No. 13 Minnesota defeated No. 4 UCLA to secure a spot in the NCAA Gymnastics Championship alongside No. 1 Oklahoma. The match was closely contested, with Minnesota edging out UCLA in the final rotation.
Key points
Minnesota eliminated UCLA in the NCAA Gymnastics semifinal
Oklahoma won their semifinal match with a score of 198.300
The competition was held in Corvallis, Oregon
Minnesota's victory was decided in the final rotation
Mentioned in this story
Corvallis, Oregon
MinnesotaUCLAOklahomaNCAA Gymnastics Championship
2026 NCAA Gymnastics Regionals - Corvallis
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)
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No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 13 Minnesota clinched their spots in Saturday’s NCAA Gymnastics Championship, edging out No. 4 UCLA and No. 7 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 10. 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.
National Semifinal II Results:
Oklahoma: 198.300
Minnesota: 197.4625
UCLA: 197.275
Arkansas: 196.9625
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 after key errors from Kailin Chio (LSU) and Jordan Chiles.
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.
Q&A
How did Minnesota defeat UCLA in the NCAA Gymnastics semifinal?
Minnesota edged out UCLA in a closely contested match that came down to the final rotation.
What were the scores for Oklahoma and Minnesota in the NCAA Gymnastics semifinal?
Oklahoma scored 198.300, while Minnesota's score was sufficient to secure their victory over UCLA.
Who are the teams competing in the NCAA Gymnastics Championship?
The teams competing in the NCAA Gymnastics Championship are No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 13 Minnesota.
When is the NCAA Gymnastics Championship scheduled?
The NCAA Gymnastics Championship is scheduled for Saturday.
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Individual NCAA Champions:
All-Around: Faith Torrez (Oklahoma)
Vault: Keira Wells (Oklahoma)
Uneven Bars: Riley McCusker (Florida)
Balance Beam: Brooklyn Rowray (Minnesota)
Floor Exercise: Jordan Chiles (UCLA)
Fort Worth Play-by-Play
Rotation One: Oklahoma Sooners Open with History
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
