Kent State Gymnastics Heads to Texas for Competitive Quad Meet

Golden Flashes face off against ranked Arizona State, Oregon State, and host Texas Woman's University

Published on Mar. 1, 2026

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The Kent State Golden Flashes gymnastics team is headed to Denton, Texas to compete in a highly competitive quad meet hosted by Texas Woman's University. Joining the Golden Flashes are nationally ranked opponents Arizona State and Oregon State. Kent State enters the meet with a balanced 6-6 record and solid national rankings across all four events, looking to capitalize on the competitive field to post a season-high team score.

Why it matters

This quad meet features an exceptional concentration of nationally ranked talent, including 10 gymnasts ranked in the top 50 nationally across vault, bars, beam, floor, and the all-around. The meet will showcase some of the best gymnastics in the country and provide a major test for the Golden Flashes as they look to continue improving throughout the season.

The details

Kent State will face off against the 31st-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils, led by 14th-ranked all-around gymnast Kimberly Smith, as well as the 26th-ranked Oregon State Beavers, who boast a top-20 nationally ranked beam lineup. The host Texas Woman's Pioneers, ranked 45th, feature elite-level talent on floor exercise. The quad meet format creates a highly competitive environment where every tenth of a point will matter as the teams vie for the top spot.

  • The quad meet will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2026 inside Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, Texas.

The players

Kent State Golden Flashes

The Kent State gymnastics team, ranked 38th nationally with a 6-6 record, is looking to leverage its balanced lineup and depth across all four events to compete with the highly ranked opponents.

Arizona State Sun Devils

The 31st-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils bring one of the nation's elite all-around performers in Kimberly Smith, who ranks 14th nationally, as well as strong depth across all four events.

Oregon State Beavers

The 26th-ranked Oregon State Beavers boast impressive national rankings, highlighted by a top-20 beam lineup, and feature nationally ranked performers on both bars and beam.

Texas Woman's Pioneers

The host Texas Woman's Pioneers, ranked 45th nationally, will look to leverage their home-floor advantage in Kitty Magee Arena and their elite-level talent on floor exercise.

Charlie Behner

The nationally ranked 42nd on vault, Behner will lead Kent State's vault lineup as they look to match the power of Arizona State and Oregon State.

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What’s next

The results of this quad meet will be crucial for the Golden Flashes as they continue their season and look to improve their national ranking and postseason positioning.

The takeaway

This highly competitive quad meet showcases the depth of talent in NCAA gymnastics, with four top-50 nationally ranked teams battling it out. For Kent State, it presents an opportunity to measure themselves against elite-level competition and continue their season-long improvement, with the ultimate goal of peaking at the right time for the postseason.