Three Spartans Earn Individual Spots at NCAA Gymnastics Championships

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State seniors Sage Kellerman and Nikki Smith and junior Gabi Ortiz have qualified for the 2026 NCAA Gymnastics Championships and will represent the Spartans in Fort Worth, Texas, inside Dickies Arena on April 16, the NCAA announced Monday.

Smith qualified as an all-around competitor, while Kellerman earned spots on both vault and bars and Ortiz will compete on floor.

The Spartans have now been represented on the NCAA Championships stage in five consecutive seasons, qualifying individuals in 2022-24 and 2026 while qualifying as a team in 2025.

Smith will make her third appearance at the NCAA Championships after finishing with the top all-around score on a non-qualifying team in the second round of last weekend's NCAA Tempe Regional. Smith earned the third perfect 10.000 of her career on vault while adding a 9.925 on bars, 9.750 on beam and 9.950 on floor to tally a 39.625 in the all-around. She finished the regular season ranked ninth nationally in the all-around with a national qualifying score (NQS) of 39.540.

Kellerman scored a 9.950 on vault and 9.900 on bars to earn the individual spot on both events in the NCAA Tempe Regional Second Round. She will make her second-consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships next week. Last season, Kellerman earned First Team All-America honors on vault with a runner-up finish on the event, the best individual finish by a Spartan in program history at the NCAA Championships, and added a Second Team All-America nod on bars. Kellerman is ranked in a tie for fifth nationally on vault and 20th on bars.

After a breakout season on floor, Ortiz will compete on the event for the second-straight year at the NCAA Championships and make her first NCAA individual appearance in Fort Worth. Ortiz scored a career-high 9.950 in the second round of the NCAA Tempe Regional to earn a share of the regional title on the event, the first of her career. She has earned five scores of 9.900 or better on the event this season.

ESPN2 will broadcast the NCAA Championships with individual event streams available on ESPN+.