Oklahoma Is Golden Again: Sooners Soar to Seventh NCAA Gymnastics Title

C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Oklahoma’s road to redemption is complete not just with an appearance back in the Four on the Floor competition but with their seventh national title.

All season long, Oklahoma competed with a fire lit under them, ready to reclaim their spot on top of the podium in Fort Worth. Rather than letting their fluke in the Elite Eight last year haunt them, they used it as fuel to prove they're still the dominant team we’ve come to know them as.

“The glory is getting back up again,” said head coach K.J. Kindler.

Courtesy of Oklahoma Women’s Gymnastics

The Sooners began their meet on the balance beam, an event they rank first on nationally. Graduate student Audrey Davis, the 2024 NCAA co-champion on the event, set the tone for the team. She led off with a 9.9000, and freshman Addison Fatta followed up with a 9.9000 of her own. They built their scores from there with freshman Lily Pederson redeeming herself from the semifinals by putting up a 9.9375. Senior Jordan Bowers, the 2025 NCAA all-around champion, also put up a 9.9375, as did their anchor, junior Faith Torrez, who shares the 2024 beam title with Davis. The Sooners’ 49.6125, the highest beam score at nationals, gave them a tie for the lead with UCLA after the first rotation.

In the second rotation, the Sooners went to the floor exercise, another event they rank first on, where they got to display their blend of controlled power and unique artistry. Davis led off the team again, putting up a 9.8875. Senior Danielle Sievers scored a 9.9125, freshman Elle Mueller scored a 9.9000, and Bowers had a 9.9250. Torrez anchored on floor too, putting up one of the highest scores of the competition with a 9.9625. Their 49.5875 on the event gave them the edge over UCLA and a two tenth lead halfway through the competition.

Vault is the only event that Oklahoma doesn’t rank first on, though they are still ranked third in the nation. It’s also the event that took them out of the running last year, and the one they wanted to prove they could nail when it matters, as it’s always said that the team that can stick their vault landings is the one that will win the national title. Pederson led off with a 9.8625, Torrez stuck for a 9.9375, sophomore Keira Wells put up a 9.9000, Fatta scored a 9.9250, and Mueller scored a 9.8125. While they may not have stuck every vault, they stayed clean and kept any other possible deduction to a minimum and put up the highest vault score of the competition with a 49.4375. After three rotations, the Sooners extended their lead to 0.3375. Everything was going the Sooners’ way.

In the final rotation, Oklahoma competed on the uneven bars, again an event they rank first on. Bars is probably their best event, though their strongest event is hard to pinpoint when they’ve been able to consistently be solid and lock in on all events this season. Sievers led off with a clean routine and stuck dismount for a 9.8750, and the momentum she started carried through the rotation. Pederson scored a 9.8000, Fatta scored a 9.8375, and Torrez scored a 9.8500. Davis, the top bar worker in the nation and 2024 co-champion on the event, put up the team’s highest score on the event with a 9.9250. The Sooners didn’t even need Bowers’ score in the anchor position (a 9.8875 which dropped Pederson’s 9.8000). As soon as Davis landed her dismount, the Sooners could not be caught. 

Oklahoma’s redemption arc was complete, and they became the 2025 NCAA gymnastics champions.

Courtesy of Oklahoma Women’s Gymnastics

“I saw a lot of joy when they were competing tonight and a lot of freedom, which was one of our focuses for the [meet]. I just couldn’t be prouder of this team,” Kindler said in a press conference after the meet.

“After we advanced and got to [the finals], we were free. We had no weight on our shoulders, we were free to do our best gymnastics,” Davis said.

Oklahoma won the meet with a final score of 198.0125. Big Ten champions UCLA finished in second, their best finish since they won the title in 2018. In their first Four on the Floor appearance, Missouri took third, a program-high finish.

Edited by Giana Robertaccio