Welcome back, Pac-12 gymnastics! On July 1, the new edition of the Pac-12 Conference officially launched, reviving the Power Five conference with the addition of seven new full member schools, and an array of affiliate members across several sports. The reemergence of the Pac-12 is exciting for collegiate athletics altogether, offering a path forward for a legacy conference that faced arguably the largest consequences amidst the conference realignments of the last several years. The Pac-12 has been in a unique situation over the last two competitive seasons, with only two schools remaining full members of the conference from 2024 to 2026—and, in the case of gymnastics, only Oregon State remained after the rest of its former peers in the Conference of Champions found themselves placed into the ACC, Big 10, or Big 12. However, after two seasons out of the spotlight, the Pac-12, and new and returning fans, should be very excited for what is to come as the conference reemerges.
Pac-12 gymnastics competition will feature returning member Oregon State, with Boise State and Utah State joining the Beavers as full members of the conference across all sports. Southern Utah has joined the conference as an affiliate member for women’s gymnastics only, bringing the Pac-12 up to a total of four teams for its comeback season. The Pac-12 is also guaranteed to grow in the coming years, as Texas State’s introduction to NCAA gymnastics will bring the conference its fifth member come 2028.
The roster of schools in the new Pac-12 is extremely exciting, with an immense amount of individual and team talent across all four active programs. All four teams met each other at least once in the 2026 season, and have competitive histories dating far beyond that—Boise State, Southern Utah, and Utah State were all members of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference, which dissolved in 2023. The parity between the teams is also remarkable. Oregon State, Southern Utah, and Utah State not only all qualified to regionals in 2026, but also finished the regular season ranked within three spots of one another. All three of those programs also won their prior conference’s championship in 2026. While Boise State did not have the ideal ending to its 2026 campaign (it missed out on regionals by less than a tenth of a point’s difference between its ending NQS and the needed mark to best Rutgers for the No. 36 ranking), the Broncos were also only two tenths away from besting Utah State for the Mountain West championship title in March. This is genuinely a conference where any one of the four teams could walk away with a conference title, and this particular combination of schools should produce extremely exciting meets.
All of the Pac-12’s incoming teams will be welcoming immense amounts of returning talent back to their rosters, while also bringing promising new talent into their programs with the arrival of freshmen and transfers. With an exciting season of gymnastics sure to come within the Conference of Champions, it’s worth taking a quick early look at each program, what they’ve accomplished in recent years, and what they may be hoping to do this coming season as they all look to shape their legacies amongst new terrain.
Oregon State
2026 Regular Season Ranking:No. 25
Prior Conference:Pac-12 (2026 conference champions)
Coaching Staff:Tanya Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Kaytianna Kell, Brian Carey
What to Expect in 2027:As the Pac-12’s only returning member, Oregon State will be looking to establish itself as an immediate contender within the new edition of the conference. The Beavers will be immediately recognizable to the conference’s prior fans, and will have an established basis of consistency with its familiarity to the Pac-12 and longstanding coaching staff. While it will be wonderful to see Oregon State firmly back in conference competition again, it will be simultaneously interesting to see how the Beavers adapt to a return to the conference system. Oregon State has also already been announced as the host of the 2027 Pac-12 championship. Oregon State graduated a tremendous senior class in 2026, whose lineup spots will now need to be refilled. Bulgarian elite and former five-star recruit Paloma Spiridonova will be a top name to fulfill some of those needs; she missed her freshman season with injury but, if healthy, will be an immensely valuable contributor for the Beavers moving forward. Rising senior Sophia Esposito should also emerge as an immediate contender to lead the Pac-12 all-around race. She posted a formidable career high of 39.700 last season, which was the fifth-highest all-around mark in the country.
Utah State
2026 Regular Season Ranking:No. 26
2026 Final Ranking:No. 27
Prior Conference:Mountain West (2026 conference champions)
Coaching Staff:Kristin White, Robert Ladanyi, Brianna Brooks, Abby Mueller
What to Expect in 2027:Utah State is firmly on the other side of its rebuilding process, with the 2026 team earning itself an automatic regionals qualification spot for the first time since 2022. The Aggies were consistently trending upward throughout 2026, posting its third-highest score in program history with an away win over none other than Southern Utah. Kristin White’s squad will be looking to keep that momentum pushing forward in the upcoming season, and will be looking to keep its streak of conference championship titles running. The Aggies have excellent performers on every single event, and will have great leadership as multiple of Utah State’s key contributors enter their senior years. Utah State will be returning its 2026 individual NQS leaders on three of four events in Lundyn Vandertoolen, Mya Witte, Sydney Jelen, and Isabella Vater, while incoming freshman Leighton Didier should make an immediate impact on floor as one of the highest-rated athletes in her class on the event.
Southern Utah
2026 Regular Season Ranking:No. 28
2026 Final Ranking:No. 30
Prior Conference:Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (2026 conference champions)
Coaching Staff:Scott Bauman, Jamie Wysong, Jeff Richards, Kylea Ott
What to Expect in 2027:Head coach Scott Bauman, who will be entering his record-breaking 36th season with the Thunderbirds in 2027, has established a proven standard of success. Southern Utah has been dominant in conference play in recent years, having won four straight conference championships from 2023 to 2026. Keeping that success going will be the Thunderbird’s goal as they enter the Pac-12 for the first time. Southern Utah is returning one of the nation’s top all-arounders in Niya Randolph, who finished the 2026 season ranked No. 19, and will be looking to make a further statement in her senior year. The Thunderbirds’ top vaulter by NQS, Kayla Pardue, announced her return for a fifth year in June; Pardue has a career high of 9.950 on the event, and should continue to lead Southern Utah’s impressive vault lineup. The Thunderbirds will also be welcoming their first four-star recruit since Randolph in Sienna Fretwell. Fretwell could cement herself as a star for the Thunderbirds with her aptitude and lineup potential on all four events.
Boise State
2026 Regular Season Ranking:No. 37
2026 Final Ranking:No. 37
Prior Conference:Mountain West (2026 conference runner-up)
Coaching Staff:Tina Bird, Ivan Alexov, Patty Resnick, Adriana Popp
What to Expect in 2027:After a nearly twenty-year long streak of qualifying to regionals, Boise State’s 2026 squad found itself outside of the postseason for the first time since 2007. The Broncos will be looking to stage a comeback as they enter the Pac-12, and should be able to do so. Boise State will be welcoming back two of its three individual postseason qualifiers from 2026, with Kristina Shchennikova and Mahleea Werline returning to the bars lineup this upcoming season. Shchennikova notably expanded her competitive repertoire last season, becoming a staple in the bars, beam, and floor lineups; she could be a formidable leader for the Broncos in her third season. Rising sophomore Miraya Nero was Boise State’s sole all-arounder last season, and could return to that role. Boise State will also be welcoming the highest-ranked freshman class in the new Pac-12 to campus this year; the members of the No. 17 ranked incoming class should make a substantial impact from the moment they make their debuts in January.
Texas State
Coaching Staff:Sarah Brown
What to Watch:While Texas State will not be making its competitive debut until 2028, all eyes should be on the NCAA’s newest program as it looks to begin its first recruiting cycle. As Texas’ first Division I gymnastics program, newly named head coach Sarah Brown has already been on severalrecruiting tripsacross the state, given the immense amount of talent available in-state to build the Bobcats’ first roster. With official visits now allowed to begin as of August 1, nationwide attention will be on Brown and her program as the gymnastics world waits to see who will debut alongside Texas State come the 2028 season. It will also be intriguing to see who joins Brown to round out the Bobcats’ coaching staff. With a year and change ahead to build the program up, Texas State should slot into the Pac-12 as a formidable addition when the time comes.
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Article by Sarah Smith
