This year, the Oklahoma women’s gymnastics team won’t be at the NCAA championship meet for the first time since 2012. Even though they were ranked number one all season, they didn’t make it to the final. During Thursday’s semifinal, they finished third behind Utah and Florida, who took the top spots. LSU and California also qualified from the other semifinal.
The Sooners didn’t start well on the vault, with three gymnasts making big mistakes. This put them in fourth place early on. Despite doing better on the bars and floor, they couldn’t catch up. When the scores came in, confirming their loss, the team looked sad while the winners celebrated.
Coach K.J. Kindler praised the team for their effort, saying it was tough but character-building. Florida’s Leanne Wong said they tried to focus on their performance, ignoring Oklahoma’s struggles.
Even though Oklahoma didn’t win, two of their gymnasts, Faith Torrez and Audrey Davis, tied for first on the beam, and Davis also shared the bars title. LSU’s Haleigh Bryant won the top individual prize.
In the upcoming championship, LSU, Utah, Florida, and California will compete for the team title. For LSU and California, it could be their first win, while Florida is aiming for their fourth. Utah, with nine titles, is also a strong contender.
The championship will take place at Dickies Arena at 4 p.m. ET. It’s anyone’s game at this point, and the teams will need to focus on the small details like perfect landings to come out on top.
