CORVALLIS, OREGON - APRIL 5: Brooklyn Rowray of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers reacts after competing on the balance beam during an NCAA Regional Final gymnastics meet at Gill Coliseum on April 5, 2026 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)
Getty Images
No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 13 Minnesota clinched their spots in Saturday’s NCAA Gymnastics Championship, edging out No. 4 UCLA and No. 9 Arkansas in Thursday’s national semifinal.
The Sooners cruised to a dominating win, defeating the field by nearly a full point with a staggering total (198.300). Though K.J. Kindler’s squad led from start to finish, the battle between No. 13 Minnesota and Jordan Chiles’ UCLA Bruins came down to the final rotation.
The Sooners are familiar faces in the national championship, having won seven of the last 11. However, today’s result makes history for the Minnesota Golden Gophers as the program’s first appearance in the “Four on the Floor.” Head Coach Jenny Hansen’s squad is now guaranteed its best finish in program history.
"I’m still in a little disbelief," Hansen said to ESPN.
With their 1-2 finish, the Sooners and Golden Gophers will join No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Florida in Saturday’s National Championship. The Tigers and Gators punched their tickets earlier in the day in Fort Worth, beating Georgia and Stanford.
ForbesMeet The Four Teams Fighting For The NCAA Gymnastics Title
Today’s semifinals produced the individual NCAA champions in the all-around and on all four events. After not competing all-around or floor exercise during the regular season, senior Faith Torrez clinched her first all-around title with a spectacular effort. Top contender Kailin Chio (LSU) finished
Oklahoma’s Keira Wells clinched the vault title with a near-perfect 9.975, edging out Chio and Kaliya Lincoln (LSU), who settled for silver. Florida senior Riley McCusker claimed the individual title on bars, the first NCAA title for the gymnast after winning the SEC title in 2025.
Minnesota made more history, with Brooklyn Rowray winning beam to become the program’s first national champion since 1990 – and only its second ever. Despite a disappointing all-around effort, Jordan Chiles claimed her second NCAA title on the floor in the final floor routine of her collegiate career.
ForbesJordan Chiles’ Collegiate Career Ends In Elite Eight With NCAA Floor TitleBy Caroline Price
All-Around: Faith Torrez (Oklahoma)
Vault: Keira Wells (Oklahoma)
Uneven Bars: Riley McCusker (Florida)
Balance Beam: Brooklyn Rowray (Minnesota)
Floor Exercise: Jordan Chiles (UCLA)
Rotating in ‘Olympic’ order, the Sooners started their title campaign on vault. There was no settling into the equipment: Oklahoma opened with a near-perfect 9.975 from Keira Wells, and closed the rotation with five stuck vaults. The efforts earned a staggering 49.750 event total – the highest of the season and the second highest vault score in program history.
While there was no keeping up with the historic mark from the Sooners, the Minnesota Golden Gophers delivered on the most precarious event to start their night. Known for their abilities on beam, the Gophers posted a strong 49.3875 to place second after one rotation. Senior Brooklyn Rowray delivered a stunning routine in the penultimate spot, earning a 9.9625.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - APRIL 16: Joscelyn Roberson of the Arkansas Razorbacks performs her floor routine during the NCAA Gymnastics Semi-Final at Dickies Arena on April 16, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Aric Becker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
ISI Photos via Getty Images
The Arkansas Razorbacks opened on the floor exercise, one of their stronger events. Though Jordyn Wieber’s squad began their meet tentatively, with an error in the leadoff spot and scores in the lower 9.8s, Lauren Williams and Joscelyn Roberson delivered back-to-back scores of 9.9+ to keep the Razorbacks in contention.
Jordan Chiles and the UCLA Bruins opened their night on bars, an event where Chiles is the defending NCAA Champion. Though the rotation produced multiple respectable scores of 9.8 or higher, UCLA fans waited for a reliable score of 9.95+ from Chiles. However, in a shocking turn of events, the Olympian fell on her opening handstand – her first fall of the season.
Within seconds, the No. 2 gymnast in the nation was out of the all-around race and would not defend her bars title. Though Chiles’ fall was shocking, a solid team total kept the Bruins in contention.
After One: 1. Oklahoma: 49.750, 2. Minnesota 49.3875, 3. Arkansas: 49.300, 4. UCLA: 49.2625
The Sooners looked poised to run away with the competition after one, but in rotation two, their lead waned. After sticking all but one vault to open the meet, the Sooners had trouble sticking their landings on bars until the final few athletes. Senior Faith Torrez capped the rotation with a team-best 9.95.
On the floor, Minnesota delivered the scores necessary to hold the coveted second-place spot. The Golden Gophers were a pillar of consistency, recording no score below 9.8375 and ending their rotation with two-straight scores of 9.9 or higher.
After a shaky start on bars, the UCLA Bruins responded to adversity on beam with a huge 49.4875. Putting the fluke bars fall behind her, Chiles delivered one of the best routines of her career for a 9.95 in the anchor spot.
Needing a big total on vault, the Arkansas Razorbacks looked up to the task in Fort Worth. After weeks of inconsistent landings, freshman Alison Cucci hit when it mattered most, sticking her Yurchenko 1.5 for a career-high 9.9375. Leah Smith and Morgan Price added a pair of 9.900s to keep Arkansas in contention.
After Two: 1. Oklahoma: 99.225, 2. Minnesota 98.825, 3. UCLA: 98.7500, Arkansas: 98.6750
In rotation three, the Sooners headed to beam – another strength. The Sooners cruised through another event, recording a huge 49.5375. Torrez led the way once more, closing the rotation with her second consecutive 9.95.
UCLA needed a huge floor rotation to hurdle Minnesota, and the Bruins delivered. Freshman and former elite gymnast Ashlee Sullivan tallied a huge 9.9375 in the penultimate spot, setting Jordan Chiles up for perfect-ten-potential. Chiles came close, earning a 10.0 from three judges for a 9.975 average.
With vault as their lowest-scoring event, Minnesota simply needed to minimize the bleeding and survive to bars. The Gophers only stuck one vault, but managed clean routines across the lineup. Freshman Arianna Ostrum capped the rotation emphatically, sticking her Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.925.
After dialing in their landings on vault, the Arkansas Razorbacks partially lost their way on bars, posting three scores at 9.8 or lower. Morgan Price helped salvage the rotation, earning a fantastic 9.9125 in the anchor spot.
After Three: 1. Oklahoma: 148.7625, 2. UCLA 148.300, 3. Minnesota: 148.075, Arkansas: 147.875.
Though the Sooners’ ticket was all but punched, a battle was unfolding between UCLA and Minnesota. UCLA headed to the vault – a harder event to perfect – and Minnesota went to bars. It would all come down to landings to determine the second and final qualifying team for Saturday’s championship.
For UCLA, landings quickly went awry. Midway through the lineup, a shocking fall from senior Katelyn Rosen shook the lineup, leading to a major error from the next athlete up. Though Jordan Chiles closed the rotation with a solid vault, it was too little too late.
While UCLA stumbled, Minnesota thrived on bars. Freshman Lacie Saltzmann delivered the best routine of her young career for a 9.9625, nearly sealing the deal for the Golden Gophers. Needing just a 9.8375 to clinch the win over UCLA, former Irish elite Emma Slevin posted a 9.85 to make history for the Gophers.
ForbesHow To Watch The 2026 NCAA Gymnastics ChampionshipsBy Caroline Price此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。