Utah and Florida Secure Spots in NCAA Gymnastics Finals, Oklahoma Denied Three-peat

Utah and Florida clinched the final two berths in the NCAA women’s gymnastics championship on Thursday night, depriving No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma a three-peat.

Utah took the lead in the first round with a season-high 49.6375 on the beam, led by Abby Paulson and Malie O’Keefe’s 9.950. Jaylene Gilstrap and O’Keefe also got 9.950 on the floor to keep Utah ahead.

The Utes finished with 197.9375 points, while the Gators scored 197.8750, the fifth-highest score in program history in the championships. Oklahoma, the defending champion, finished third with 196.6625 points after five falls, trailing Alabama (196.4125).

The finals on Saturday will include fifth-seeded Utah, No. 4 Florida, No. 2 LSU, and No. 3 California. The Gators are looking for their fourth title in program history, having won three straight from 2013 to 2015.

Oklahoma was looking for its third consecutive win, but it got off to a bad start, scoring its lowest vault score since January 4, 2008. Since 2013, the Sooners have finished in the top three each year, winning six national titles (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023).

Earlier in the day, LSU scored the highest score of 198.1125, advancing to the finals for the tenth time in program history. It was LSU’s second-highest score at a national championship in program history, as the team seeks its first title. Cal advanced to the finals for the first time in school history, with an overall score of 197.7125, ahead of Stanford (197.0750) and Arkansas.

Haleigh Bryant, an LSU senior, won the championship with an all-around score of 39.7125 during the afternoon session. Aleah Finnegan, Bryant’s teammate, took the floor exercise after scoring a 9.9626, matching LSU’s best performance in the event at the tournament.

Audrey Davis, an Oklahoma senior, split two wins, including the beam podium, with teammate Faith Torrez. Davis also tied Florida junior Leanne Wong at the bars.

Stanford sophomore Anna Roberts won the vault with a career-best score of 9.9500.