The SEC Gymnastics Championship are about to move much closer to the defending conference champion.
The conference announced Monday that the title meet will be held at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa in 2027 and 2028. The home of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, Benchmark opened in 1996.
It will be the first time the event is held in Tampa or the Sunshine State since 2017 when it was in Jacksonville. The location serves as a massive boom for Florida gymnastics. Gainesville sits 130 miles from Tampa. The next closest SEC city – Auburn – is 300 miles further. The Gators won the 2026 meet in dramatic fashion by 0.025 over national powerhouse Oklahoma.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said Tampa is receiving the honor in part due to their support of SEC athletics. The conference’s women’s golf tournament is held in nearby Bellaire, and the football media days in July will be held in the city.
Furthermore, the 2028 Florida-Georgia football game is to be played at Raymond James Stadium while Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville is being rebuild.
“That proven enthusiasm, combined with Benchmark International Arena’s championship reputation and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission’s deep experience, gives us great confidence in delivering a world-class event worthy of the elite level of competition our student-athletes bring to the floor every year,” Sankey said in a release.
Benchmark International has already hosted big gymnastics events. The 2022 Men’s and Women’s U.S. Gymnastics Championships was at the arena.
The SEC Gymnastics Championships was played on campus sites for the first 20 years from 1981-2000. In 2001, it moved to neutral sites – most recently in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2026. Birmingham, Alabama, and Duluth, Georgia, have hosted the most times at eight and six, respectively.
Tickets will be available at a later date.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: SEC Gymnastics Championship moving to Tampa for 2027 and 2028 seasons
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
