Nationals: Oklahoma Sooners win fourth gymnastics title in 5 years
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University of Oklahoma gymnastics star Faith Torrez extended the program’s dynasty with a clutch title-winning routine for her team at the NCAA championships on Saturday.
Torrez performed her final routine on floor exercise as the final competitor in the final rotation that led the Sooners to their fourth title in five years. It was the last routine of his college career.
Torrez scored 9.950 points, giving the Sooners a total of 198.1625 points, just ahead of LSU with 198.0750 points.
Florida finished third, while Minnesota finished fourth, its best season in program history.
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Faith Torrez of the University of Oklahoma competes in the vault during the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on April 16, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Alicia Malnati/Getty Images)
“This means everything. I’m so proud of this team,” Torrez said after winning the NCAA overall championship on Thursday. “I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else to do this with them.”
LSU initially came out ahead with three rotations thanks to Kailin Chio’s perfect 10 score on the vault, the first perfect score awarded at the national championships since 2023.
While the Tigers finished the balance beam, the Sooners went to floor exercise. At NCAA competitions, six gymnasts compete in each event; the lowest score is deducted and the best five scores are added together to create the team’s total.
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Faith Torrez of the Oklahoma Sooners won the overall title at the National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships on April 16, 2026 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos)
LSU’s slim lead of 0.0750 left it with little margin for error. Lexi Zeiss’ fall on the beam opened the door just enough for the Sooners to get in after Zeiss had to endure a long wait while the judges worked on teammate Kylie Coen’s score.
The Tigers rebounded behind 2022 USA Gymnastics national champion Konnor McClain and Chio.
The match is down to the last two contestants; Torrez on floor and Chio on beam.
Torrez, who had battled injuries all season and didn’t even compete in general competition until nationals, put on a dynamic 90-second performance that forced Chio to perfect for the Tigers to win.
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Faith Torrez of the Oklahoma Sooners competes in the floor exercise during the National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on April 16, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos)
Chio was dazzling, scoring 13 straight tens throughout the season, but her 9.900 wasn’t enough to derail the Oklahoma dynasty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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