The qualifiers from the Columbus, Raleigh, and Tuscaloosa regionals will compete in the first semifinal session. Check back tomorrow for our preview of the qualifiers from the Minneapolis, Penn State and Salt Lake City regionals who will compete in the second semifinal at nationals.

Raleigh: LSU (2), Nebraska (11), Oregon State (14), George Washington, NC State, Maryland

Lock: LSU

Led by junior Sarah Finnegan and senior Myia Hambrick, the Tigers are coming off wins in both the SEC regular season and SEC championship. One thing that LSU will be looking to improve upon will be their landings on vault and floor, which were just a little bit off at the conference championship meet. 

Battle: Nebraska & Oregon State

Expect both of these squads to keep it close throughout the competition—they finished the season separated by just 0.035 in the RQS rankings. Both teams put up strong performances in the afternoon sessions of their respective conference championships and were separated by less than four-tenths of a point. Both squads will also be looking to make back-to-back trips to the NCAA championships. The Huskers finished seventh while the Beavers finished 11th last year at NCAAs.

WE’RE GOING TO RALEIGH!!!!! #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/8zC8pDCvxQ

— GW Gymnastics Team (@GWGymnastics) March 26, 2018

Sleeper: George Washington

The Colonials will need a bit of help from both Nebraska and Oregon State to qualify for nationals, as well as a standout performance across the board. George Washington did hit 196.800 or better in back-to-back meets late in the season, though, which would be competitive with both the Huskers and Beavers.

Individual Qualifier Alert

Look for these athletes to battle it out for individual spots to nationals if their teams don't qualify.

Megan Schweihofer (Nebraska), Sienna Crouse (Nebraska), Taylor Houchin (Nebraska), Dani Dessaints (Oregon State), Kaitlyn Yanish (Oregon State), Isis Lowery (Oregon State), Cami Drouin-Allaire (George Washington), Jillian Winstanley (George Washington)

Tuscaloosa: Alabama (6), Michigan (7), Georgia (18), Missouri, Illinois, Central Michigan

Kiana Winston - Regular Season ALL-AMERICAN! #FierceGrace #AllAmerican #RollTide pic.twitter.com/UFMCPWPe88

— Alabama Gymnastics (@BamaGymnastics) March 29, 2018

Lock: Alabama

The Crimson Tide were nearly edged at regionals after a rough final rotation, and they'll be looking to avoid such an occasion in 2018. The Tuscaloosa regional is arguably one of the most challenging with a number of teams being able to contend for the two spots heading into nationals. Alabama will be led by seniors Kiana Winston and Nickie Guerrero, whose beam performances at the SEC championships helped the Tide jump into the lead after the opening rotation.

Battle: Michigan & Georgia

Michigan has overcome the loss of Olivia Karas and has been solid and consistent through the regular season. The Wolverines will need another good performance to advance out of this regional. Georgia, with all of the injuries the squad has battled this season, has continued to improve week after week. The Gym Dogs will need a little bit of help from either Michigan or Alabama to get to nationals as a team, though. 

Sleepers: Missouri & Illinois

Either Missouri or Illinois could play spoiler if one of the top three teams falters, as both the Tigers and Illini are capable of going 196-plus. Illinois pulled out a strong performance at the Big Ten championships with a 196.625, and Missouri posted its best away score of the season in a tri-meet against UIC and Illinois also with a 196.625.

Individual Qualifier Alert: 

Look for these athletes to battle it out for individual spots to nationals if their teams do not qualify.

Sydney Snead (Georgia), Sabrina Vega (Georgia), Marissa Oakley (Georgia), Paige Zaziski (Michigan), Brianna Brown (Michigan), Britney Ward (Missouri), Bridget Hodan (Illinois), Rae Balthazor (Illinois), Katy Clements (Central Michigan)

Columbus: UCLA (3), Arkansas (10), Boise State (15), Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Kent State

Whoever said perfection is unattainable never met @fish_hano, @kyla_ross96, @PengPengCLee & @katelyn_ohashi, who have combined for an NCAA-best ? perfect ?s this year. #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/FD1a2ODXQC

— UCLA Gymnastics (@uclagymnastics) March 30, 2018

Lock: UCLA

The Bruins are coming off a strong performance on beam and floor at the Pac-12 championships, where they edged Utah in a close competition. The one place where UCLA does need to sort out some issues is on uneven bars—which was the team’s best and most consistent event in 2017. There is marked improvement on vault, and the Bruins have done a 180 on floor from last season.

Battle: Arkansas & Boise State

There is less than a tenth of a point separating these two teams in RQS heading into regionals. The Razorbacks won the early session of the SEC championships with a 196.425 while Boise State won the Mountain Rim title with a 196.875. The Broncos’ strongest performances have come on floor and vault while the Razorbacks have been solid on beam and bars. Arkansas last advanced to the NCAA championships in 2013, while it would be the first appearance for Boise State. 

Sleeper: Ohio State

The Buckeyes are competing at home but will need some help from both Arkansas and Boise State if they are going to sneak into the picture at nationals. Ohio State’s best event this season has been floor exercise, where the Buckeyes are ranked 15th in the country.

Individual Qualifier Alert

Look for these athletes to battle it out for individual spots to nationals if their teams do not qualify.

Sarah Shaffer (Arkansas), Sophia Carter (Arkansas), Amanda Wellick (Arkansas), Courtney McGregor (Boise State), Shani Remme (Boise State), Sandra Collantes (Boise State), Alexis Mattern (Ohio State)