Competing in its first SEC Women's Gymnastics Championships, top-ranked Oklahoma finished in second place behind reigning conference champion LSU.
LSU came out on top on Saturday night at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, posting a winning score of 198.200, tying its second-highest of the season. That was .275 better than the runner-up Sooners with 197.925. Florida (197.825) finished third and Missouri (197.400) fourth.
Of the eight SEC teams that qualified for the conference championship, all eight are ranked in the top-13 nationally based on national qualifying scores. The four schools that competed in the evening session of the SEC championships included the top three.
As in most championship-level gymnastics competitions, the final order of finish was not decided until the final rotation. The Sooners had dropped to third place after three rotations and were on floor in their final team event. Meanwhile, LSU was in first place and on vault, while Florida was on beam to finish the competition.
The Sooners needed a string of 9.9s in their floor routines in order to leap over Florida and LSU in their first SEC championship. They did get a 9.95 from senior Jordan Bowers and a perfect 10 from Junior Faith Torrez, their final two performers in the event.
That was enough to get by Florida, which suffered too many point reductions on beam, but LSU scored four 9.9 routines on vault to pull away for the overall win.
LSU started out on bars and recorded a team score of 49.600 to jump into the lead after the first rotation. Oklahoma began the evening on vault, scoring 49.425 to settle into second place after the opening rotation. Florida was in third with a score of 49.375 on floor and Missouri in fourth after posting a 49.125 on beam.
OU's Torrez was the individual champion on floor and shared the title with three others on beam. The all-around champion was LSU's Haleigh Bryant for the second straight year
Oklahoma closed within .075 of LSU with a 49.550 on uneven bars in the second rotation. Graduate Audrey Davis was near perfect with a 9.975 to lead the Sooners in the event. Meanwhile, freshmen Lilly Pederson and Addison Fatta tied their career highs with scores of 9.95 and 9.925, respectively.
The Sooners dropped back to third after the third rotation with a score of 49.475 for a three-event total of 148.450. The Florida Gators took over the top spot after the third rotation, jumping ahead of LSU and setting up the dramatic finish.
OU and LSU have met three times this season in gymnastics, with LSU finishing on top twice (in a dual meet at LSU on Feb. 14 and the SEC championships). The Sooners prevailed over LSU at the Sprouts Farmer's Market Collegiate Quad on Jan. 11.
Oklahoma now awaits its destination and seeding for NCAA regional competition on April 6. The Sooners will be sent to one of four locations: Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; State College, Pennsylvania or Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That announcement will come on Monday.
Final SEC Gymnastics Championships standings: 1. LSU Tigers (198.200), 2. Oklahoma (197.925, 3. Florida Gators (197.825), 4. Missouri Tigers (197.400), 5. Alabama Crimson Tide (197.100), 6. Kentucky Wildcats (196.775), 7. Georgia Bulldogs (195.950), 8. Auburn Tigers (195.950).