 9.800-or-higher, including tying the program record for the second time in her career with a 9.925 at Western Michigan (Feb. 22).
Ava Molina earns her first individual berth into NCAA Regionals after ranking second in the MAC and 109th nationally with a floor NQS of 9.870. A 2026 First Team All-MAC honoree, Molina scored 9.800-or-better in nine floor routines this season, including a pair of 9.900s.
Zoe Middleton earns her third straight NCAA Regional individual all-around berth after finishing the regular season ranked 43rd nationally with an NQS of 39.210. She is the only Mid-American Conference gymnast to score 9.900-or-higher in all four individual events this season, including a league-best 9.925 on vault.
Central Michigan senior Luciana Alvarado-Reid and graduate student Lia Kmieciak both qualified to compete as individuals. The two gymnasts will compete on April 3 at 7 p.m. ET. Alvarado-Reid secured the spot as an all-around competitor and Kmieciak will compete on the uneven bars and vault. Alvarado-Reid enters the regional ranked No. 26 nationally as an all-around competitor and Kmieciak enters ranked No. 33 on the uneven bars.
Kent State gymnastics will have three representatives competing at the 2026 NCAA Regionals, as Charlie Behner, Jersey Bingman, and Heidi Schultz were each selected as individual event qualifiers, the NCAA announced. The trio will compete at the Lexington Regional on April 3.
Behner leads the Golden Flashes' contingent with two individual qualifications, earning berths on both vault (9.850 NQS) and uneven bars (9.855 NQS). The double qualifier adds to what has been a standout season for the senior, who earned All-MAC honors and was among the program's most consistent contributors throughout the year.
Bingman joins Behner on the vault apparatus after posting a 9.835 NQS, marking her first NCAA Regional qualification. A key contributor across the lineup this season, Bingman's selection underscores the depth Kent State has developed in the vault rotation.
Schultz rounds out the Golden Flashes' regional field with a qualification on balance beam, where her 9.850 NQS was among the strongest marks in the MAC. The All-MAC honoree has been one of the program's anchors on beam throughout the season, delivering high-scoring routines in critical moments.
Western Michigan junior gymnast Reese Samuelson has been selected to compete as an individual on bars at the NCAA Regional Championship in Baton Rouge, La., on April 2. Samuelson qualified after finishing the season with a National Qualifying Score of 9.790 in the event. The Marengo, Ill., native also has an average of 9.748 and a high of 9.875.
2026 MAC Gymnastics Individual Qualifiers - NCAA Regionals
Mary Rose Bellan, Ball State (UB)
Delaney McMahon, Ball State (BB)
Ava Molina, Ball State (FX)
Zoe Middleton, Ball State (AA)
Ashley Szymanski, Ball State (UB, BB)
Luciana Alvarado-Reid, Central Michigan (AA)
Lia Kmeiciak, Central Michigan (VT, UB)
Charlie Behner, Kent State (VT, UB)
Jersey Bingman, Kent State (VT)
Heidi Schultz, Kent State (BB)
Reese Samuelson, Western Michigan (UB)
