The Oklahoma women's gymnastics team set the tone early, taking a commanding lead after the first rotation and building on it through the rest of the competition to capture its 16th consecutive regional championship on Sunday and advance to the NCAA Championships for the 22nd straight season.
The Sooners posted a winning score of 198.350 in the Lexington Regional finals to defeat second-place Arkansas (197.450), Missouri (197.225) and Ohio State (196,700). The top two teams from each of the four regional locations advanced to the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 16-18.
Sooners dominate regional to advance to NCAA Championships
Oklahoma's regional championship score of 198.350 was the Sooners' eighth overall team score of 198 or better this season. It was also the highest score in any of this year's regional finals and the fourth-highest score in OU program history.
As the top seed in the Lexington Regional, Oklahoma had the choice of which apparatus it wanted to begin the competition on. The Sooners chose vault, the event at which it ranks No. 1 in the country, hoping to post some high scores and get them out to an early lead.
The opening strategy worked out well with three Sooners recording vault scores of 9.925 or better, highlighted by a near-perfect 9.950 by freshman Mackenzie Estep. OU finished with a team score of 49.525 in the first rotation. It marked the team's sixth highest score in regional competition and first above 49.500 at regionals since 2023.
The Sooners were able to extend their lead after the second rotation, with senior Faith Torrez and freshman Ella Murphy posting a pair of 9.925s on bars.
The OU contingent moved to the balance beam in the third rotation, which is where the Sooners all but put the regional championship out of reach. Oklahoma posted a score of 49.750 in the event, its highest on any apparatus this season, with four Sooners going over 9.95 and capped off by a perfect 10 from Torrez in the anchor position. It was the senior's seventh perfect score of her career.
Even though the Sooners held a commanding lead of 0.725 points heading to the floor for the final rotation, they didn't hold back. All five counting scores were above 9.90, with sophomore Elle Murphy and the freshman Estep applying the final statement in the anchor spots with a pair of 9.950s.
"I think they had a pretty phenomenal day," said OU head coach K.J. Kindler of her team's performance on ESPN+. "I think there were a little nerves on Day 1. I felt like today they were a little calmer and more at peace as they moved through."
The end result was the reigning national champion and No. 1 seed Oklahoma women advanced to the NCAA Championship national semifinals, where they will seek their eighth national title and second in a row.
An interesting note about this Oklahoma squad: Nearly three-fourths of the routines are performed by freshmen and sophomores, which paints a bright picture for the immediate future of OU women's gymnastics.
Oklahoma's side of the national semifinal bracket in Fort Worth will include Arkansas, the runner-up in the Lexington Regional, and the top two teams from the Corvallis Regional, No. 4 UCLA and No. 13 Minnesota.
The other national semifinal session will include No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Stanford. The top two teams from each semifinal will move on to the championship finals on April 18.