Oklahoma Sooners Win “Meet Of The Year” Over LSU

The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners Women’s Gymnastics team collected huge wins over three top 10 opponents at Saturday’s Sprouts Collegiate Quad. Posting a 197.950 – the highest score this season – the Sooners defeated the defending National Champion LSU Tigers by .300, followed by the No. 6 Cal Golden Bears and the No. 4 Utah Red Rocks. In a meet many considered the regular season “meet of the year,” the Sooners regained their status as the ‘top dog’ in NCAA Women’s Gymnastics.

Final Results:

1. Oklahoma Sooners: 197.950
2. LSU Tigers: 197.650
3. Cal Bears: 197.275
4. Utah Red Rocks: 196.800

Jordan Bowers’ (OU) also returned to her winning ways, claiming the all-around title in a narrow win over a star-powered three-way tie for second. Bowers edged Philippines Olympian Aleah Finnegan (LSU), superstar freshman Kailin Chio (LSU), and Sooner teammate, three-time National Champion Faith Torrez (OU).

On the individual events, the awards were spread across multiple teams. LSU’s Chio claimed the vault title (9.95) and Finnegan the floor (9.975). National Bars Champion Audrey Davis (OU) shared the bars win with Utah’s Olympic silver medalist, Grace McCallum. On beam, Faith Torrez (OU), the defending National Champion on the event, claimed the title alone.

Though the final results showed a somewhat comfortable win for Oklahoma (.300), the meet was close throughout, with just tenths separating the top three teams going into the final rotation. Here’s how the competition transpired:

ForbesTop Ranked Teams To Clash In College Gymnastics ShowdownBy Caroline Price

Rotation One: Sooners Claim Early, Narrow Lead

Starting on beam is never easy – but Oklahoma made it look the opposite. The Sooners cruised to a 49.525 on the event, corresponding with an individual average above 9.90 per routine. In short, they were on fire. Faith Torrez led the way with her massive acrobatic series, notching a season-high 9.975 for an eventual beam title.

While the Sooners were tackling beam, the LSU Tigers took to one of their signature events: vault. Known for their prowess on the power events (vault and floor), the Tigers showed a whopping six 10.0 start value vaults in their rotation, highlighted by a stuck Yurchenko 1.5 from freshman phenom Kailin Chio. With hits from the rest of the lineup, the Tigers sat just .075 back of OU after one rotation.

Meanwhile on bars, the Cal Bears weathered a fall from Mya Wiley, but avoided counting Wiley’s score due to hits from the rest of the lineup and a strong 9.90 from All-American Mya Lauzon. Top recruit Avery Neff nailed her floor routine for the Utah Red Rocks, effectively putting last week’s fall behind her and leading the way for Utah (9.90). All in all, a strong start for the four top-10 teams.

After One: Oklahoma: 49.525, LSU: 49.450, Cal: 49.325, Utah: 49.250

Rotation Two: Tight Race Continues

With just a .075 over the Tigers after one, the Sooners headed to floor looking to tumble their way to a more sizable lead. Oklahoma delivered their end of the bargain, notching two second-place 9.95s and not counting a score below 9.875. However, while the Sooners delivered, the Tigers were cooking on bars.

LSU posted three 9.9+ scores of their own, with SEC Bars Champion Ashley Cowan leading the way with an all-important 9.95. Returning from an offseason Achilles tear, 2022 U.S. National Champion Konnor McClain showed her competitive spirit once again, nailing her full-in dismount for a 9.925.

Vault was Utah’s vice at the 2024 National Championships – would it derail their chances today? Though Neff notched a 9.925 for her Yurchenko 1.5 to lead the way, landing errors plagued the rest of the lineup. As a result, Utah counted a 9.725 in their team total. For top-ten teams, a sub-9.8 routine is often costly. Across the floor, Cal took to the beam, another one of their strengths. Though the team did not see any scores in the 9.95-range, strong hits helped maintain a solid lead over the Red Rocks.

After Two: Oklahoma: 99.050, LSU: 98.875, Cal: 98.650, Utah: 98.450

Rotation Three: OU Waivers, Cal Climbs

With the first half complete, the Sooners’ were blazing their way to the finish line on 198-pace, Tigers not far behind. In NCAA Gymnastics, a total score of 198 or better is often a coveted goal for championship caliber teams. Reaching the total in week two would be staggeringly impressive. Next up for OU: vault.

Historically, the Sooners’ have been renowned for their uncanny ability to stick landings on vault. However, at the 2024 National Championships, the team ended their title bid after a disastrous vault rotation. At Sprouts Collegiate Quad, a similar scenario came into play. This time, after a surprising fall in the second spot, the Sooners pushed forward through the paranoia. The next four vaults were all hit, capped by a 9.90 from eventual all-around champion Jordan Bowers. Though their vault score was well below their typical season average, it was a hit.

The Sooners’ slightly lower total gave the Tigers an opportunity to make up some ground on beam. Though the team saw a trio of strong 9.85s and a leading 9.925 from Finnegan, the Tigers had to count a sub-par 9.775 from Olivia Dunne after a tentative returning routine from NCAA Champion Haleigh Bryant.

While the Tigers and Sooners battled it out at the top, Cal climbed closer to the top after a strong effort on floor. EmJae Frazier put on a show on floor, wowing the Oklahoma City crowd with her spectacular leaps for a 9.925. With strong scores from the rest of the lineup, the Bears narrowed their deficit to just .125 behind LSU.

Meanwhile on bars, Olympic silver medalist Grace McCallum impressed judges, nailing her intricate bar routine for a 9.975, the highest bars score recorded in 2025. Despite the near-perfect routine from McCallum, the Utes fell further in the rankings after recording sub-9.8 score from Amelie Morgan. Nonetheless, they were just about .500 back from first. Down, not out.

After Three: Oklahoma: 148.250, LSU: 148.125, Cal: 148.000, Utah: 147.725

Rotation Four: OU Nails Bars, Aleah Finnegan Shines

With the meet on the line, Oklahoma had the lead, but not by much. Just .250 separated the top three, and three of the teams headed to events where they were ranked #1 in the nation: Oklahoma (bars), LSU (floor), Utah (beam). Though the meet wasn’t over, the other three teams needed some help from Oklahoma. One small error, and their was up for grabs. Unfortunately for LSU, Cal, and Utah, the Sooners had other plans. K.J. Kindler’s squad put up a staggering 49.700 to close the meet (an average of 9.94 per-routine).

Though the meet would be Oklahoma’s, LSU seemed determined to keep it close. The Tigers claimed three top-five finishes on floor, including the meet-winning 9.975 from defending NCAA Floor Champion Aleah Finnegan. Finnegan’s near-perfect routine, featuring a massively difficult tumbling and engaging dance, garnered ten chants from her teammates and fans.

While LSU nabbed the second spot and pulled away from Cal, the Bears distanced themselves from Utah after the Red Rocks saw uncharacteristically low scores on beam. The Utes’ beam total was four tenths below last week’s total, marking a disappointing finish to an otherwise strong outing. Though Neff earned a 9.90, Head Coach Carly Dockendorf reportedly called the scores “interesting” in a post-meet press conference, vowing to submit many of her teams’ scores to the new judging evaluation system.

ForbesNCAA Gymnastics’ Perfect 10 Streak Ends After Nearly Four YearsBy Caroline Price

Oklahoma: 197.950. LSU: 197.650, Cal: 197.275, Utah: 196.800

With a spectacular final effort on bars, the Sooners asserted their dominance over women’s college gymnastics. However, LSU made their presence known, largely thanks to Finnegan, Chio, and Cowen. While many are already predicting an Oklahoma Sooner national title, with the return of a healthy Haleigh Bryant and KJ Johnson, the Tigers could feasibly push the Sooners for the top spot.

Though Cal finished a sizable deficit behind LSU, their 197+ score is an indicator of good things to come. In 2025, the Bears continue to prove their worth as one of the top team’s in the sport. And while Utah struggled at times, the 10-time National Champions should never go overlooked.

After a meet Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman said “felt like the National Championship,” there’s only thing left to say: same time this April?