The Oklahoma Sooners won their 8th NCAA Gymnastics title, defeating LSU. This victory marks their fourth title in five years and solidifies their status as a dominant force in collegiate gymnastics.
Key points
Oklahoma won their 8th NCAA Gymnastics title
Defeated LSU in the championship
Fourth title in five years
K.J. Kindler is the head coach
Oklahoma's dominance solidifies a dynasty
Mentioned in this story
K.J. KindlerFort Worth, Texas
Oklahoma SoonersLSUNCAA Gymnastics Championship
NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - APRIL 16: Members of the University of Oklahoma celebrate during the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship at Dickies Arena on April 16, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Alicia Malnati/Getty Images)
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The Oklahoma Sooners are NCAA Gymnastics National Champions – again. For the eighth time in 11 years and fourth title in five, K.J. Kindler’s unbreakable squad cemented its status as the best gymnastics team in the land.
With back-to-back titles and unmistakable dominance over the last decade, the Sooners didn’t just win another title – they cemented a dynasty. With the win, Kindler is now the most efficient coach in NCAA Gymnastics history, averaging more than one title every three seasons.
The Sooners fought off a formidable late-meet push from the LSU Tigers, who surged into the lead after a stellar bars rotation. The Tigers finish second for the third time in program history, falling just short of the program’s second title.
Though the Florida Gators came in as the hottest team in the nation, the stacked lineup struggled to find its rhythm all day, falling into third place and continuing the program’s 11-year title drought.
The Cinderella team, Minnesota, finished fourth after another strong effort. Though the Gophers entered the final rotation ahead of the No. 3 Gators, a subpar vault rotation dropped Minnesota to fourth. Nonetheless, the team’s fourth-place finish is historic, passing their previous sixth-place finish from 2022.
Final Results
Oklahoma Sooners: 198.1625
LSU Tigers: 198.075
Florida Gators: 197.6875
Minnesota Golden Gophers: 197.375
Fort Worth Play-by-Play
Rotation One: Oklahoma Rocks the House on Vault
The Sooners started their title push on vault, the event where they posted a staggering 49.750 in the semifinal round. Though the Sooners only found two stuck landings today – instead of four – they posted the highest rotation of the field to start. Sophomore Lily Pederson nabbed a career high 9.9875 to lead the Sooners.
Like Oklahoma, Florida followed the same rotation order as Thursday’s semifinals, starting on the balance beam. The Gators also started on beam in their victorious SEC Championship effort, and hoped the same outcome would translate here. Though Florida saw strong hits from Selena Harris-Miranda and Skye Blakely, the scores could not match the near-perfect results from OU. After a fall in the anchor spot, the Gators had to count a sub-par 9.8 score for a below-average beam total.
Q&A
How many NCAA Gymnastics titles has Oklahoma won?
Oklahoma has won a total of 8 NCAA Gymnastics titles.
Who is the head coach of the Oklahoma gymnastics team?
K.J. Kindler is the head coach of the Oklahoma gymnastics team.
When did Oklahoma win their latest NCAA Gymnastics title?
Oklahoma won their latest NCAA Gymnastics title on April 16, 2026.
What is K.J. Kindler's achievement in NCAA Gymnastics coaching?
K.J. Kindler is the most efficient coach in NCAA Gymnastics history, averaging more than one title every three seasons.
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Over on floor, the LSU Tigers looked for an emphatic start on their best event. Though the scores began modestly, the Tigers saw key 9.9+ efforts from the star-studded backend of their lineup. Amari Drayton and Kaliya Lincoln delivered back-to-back 9.9375 marks to keep the Tigers just behind the Sooners.
Starting on bars – the event where they finished in Thursday’s semifinal – the Golden Gophers were less precise than their semifinal effort. However, the team saw a clutch 9.900 routine from freshman Arianna Ostrum.
After One: Oklahoma: 49.600, LSU: 49.5125, Florida: 49.3875, Minnesota: 49.2625
In the second rotation, an all-out battle unfolded. The Sooners struggled to find their bars dismounts in the semifinal round, and that same struggle carried into half of their lineup on Saturday. Freshmen stars Ella Murphy, Mackenzie Estep, and Caitlin Smith redeemed the effort, nabbing three scores of 9.9+.
The Gators needed to move past their shaky beam rotation with power and finesse on floor. Though the Gators looked confident and precise in their routines, scores remained tight through the end of the rotation. All-around bronze medalist eMjae Frazier hit a stellar floor routine, but scored nearly .050 below a similar effort from Thursday. Nonetheless, the Gators finished the rotation with a strong hit from Selena Harris-Miranda.
After a tentative start on vault with no sticks, sophomore star Kailin Chio brought the arena to its feet in the anchor spot. Chio stuck her 14th vault of the season, making a 87.5% stick-rate on the year. The judges awarded Chio with an outright perfect 10.0, her 13th of the season. With the score, the Tigers stayed close behind the Sooners.
On beam, Minnesota needed a huge effort on their best event: the balance beam. Despite a fluke mishap in the penultimate routine, the Gophers delivered once more, posting a huge 49.450. Newly-crowned NCAA Beam Champion Brooklyn Rowray and junior Jordyn Lyden both earned key scores of 9.9+.
After Two: Oklahoma: 99.0625, LSU: 98.9875, Florida: 98.8000, Minnesota: 98.7125
Rotation Three: LSU Sticks, Florida Sinks
Heading into the second half of the meet, the Sooners maintained their lead, but it was tight. They now headed to the balance beam, one of the team’s strongest events. However, the tide turned for the Sooners.
After the injured Addison Fatta scored just a 9.7375 in the leadoff, Keira Wells fell off the beam in the second spot and the pressure was on for K.J. Kindler’s team. Freshman Ella Murphy responded without hesitation, nailing a spectacular 9.9375 in the next spot. The Sooners continued to respond, closing the rotation with a massive 9.95 from all-around champion Faith Torrez. Though they gave up the lead, the Sooners powered through to salvage another hit rotation.
Entering the rotation in third, Florida faced its biggest weakness: vault. That reality continued on Saturday in Fort Worth, with the lineup producing zero stuck landings across six vaults. Though they entered the third rotation in contention, Jenny Rowland’s team may have vaulted themselves out of the national title.
Now on the floor, Minnesota rebounded from a sub-9.8 in the leadoff spot to surge onto the podium over Florida. Jenny Hansen’s team recorded a strong 49.3875 behind a trio of 9.9+ scores from the backend of the lineup. While Florida struggled on vault, the Gophers climbed into the third-place spot with one rotation to go.
After recording their lowest bars score all season on Thursday, the LSU Tigers needed to dial in on bars, and the Tigers delivered. Lexi Zeiss was spectacular in the leadoff, opening the rotation with a huge 9.925. The big scores and stuck dismounts kept coming, with junior Konnor McClain closing the rotation with a huge 9.95. Just like that, the Tigers took the lead.
After Three: LSU: 148.600, Oklahoma: 148.525, Minnesota: 148.100, Florida: 148.0875.
Rotation Four: Tigers vs. Sooners for the Title
With Minnesota and Florida over a half-point behind, the meet turned into a two-team race between the LSU Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners went to the floor while the Tigers went to the beam, and only the smallest of margins separated the two programs.
Kylie Coen led off the Tigers with a spectacular hit, shifting the momentum towards LSU. However, that momentum quickly changed after a minutes-long judges conference iced out sophomore Lexi Zeiss. Zeiss fell off the beam in the second spot, putting the Tigers at a significant disadvantage.
While the Tigers worked to avoid counting a fall, the Sooners powered forward to five scores of 9.90 or higher. All-around champion Faith Torrez closed the rotation with another 9.95, closing the door on Jay Clark’s Tigers.
After Four: Oklahoma: 198.1625, LSU: 198.075, Florida: 197.6875, Minnesota: 197.375
