In a heart-stopping finale that came down to the very last routine, the Oklahoma Sooners cemented their status as a collegiate gymnastics dynasty, capturing their second consecutive NCAA women's championship and their fourth title in the last five years. The victory in Fort Worth was a testament to resilience, clutch performance, and the ultimate senior moment.
The drama unfolded on the final rotation, with LSU holding a razor-thin lead. The Tigers were on the precarious balance beam, while Oklahoma took to the floor exercise. After a costly fall from LSU's Lexi Zeiss, the door was left slightly ajar for the Sooners.
Enter senior Faith Torrez. Battling injuries all season, Torrez—fresh off winning the NCAA all-around title just two days prior—stepped onto the floor as the final competitor of the entire championship. With the team's fate resting on her shoulders, she delivered a steely, near-perfect routine, earning a massive 9.950.
That score forced LSU's final beam worker, the phenomenal Kailin Chio, to be perfect to win. Chio, who had posted a perfect 10 on vault earlier in the meet, was brilliant but scored a 9.900. The math was final: Oklahoma 198.1625, LSU 198.0750—a victory margin of less than a tenth of a point.
"It means everything, I'm so proud of this team," Torrez said after capping her career in storybook fashion. "To do it with them, I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."
The win marks Oklahoma's eighth national championship since 2014, a staggering run of excellence that defines a modern sports powerhouse. For LSU, Florida (third), and Minnesota (fourth), the result was a heartbreaking end to spectacular seasons, proving once again that in NCAA gymnastics, every tenth—and every ounce of grit—counts.
