FORT WORTH, Texas — The Oklahoma Sooners completed their narrative of redemption by triumphantly reclaiming the top spot at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships. The team displayed an impressive performance on Saturday, securing their seventh national title. This achievement comes a year after an unexpected setback during the semifinals.
Oklahoma ended the competition with a team score of 198.0125, outpacing their closest competitor, UCLA, by four-tenths. The Bruins, revitalized with the help of Jordan Chiles, a three-time Olympic medalist, finished in second place. This marked the team’s highest achievement since their national championship win in 2018.
Missouri celebrated its most successful season by finishing third, narrowly edging out Utah. Utah was in pursuit of its 10th championship but hasn’t claimed the title since 1995. Meanwhile, the Sooners have dominated the NCAA championships by winning three out of the last four and four out of the last six titles.
Reflecting on the victory, Oklahoma senior Jordan Bowers, the NCAA all-around champion, expressed her joy: “Oh my gosh, truly a fairy tale ending. You do not want to go out any other way … considering everything we’ve carried over this last year, it just means so much.”
The Sooners demonstrated their strength from the onset, especially on the balance beam. Coach K.J. Kindler had challenged the team to achieve a score of 49.6, a feat they accomplished with a score of 49.61, matching UCLA, which began on the floor exercise.
Oklahoma pulled ahead during the second rotation. Faith Torrez’s exceptional 9.9625 score in her anchor role allowed the Sooners to secure a lead they never surrendered. Their triumph was cemented on the uneven bars, where Bowers, who committed to Oklahoma at just 13 years old, ended her career with a remarkable 9.8875. This closed a season in which the squad remained conscious of their previous year’s disappointment.
Reflecting on her team’s unity, Coach Kindler noted, “This was a group that sacrificed for one another, went out on a limb for one another. You could see it in their chemistry, it changed us and that’s why we’re here.”