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The Oklahoma women’s gymnastics team took a late lead at Saturday’s NCAA championship finals, and they ended up winning the national title.
This is Oklahoma’s fifth national title in the last eight years. The Sooners finished with a 198.2000 score, while Florida finished second with a 198.0875, followed by Utah with 197.7500 and Auburn with 197.3500.
Oklahoma and Florida were neck-to-neck in the final rotation, especially after Gator Trinity Thomas scored a perfect 10 for her floor routine.
Oklahoma’s Ragan Smith sealed the win for the Sooners in the final rotation as she scored a 9.9625 on the balance beam, which happened to be the best score in that event all day. Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee of Auburn scored a 9.9 on balance beam on Saturday.
The Sooners were in last place after the first rotation, but by the end of the third rotation, they had jumped to first place. This is in part due to five Oklahoma gymnasts scoring 9.90 or higher in the third rotation. Danielle Sievers scored the highest on bars for the team with a 9.975.
Three other Olympians participated in the NCAA championships this week, including Jade Carey in the all-around individual event, Jordan Chiles in the individual event and Utah’s Grace McCallum in the team event. All four of them, including Lee, received perfect 10s at some point during competition.
- Jade Carey’s ‘Quiet Fierceness’ Is Reaching New Heights at Oregon State
- Trinity Thomas, Suni Lee Win Individual Titles As They Lead Florida, Auburn to Finals
- How UCLA Is Making Gymnastics Fun Again
- All Sooners: Oklahoma Wins It: Sooners Bring Home Another National Championship
For more Oklahoma coverage, go to All Sooners.