WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – The Utah Gymnastics program claimed the Big 12 Gymnastics Championship title for a second consecutive year after repeating as the league’s regular season champion. The Red Rocks scored a 197.675 to win the 2026 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship presented by Allstate at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.
Denver placed second with 196.575 points, BYU was third with 196.175 points, Arizona State tallied 195.225 to finish fourth as Arizona and West Virginia rounded out the day with 194.725 and 194.250 points, respectively.
The day started with the Gym Devils and the Mountaineers competing in an afternoon dual before the Cougars, GymCats, Pioneers and the Red Rocks qualified for Saturday evening’s session. Seedings were based on the national qualifying score (NQS).
Utah’s Avery Neff claimed the all-around (39.700), bars (9.900) and floor (9.975) titles, while her teammates Makenna Smith captured the vault title (9.950) and Camie Winger won the beam crown (9.975).
The 2026 Big 12 gymnastics regular season awards were also revealed during the event’s trophy presentation. Utah’s Neff and Ana Padurariu captured the league’s Gymnast and Event Specialist awards, respectively. The regular season awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches, who were prohibited from voting for their own gymnasts.
Neff, last season’s Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, continued to be one of the nation’s top gymnasts during her sophomore season. She recorded the season’s first perfect 10 on vault during the Sprouts Farmers Market Quad meet before adding another 10.000 on vault and on bars later in the season. Neff has captured five all-around titles this season after earning just one all-around title during regionals last year. Including her AA titles, she has claimed 21 crowns during her 2026 campaign. Nationally ranked within the top 10 in the all-around, vault, and bars this season, she has been named the league’s best gymnast seven times this season.
Padurariu won five individual titles this season, four on bars and one on beam. The senior set her career-high 9.95 on beam to capture her lone beam title this season and has a 9.885 NQS in the event. The bars specialist has steadily increased her scores each week this season, scoring her career-best of 9.975 in the Red Rocks’ Conference finale. She ranks in the top 20 nationally in bars and is the first Ute gymnast to win the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Year since joining the league’s gymnastics roster in 2025.
Bhatia has been one of the league’s best freshman gymnasts, winning event titles in vault, bars and floor this season. In her debut season with the Pioneers, she leads the DU program in vault with a 9.860 NQS. Her personal-best score in the event, a 9.975, made her one of 24 gymnasts nationally to score a 9.975 or better in the event so far this season. Bhatia has earned the Conference’s weekly award for newcomers twice this season and is the second DU gymnast and first since 2018 to win the yearly award since joining the Big 12 as an affiliate member in 2016.
Lenczner was voted this season’s Scholar-Athlete, the first Wildcat to earn the honor since joining the Big 12 in the 2024-25 academic year. The senior who studies accounting has a 4.0 GPA and was recently named to the Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll. Lenczner has been in the GymCats beam rotation for every meet this season.
Young is in his 11th season coaching the Cougars, returning to coach at his alma mater in 2015 as a former BYU men’s gymnast. He captured the Big 12 Coach of the Year honor after leading BYU to a 4-2 record in the Big 12, tying for second. The team ranks No. 24 in the NQS rankings after being voted No. 30 in the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association preseason poll. The Cougars have defeated four top-25 programs (Clemson, Denver, Oregon State and Southern Utah) this season and are looking toward making their 10th consecutive NCAA Regional with Young at the helm of the program. This is his third time being honored as the Coach of the Year in his respective conference and his first Big 12 award.
2026 Big 12 Gymnastics Season Awards
Gymnast: Avery Neff, Utah
Event Specialist: Ana Padurariu, Utah
Newcomer: Shyla Bhatia, Denver
Scholar-Athlete: Gianna Lenczner, Arizona
Coach: Guard Young, BYU
Big 12 Championship Team Standings
| 1. |
Utah |
197.675 |
| 2. |
Denver |
196.575 |
| 3. |
BYU |
196.175 |
| 4. |
Arizona State |
195.225 |
| 5. |
Arizona |
194.725 |
| 6. |
West Virginia |
194.250 |
2026 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship Team
(top four places, including ties)
All-Around: Avery Neff (Utah), 39.700; Makenna Smith (Utah), 39.600; Ella Zirbes (Utah), 39.525; Sophie Derr (Arizona), 39.350
Vault: Makenna Smith (Utah), 9.950; Avery Neff (Utah), 9.900; Ashley Glynn (Utah), 9.875; Deb Silva (BYU), 9.875
Uneven Bars: Avery Neff (Utah), 9.900; Makenna Smith (Utah), 9.875; Reese Grolla (Arizona State), 9.875; Abbi Ryssman (Utah), 9.850; Ella Zirbes (Utah), 9.850; Kiley Rorich (Denver), 9.850; Mila Brusch (Denver), 9.850; Cecilia Cooley (Denver), 9.850
Balance Beam: Camie Winger (Utah), 9.975; Avery Neff (Utah), 9.925; Cecilia Cooley (Denver), 9.925; Brynlee Andersen-Broekman (BYU), 9.900; Tirzah Wise (Arizona), 9.900; Abigayle Martin (Arizona), 9.900
Floor: Avery Neff (Utah), 9.975; Ella Zirbes (Utah), 9.950; Makenna Smith (Utah), 9.950; Sage Curtis (Utah), 9.950; Scarlett Sonnenberg (BYU), 9.950