It should have been the first year under the new NCAA gymnastics postseason format that Arizona gymnastics did not have to compete in the first round or “play-in meet” at regionals. The GymCats finished 28th in the final rankings of the season, which is the last spot automatically slotted into the second round. Instead, the Wildcats will be in that opening round while No. 29 West Virginia gets to automatically advance simply because of geography.
Arizona will go to Denver and face North Carolina for a chance to advance. The explanation was laid out by gymnastics blog Balance Beam Situation: “So first of all, our annual ‘royally f*****d for no reason’ team is Arizona, which finished the season ranked #28, yet has to compete in a play-in meet in Denver, while #29 West Virginia gets to advance straight to the regional semifinal in Pittsburgh.