OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – JANUARY 11: Kailin Chio of the LSU Tigers celebrates in the Sprouts … More
On the morning of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Semifinals, ESPN announced that the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad will return to the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, in January 2026.
The meet will host two quad meets on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. Session I will air live on ABC at 4 p.m. ET, with Session II slated for primetime on ESPN2 at 8 or 9 p.m.
“We are thrilled to return to Utah for the third annual Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad,” said ESPN Events director Kristen Shaver. The event sponsor states a shared commitment to the competition’s goals.
“Sprouts is on a mission to empower women both on and off the mat, whether it’s fueling performance through nutrition or partnering with organizations who are changing the game in women’s sports,” added Nick Konat, president and COO.
The 2025 edition, held in Oklahoma City, drew national attention as one of the premier regular-season events of the NCAA gymnastics season. It was also one of the most competitive, with all eight participating programs going on to appear in this year’s postseason competition.
Five of those eight teams will compete in today’s national semifinals, with defending National Champion No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 4 Utah, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 8 Michigan State all bidding for a national title. These five will join No. 5 California, No. 9 Kentucky, and 2021 NCAA Champion Michigan on the 2026 roster.
“To have all eight teams make a postseason appearance with five advancing to the National Championship speaks volumes to the stature of this early-season event,” Shaver said. “We believe strongly in the power of women’s sports and are committed to furthering the growth of gymnastics.”
Primetime Production Value
After garnering groundbreaking viewership numbers in its 2024 and 2025 editions, the meet will return to primetime television in 2026. ESPN reports that the first two years of the event stand as the “most-watched live, regular season collegiate gymnastics meets ever” aired on ESPN platforms.
While the meet doesn’t serve as a postseason qualifier, organizers argue its execution sets the event apart from other regular-season meets.
“The teams at ESPN working on the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad treat it as if it were the national championship,” said Hannah McSwain, an Associate Manager for ESPN Events.
FORT WORTH, TX – APRIL 15: The crowd watches the action during the Division I Women’s Gymnastics … More
“From the podium and the equipment the athletes compete on to the on-air broadcast featuring our postseason talent – we aim for the event to have a postseason feel at the beginning of the season.”
Upon launching the event and gymnastics as a new sports category for ESPN Events in 2024, McSwain says the team’s first year was “a learning experience” as they familiarized themselves with the sport.
“We familiarized ourselves with the sport, including the nuance, precision, and passion,” she attests. “We work with our experienced production team, hire two meet directors with more than 40 years combined experience, and seek input from the participating schools to ensure we are building the best event for these athletes.”
Growth of the Sport Takes Center Stage
The event’s organizers key that the meet’s success is part of a greater pattern in women’s gymnastics and women’s athletics – one that will play out at this week’s championship.
“We’ve seen with a lot of growth sports, especially women’s sports,” said Mallory Kenny, Director of Programming. “If you create a consistent programming strategy – such as SEC Network’s Friday Night Heights – and find new ways to showcase the stories of these incredible athletes, fans will not only come to watch, but they are likely to return.”
Kenny and the ESPN events team have the data to support their commitment to growing the sport. “In only three years, we have nearly doubled the programming hours of women’s gymnastics across our platforms, making the sport more accessible to more fans.” As for ESPN’s winning strategy, Kenny credits the commitment to outreach and accessibility for fans.
Our production team and commentators do a great job of making these events accessible to both the die-hard gymnastics fan and the casual gymnastics fan who may be tuning in for the first time,” she adds.
“Through our new NCAA media rights agreement and our relationship with our conference partners, we have a lot more options in terms of new events and new storytelling opportunities within this sport.” ESPN’s original content series, Game On, directly responds to these budding opportunities.
Broadcast Innovation And Upgrades
AUBURN, ALABAMA – FEBRUARY 2: (EDITORS NOTE: This is an in-camera multiple exposure image) Anna Hill … More
“One of the keys to further expansion of women’s gymnastics coverage is expanding our audience and connecting with younger fans through marquee events, enhanced production, and activating across our digital and social platforms,” Kenny says.
This Saturday’s ABC broadcast of the national championship is a prime example – and it’s just the beginning. Amanda Gifford, ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Production, attested to the meticulous execution of Thursday’s semifinals and Saturday’s finals.
ESPN is “always looking to raise the bar in our presentation,” Gifford shares. “We think there are a lot of opportunities regarding innovation with gymnastics.” In 2024, the ESPN events team debuted a new scoring tower to display results, dubbed a “game changer” by coaches, media, and fans.
This weekend’s broadcast will introduce a new feature designed to highlight the gymnasts’ explosive power and technique: 4-dimensional replay, available for vault and uneven bars.
“Each apparatus has 30 cameras surrounding it and will help us display the true athleticism and dynamic performances of these gymnasts,” Gifford says.
The new addition to 2025’s broadcast is one of many steps intended to increase accessibility and enjoyment for viewers. For new viewers, “gymnastics is challenging,” Gifford and her team admit.
“It’s on us to educate the viewer and find ways to make understanding the sport as easy as watching it. As the sport continues to grow, and we find new ways to make gymnastics accessible and available, we have to continue to evolve in our storytelling and presentation.”
Gymnastics coverage has come a long way, and ESPN’s work is no exception. Gifford tells me that witnessing the sport’s progress has been “special.”
“We’ve gone from a small number of live televised meets to more than 70 – aided by the launches of both SEC Network and ACC Network – and grown our coverage to include multiple conference championships, NCAA regionals, a pre-championship preview show on ABC, ESPN Events’ creation of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, and more,” she shares.
The team that works on this sport is so passionate about gymnastics,” she adds. “Some are lifelong fans, former gymnasts or dancers, or have just grown to love the sport over the years they’ve worked on it at ESPN. Coming in new to the sport this year, the energy of the ESPN team behind the scenes is exciting to be part of, and I think that translates to our coverage.”
How To Tune In: Fort Worth and Beyond
Fans can witness the innovation for themselves, beginning with the two national semifinals on Thursday, April 17, broadcast live on ESPN2. The National Championship, dubbed ‘The Four On The Floor,” will be broadcast live on ABC on Saturday, April 19. Detailed scheduling and streaming can be found here.
Full details regarding timing and commentary for the 2026 Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate quad will be announced at a later date, with tickets going on sale this Fall. Fans eager to book their trips can secure pre-sale access by signing up for the event mailing list at www.sproutscollegiatequad.com/tickets.
