On Fridays, we wear pink leotards

The GIST: You don’t have to wait until this summer’s Paris Olympics to catch world-class gymnastics — the collegiate women’s season hits the mat this weekend. Check out our primer, then slip on your sparkliest leo and jump in.

• But first, some herstory: With the addition of Clemson’s inaugural squad this year, the ACC hit the requisite four teams to officially add women’s gymnastics to its conference sports roster. Love to see it.

The top teams: Oklahoma is back, baby. Despite graduating some key athletes, the Sooners’ squad is as formidable as ever, and a natty three-peat is definitely on the table. However, standing in their way is Florida, the 2023 national runner-up, who’s filling a Trinity Thomas–shaped hole with an all-star cast of freshmen.

• The biggest wild card? Utah. This offseason, allegations of athlete abuse rocked the 2023 third-place program, leading to the departure of core team members and the removal of HC Tom Farden. The impact on this season is anyone’s guess.

Gymnasts to know: Utah fifth-year and beam queen Maile (pronounced MY-lee) O’Keefe returns to the Red Rocks to defend her NCAA all-around title, the sport’s most prestigious individual honor. Florida junior Leanne Wong is also back and better than ever after a big offseason on the international circuit.

• And while senior Hayleigh Bryant isn’t the most famous member of LSU’s roster, she’s certainly the most dominant. She qualified as an All-American in all five categories (vault, uneven bars, balance beam, floor, and all-around). A quintuple-threat.

What to watch: Opening weekend’s premier meet is the Super 16 in Las Vegas, which features…you guessed it, 16 of the nation’s top teams, including Oklahoma. The best part? It’s sponsored by the upcoming Mean Girls film, complete with a website that’s so fetch. The first session kicks off today at 3 p.m. ET on the event’s YouTube page, where you can always sit with us.

The GIST: The NCAA’s soccer seasons are done and dusted, but the game’s most impactful stars still have one more award to collect. The men’s and women’s MAC Hermann Trophy winners, aka soccer’s MVPs, will be announced tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. Before you stream the ceremony, let’s meet the six contenders…

The women’s finalists: A trio of senior forwards own the women’s race, but Nebraska’s Eleanor Dale is the favorite thanks to her NCAA–leading 28 goals — including eight game-winners. The Brit’s killer boot helped the Cornhuskers win a share of the Big Ten regular-season title and advance to the national quarter-finals. She definitely has the juice.

• The other two finalists also have strong cases: BYU’s Brecken Mozingo racked up 14 goals and 15 assists on the way to the College Cup, and Florida State’s Onyi Echegini (of Nigeria’s Women’s World Cup squad) anchored the Seminoles’ natty-winning roster.

The men’s finalists: Men’s national champ Clemson also boasts a finalist in senior midfielder Ousmane Sylla, who led the Tigers in almost every offensive category. Between his standout ACC title-winning performance and his literal in-your-face strikes, Sylla could be the MAC Hermann’s brand-new edition.

• Also in the hunt are Western Michigan senior forward Charlie Sharp, who led the NCAA with 19 goals this season, and Wake Forest senior defender Garrison Tubbs, the heart of the nation’s toughest D. Too bad only one can be da real MVP.

🏀 Men’s basketball: No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini (11-2) vs. No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers (13-1) — Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET — FS1

• Beating the top-ranked team and the reigning Player of the Year on their home court is no small task, but Illinois are feeling hot after walloping Northwestern — a team that upset Purdue a month ago — 96–66 on Tuesday. Ooh, intrigue.

🏒 Women’s hockey: No. 5 Clarkson Golden Knights (18-0-2) vs. No. 4 Colgate Raiders (16-2-1) — Tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET — ESPN+

• Both squads take on other Top-10 opponents tonight — No. 9 Cornell for the Golden Knights and No. 10 St. Lawrence for the Raiders — before facing each other tomorrow. Nothin’ like returning from winter break to a pair of huge exams.

🏀 Women’s basketball: No. 3 NC State Wolfpack (14-0) vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech Hokies (11-2) — Sunday at 12 p.m. ET — ACC Network

• NC State already has two Top-5 wins under their belt, but the Hokies’ lethal combo of senior guard Georgia Amoore and grad student center Elizabeth Kitley will prove a challenge. This pair of the cutthroat ACC’s top teams always bring the fireworks.

🏈 Football: FCS Championship — No. 1–seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits (14-0) vs. No. 2–seed Montana Grizzlies (13-1) — Sunday at 2 p.m. ET — ABC

• College football’s more famous championship game is Monday night, but there’s still a lot on the line in Division I’s (DI) other title game. The Jackrabbits have destroyed every team in their path this season, and they’re just one win away from their second straight ’ship.