FORT WORTH, Texas -- And then there were four. Florida, LSU, Oklahoma and Minnesota each have a chance on Saturday to win the NCAA gymnastics team title (4 p.m. ET; ABC).
Will Oklahoma win its fourth title in five years? Or will Florida or LSU sneak into the top spot? Could Minnesota shock everyone?
LSU's Chio earned the first perfect 10.0 in Fort Worth on the event on which she's known for her sticks. Chio cranked out a perfect Yurchenko 1.5.
The Sooners put together another strong rotation in the second event, with scores above 9.9 from Caitlin Smith, Mackenzie Estep and Ella Murphy.
WOW. Kenzie earns a 9.9375 ‼️ 🎥 | ABC pic.twitter.com/07pHblrCyp
Oklahoma leads the way by less than a tenth of a point over LSU, with Florida and Minnesota trailing a bit, but with three rotations still to make up the difference.
Anchoring for LSU in the team's opening rotation on floor, Kaliya Lincoln - and her sky-high double layout - put the Tigers firmly into second place going into the second rotation. Lincoln earned a 9.9375, as did her teammate Amari Drayton. LSU now moves onto vault and will look to continue their hot start.
Our nonchalant best double lay in the world floor anchor queen @KaliyaLincoln 🫡 Kaliya closes with a 9.9375! 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/CAS8Zui58K
After some hiccups in Thursday's semifinal, Selena Harris-Miranda rebounded in a big way during the Gators' opening rotation on beam. Nailing her triple series, Harris-Miranda had a wide smile on her face before her dismount - and then jumped up and down in celebration after sticking it. She earned a team-high 9.9375 and was met with hugs and cheers from her teammates and the (very vocal) Gator fateful.
SELENA 'STICK IT' HARRIS-MIRANDA pic.twitter.com/poqAytmaru
While the Sooners didn't come out of the gate quite as red-hot as they did on Thursday, they had a strong vault lineup to start the meet, led by Lily Pederson's stuck Yurchenko 1.5 (9.9875) and Hannah Scheible's front pike half (9.9625). Faith Torrez added a 9.9, and the Sooners totaled a 49.600 for the event -- just a little under their massive score in semifinals.
it's a season-high 9.9625 for the junior ‼️ 🎥 | ABC pic.twitter.com/VWjY0kpWjo
IT'S A 9.9875 FOR THE SOPHOMORE!! 🎥 | ABC pic.twitter.com/Cp37JnGare
Florida -- which had school legend Tim Tebow narrate its introduction video -- opens the meet today on balance beam. And, in fun news for Gators fans, the team has started on that event during two of its three previous national championship runs. Will history repeat again today? Let's find out.
Warmups are almost complete in Fort Worth, with less than an hour to go until the start. The gymnasts look locked in -- with tons of stuck landings on display.
This team >>> Let's compete for a championship 🏆#GeauxTigers | #ClearPath pic.twitter.com/MaIZli3Dpb
Born Ready ‼️#Team52 | #AnchoredDown pic.twitter.com/gouuCAHevH
Oklahoma will start on vault, Minnesota on bars, Florida on beam and LSU on floor.
The early advantage might go to Oklahoma. The Sooners started on vault in the semifinals and rocketed to a 49.75 and the early lead. It'll be tough to replicate that near-perfect performance, but they'll have momentum on their side.
THIS OKLAHOMA VAULT LINEUP IS UNREAL 🤯 What a rotation for the Sooners 👏 pic.twitter.com/GJlo0k1URX
Aly Raisman previews the final four teams ahead of the NCAA Gymnastics National Championship 🏆 Watch the top teams in the country compete tomorrow at 4 PM ET on ABC 🍿 pic.twitter.com/LsEfzU0whG
Georgia has won the most national titles overall, with 10, and had a streak of five titles in a row from 2005 to 2009, while Utah dominated from the 1980s to the mid-1990s and has nine titles overall, with the last one coming in 1995. Neither team is competing on Saturday, though.
No. 1-ranked Oklahoma is the defending champion in Fort Worth, and has dominated in recent years outside of a blip in 2024 when the team was upset in semifinals. The Sooners could be poised to win another title, but will have to get past 2024 champion LSU and No. 3 Florida. The Gators haven't won since 2015, but won the SEC title in March.
