DAVIS, Calif. – For only the second time in program history and the first since 2014 UC Davis gymnastics is heading to the NCAA Division I Regionals where they will face No. 29 Illinois in a first-round dual-meet in Seattle, Washington.

UC Davis will take on Illinois in its first-round dual-meet at the Seattle Regional on Thursday, April 3 at 2 p.m. A win over Illinois in the dual meet would move them into a quad meet with No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 15 Auburn and No. 20 Nebraska. It's the first time the Aggies have made the trip as a team to regionals since 2014 when UC Davis finished fifth at the Fayetteville Regional.

"We started the season with setbacks, but it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish," said head coach Tanya Ho Gomez. "We rode the wave our season took us on by focusing on the things we can control and being good enough each day.
 
"We've come further than anyone expected and for the first time in 11 years, we've earned our place in the NCAA postseason. We're not done yet and we are excited to showcase Aggie Pride on the national stage."
 
Individually, the Aggies qualified Amelia Moneymaker (all-around), Keanna Abraham (vault; floor) and Megan Ray (vault). Those three Aggies would only compete individually if the Ags fall in the first-round dual meet against Illinois.
 
Entering the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships (Mar. 22) the Aggies needed to post a season-best score to lock in a spot inside the top 36 and with a mark of 196.400 they did just that in a second-place finish at the MPSF Championships. That mark led to the Aggies finishing with a National Qualifying Score of 195.870 placing them ahead of power four programs such as West Virginia, Washington and Pittsburgh.
 
The NCAA Gymnastics Championships are broken down into four regionals consisting of 36 total teams. Seattle, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Salt Lake City, Utah and University Park, Pennsylvania all play host to four nine team regionals.
 
A win in the first-round dual meet moves that team into the second round which is broken down into two quad meets. The top two out of those second-round quad meets move into the regional final quad meet.
 
The top two to finish in that regional final quad meet move to Fort Worth, Texas for the semifinals and national championships. Again, the top two in the semifinal quad meet will move into a national championship quad meet where a champion will be crowned.
 
Fans can watch on ESPN+ and tickets are available by heading here.