University of Oklahoma gymnastics star Faith Torrez came up with a clutch championship-winning routine for her team in the NCAA championships Saturday, extending the program’s dynasty.
Torrez nailed the final routine on the floor exercise as the last competitor on the final rotation to put the Sooners ahead for their fourth championship in five years. It was the last routine of her college career.
Torrez scored a 9.950 to give the Sooners a team total of 198.1625, just ahead of LSU at 198.0750.
Florida was third, while Minnesota closed the best season in program history by finishing fourth.
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“It means everything. I’m so proud of this team,” Torrez said after winning the NCAA all-around title Thursday. “To do it with them, I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
LSU initially surged to the front through three rotations thanks in part to a perfect 10 on the vault by Kailin Chio, the first perfect score awarded at the national championships since 2023.
The Tigers finished on the balance beam while the Sooners went to the floor exercise. At NCAA competitions, six gymnasts compete in each event, with the lowest score being dropped, and the top five scores added together to produce the team total.
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LSU’s slim 0.0750 lead left it little margin for error. A fall by Lexi Zeiss on the beam, which came after Zeiss was forced to endure a prolonged wait as judges worked on teammate Kylie Coen’s score, opened the door just enough for the Sooners to push through.
The Tigers rebounded behind Konnor McClain, the 2022 US Gymnastics national champion, and Chio.
The meet came down to the final two competitors, Torrez on the floor and Chio on the beam.
Torrez, who battled injuries all season and didn’t even compete in the all-around until nationals, put together a dynamic 90-second performance, forcing Chio to be perfect for the Tigers to win.
Chio, who had 13 perfect tens during the season, was dazzling, but her score of 9.900 was not quite enough to derail Oklahoma’s dynasty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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