It was announced during the ESPN Selection Show on Monday that Penn gymnasts junior Skyelar Kerico and freshman Mimi Fletcher qualified for NCAA Regionals held at Penn State on April 2-6.
Kerico qualified for the all-around competition and will compete in all four events, and Fletcher will compete on solely balance beam.
Kerico is the first Penn gymnast to qualify in the all-around since 2013 following her conference record-breaking all-around performances at the Gymnastics East Conference Championships this weekend with a score of 39.425.
The previous Regionals all-around competitor for the Quakers was her current coach Kirsten Becker, who competed in both 2012 and 2013. This weekend, she won the GEC Head Coach of the Year award, proving that her gymnastics prowess applies not only to competition but also to the sidelines.
With the tenacity for improvement Kerico’s demonstrated, the newly-minted Gymnast of the Year qualifying for Regionals doesn't come as a complete surprise.
“I just want to keep getting better each year and pushing my limits. [Winning Gymnast of the Year] is one step, but hopefully next year is even better and better.” Kerico told The Daily Pennsylvanian after GEC championships.
Fletcher, with an NQS of 9.860, is the first freshman to qualify since 1991, when Mary Pederson competed in her first of three NCAA Regional all-around competitions. A Quaker was on beam at Regionals just a few short years ago in 2022 when McCaleigh Marr qualified as a junior.
The schedule for Regionals is yet to be determined. Nine teams, as well as 22 individual qualifiers, will compete in a tournament style throughout the event. Maryland and West Virginia will compete for the final team spot on Wednesday night before afternoon and evening session on Thursday, where the remaining eight teams will compete for four spots in the Regional Final, which will take place on April 5 at 5 p.m.
The top two teams from the final will move on to Nationals, on April 17 and 19. The top event specialist and all-around, not on a team competing in Nationals, will move on to compete individually at Nationals.
Regionals will be aired next week on ESPN+, and will be the last Quaker Nation sees from the team until next season — barring an individual qualification for Nationals.
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