West Chester Set to Host Women's Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championships

2026 WCGNIC CHAMPIONSHIP HOME PAGE

MEET PROGRAM
WEST CHESTER MEET NOTES
ALASKA-ANCHORAGE MEET NOTES

FRIDAY SCHEDULE
SESSION 1 WEB STREAM (2 pm) - Alaska, SEMO, UB
SESSION 1 LIVE STATS
SESSION 2 WEB STREAM (7 pm) - SCSU, TWU, WCU
SESSION 2 LIVE STATS

THE STORYLINE
West Chester University concludes its 2026 campaign hosting the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational inside Hollinger Fieldhouse this weekend. It marks the second time in three years that venerable Hollinger Fieldhouse will be the backdrop for the national championships. This championship event is open to NCAA Division I, II, and III institutions offering an equivalency of no more than 6 full, countable, financial aid awards for women's gymnastics, or who were ranked 45 or lower at the conclusion of the previous season. Also, any NAIA School that sponsors gymnastics can participate in the competition as well.

West Chester has qualified for the national championships for the seventh time since 2017. In fact, the Golden Rams have failed to qualify for nationals as a team only once (2018) not counting 2020 and 2021, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

West Chester has finished fourth overall twice, reaching the team finals in each of the last two years. The team's 193.975 in the semifinal round at home inside Hollinger Fieldhouse in 2024 is the highest team score the Golden Rams have achieved at nationals in their six previoustrips to the finals.

Two former Golden Rams have won an individual national championship. Majesta Valentine won the all-around competition in 2017 in Seattle, Wash., and Jordan Coleman won the uneven bars at home inside Hollinger in 2024.

A total of nine Golden Rams on this year's roster competed in the national championships a year ago in Shreveport, La., while five gymnasts were on the team in 2024 that competed inside HollingerFieldhouse. However, only Sarah Eskew is a returning All-American. She was a second team All-American on the vault in 2024. She is also the only Golden Rams gymnast making her fourth appearance at nationals.

THREE WEST CHESTER GYMNASTS EARN ALL-GEC
West Chester University landed three gymnasts on the 2026 All-Gymnastics East Conference squad. Seniors Sarah Eskew and Anna Lacey and sophomore Tatum McGuinn were all recognized by the GEC Gymnasts are named to the first team by finishing among the top six National Qualifying Scores in the conference, including ties, while second team honors are awarded to the next six NQS scores, including ties.

Lacey's 9.825 NQS on the floor landed her on the conference's first team. Twice this year, Lacey hit a career-high score of 9.900. She won, or tied for first on the floor exercise, four times during the regular season. This is her first all-conference accolade of her career.

Eskew's 9.710 NQS was good for second team all-conference on the uneven bars where she starred all winter for the Golden Rams. Eskew won the uneven bars event four times during the season as well. She is making her second appearance on the All-GEC squad on the bars and third overall in her four years in college. She has been named All-GEC on the vault twice in her college career.

McGuinn earned second team all-conference on the balance beam with an NQS score of 9.740. She won, or tied for first in the beam event, four times during the winter season as well. She hit a career-high of 9.825 at home against SUNY-Cortland in January. This is the local product's first appearance on the All-GEC squad.

WEST CHESTER - TEAM RESULTS AT THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
    YEAR   SEMI'S / FINALS
    2025    192.850 / 190.850 (4th place)
    2024    193.975 / 193.575 (4th place)
    2023    192.825
    2022    193.450
    2019    191.675
    2017    193.575

ESKEW MAKES FOURTH TRIP TO NATIONALS
West Chester University senior Sarah Eskew (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is making her fourth and final trip to the national championships. She is the only member of the Golden Rams to be competing at nationals for a fourth time. She is also the only returning All-American on the Golden Rams' roster. Sophomore Rylee Harada (Runnemede, N.J.) was an All-American at last year's national championships in Shreveport, La., however, an injury has kept her from performing this season.

Eskew was a second-team All-American on the vault in 2024. She competed on both the vault and the bars in 2023. She then competed in the all-around in 2024 posting a score of 38.650. Last winter in Denton,Texas, Eskew competed on the uneven bars and scored a 9.750.
                
HISTORY IS MADE
West Chester University head coach Barbara Cordova won her 177th career meet last Saturday in the team's regular-season finale against Cornell University and that tied her former head coach and mentor, Sandy Thielz, for the most victories in a coaching career at West Chester University. Together, Cordova and Thielz have 354 of the school's 372 victories since 1962.

Thielz authored an all-time record of 177-88-1 (.670) during her 21-year career at the helm of the Golden Rams from 1974 through 1995. Cordova, who has held the reigns of the program since 2008, has an all-time record of 177-160 in her 18 years.