The Oklahoma Sooners are national champions once again.
Just 364 days ago, the Sooners weren’t even in the building — left on the outside looking in after an uncharacteristic semifinal performance abruptly ended their title hopes. That stunning exit played on repeat across social media, was mentioned on TV broadcasts, and lingered like a shadow as they navigated the ups and downs of the 2025 season.
“We did our best to put it behind us, it just was following us everywhere,” Kindler said. “So it was almost impossible. Every time we looked in the rearview mirror it was just there.”
This wasn’t the flawless, dominant campaign Sooner fans have grown used to. Oklahoma took a loss in the regular season against reigning national champion LSU, fell short of winning the SEC Championship in their debut year in the conference, and at times showed signs of nerves and self-doubt. But through it all, one thing never wavered: their belief.
On Thursday, the Sooners cleared one of their biggest hurdles — landing six solid vaults to clinch a spot in the Final Four. Head coach. KJ Kindler summed it up perfectly: “That dragon was slayed.”
And in the finals, they rose to the occasion. After the semifinals, Kindler said she wanted to see her team compete freely — and that’s exactly what they did, reclaiming their place atop the podium (198.0125).
“After we advanced and got to today, we were free,” said fifth-year senior Audrey Davis. “We had no weight on our shoulders. We were free to do our best gymnastics that we do every single day in the gym … We did our gymnastics, we left it all out on the floor — we really did. We ended on empty and that was a big thing for our team.”
The Sooners opened the competition on balance beam and went lights out. Their 49.6125 was the highest score on the event by a landslide — and every counted score was 9.9 or higher.
“The key tonight was definitely balance beam,” Kindler said. “You start off like that and it was like a fire was lit under these guys. It was mind blowing.”
The Sooners momentum never slowed, holding the lead until the very end.
The Sooners have now won seven NCAA titles since 2014.
UCLA finished second — the team’s highest placement since claiming the title in 2018. Missouri capped off a historic season with the Tigers’ best finish in program history, topping Utah for third place after a post-meet inquiry bumped their score.