ESPN Front Row – Viral Routines and Record Viewership: NCAA Gymnastics Set for the Spotlight Surrounding Championship Weekend

• Thursday’s Semifinals Air on ESPN2, Saturday’s Championship Final on ABC
• Seven Commentators, Including Five U.S. Olympians, Amplify ESPN’s Coverage

ESPN’s premier coverage of the NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships reaches new heights, with some of the brightest stars in the sport set for the spotlight in Fort Worth. Eight teams will tumble toward the NCAA title at Dickies Arena, as Semifinal I is set for Thursday, April 14 at 1 p.m. ET and Semifinal II airs live at 6 p.m. Thursday, both on ESPN2. The Championship Final will be broadcast on Saturday, April 16 at 1 p.m. on ABC, and will also be available internationally.

Olympic medalists and ESPN’s lead gymnastics commentators Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke will team up with 2008 Olympian and sideline reporter Samantha Peszek to call the action on ESPN2 and ABC on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. In total, 18 live streams on the ESPN App will surround the televised action on Thursday and Saturday, including individual apparatus streams, a quad-box option and a Spanish-language viewing option. For direct links to every stream, please click here.

ESPN will once again feature commentary on each live apparatus stream on the ESPN App for a unique complementary offering surrounding the championship. 2008 Olympian Bridget Sloan (bars) and three-time Olympian John Roethlisberger (floor) return to ESPN’s streaming coverage to provide analysis for their respective events, in addition to the comeback of the quad box all-around stream. Joining the duo in Fort Worth are former collegiate stars Ashley Miles Greig (Alabama) on vault and Olivia Karas (Michigan) on beam.

ESPN continues to utilize scoring graphics with enhanced breakdowns, as well as quad-boxes and replay machines to show as many routines as possible. The scoring graphics cycle overall team totals, individual averages and team differentials to inform viewers and provide even greater insight into both the team race and technical aspects of each routine. In addition, the network employs its “Tech Tools” to bring the impressive technique and skill of the gymnasts into perspective for the viewer, including height and distance markers on vault, protractors for body angle on bars, the bars height grid and the split-o-meter on beam.

“We have some fantastic coverage planned,” said Maria Soares, ESPN vice production, production. “Tech tools are back, we’ll utilize 18 cameras [around the arena] and highlight some great feature pieces, as well as planning a terrific style shoot with all the teams to give our coverage a very special look. With every broadcast window featuring six complementary feeds on the ESPN App, viewers can totally customize how they want to watch our coverage. This will be a mega experience for our gymnastics fans.”

ESPN tucks into its championship coverage with a meet preview show ahead of Thursday’s action. Gymnastics Countdown Presented by Ozone will air at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday and re-air later that evening at 11 p.m.

This weekend’s championship raises the trophy on ESPN’s industry-leading coverage of the sport, boasting more than 60 hours of flips, full-outs and all-around action in 2022. For more information on the 2022 NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships this weekend, please visit ncaa.com.