Utah advances to 5th straight NCAA women’s gymnastics Final Four, joining UCLA, Oklahoma, Missouri
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Utah clinched its fifth straight Final Four appearance at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships, joining Thursday’s other semifinal winners UCLA, Oklahoma and Missouri.
The Utes, who posted a top score of 197.7625, are seeking to add to their NCAA-leading nine championship titles on Saturday — with their first win since 1995. UCLA (197.7375) is going for its eighth national title.
LSU, the No. 1 overall seed and defending champion, was denied a chance at a repeat. The Tigers moved into second after the third rotation when Amari Drayton, Aleah Finnegan and Haleigh Bryant each notched scores of 9.9 or better on floor.
Emma Malabuyo secured UCLA’s bid to the championship after posting a 9.9750 on beam. The Bruins turned three straight 9.9s to close the rotation.
Utah’s bar rotation counted scores were all above 9.9.
Jordan Chiles followed UCLA teammate Frida Esparza’s 9.9250 on uneven bars with a 9.9750 to take the top spot. Chiles joined teammate Brooklyn Moors (floor) as individual champions.
Jordan Bowers’ all-around score of 39.7125 from the afternoon session held up to become a champion for Oklahoma.
Oregon State’s Jade Carey needed 9.9375 on the vault to tie Bowers for the all-around title but had a hop on the landing.
LSU freshman Kailin Chio claimed the vault championship with a 9.975 to become the 19th individual champion by a Tiger and the eighth in the vault competition.
Semifinal No. 1
Oklahoma (197.550) is headed to the finals for the 11th time in the last 12 years — searching for a seventh national title. Missouri (197.3000) earned a spot in the NCAA final for the first time in program history, with their previous best finish of fifth in 2022.
A 49.275 on vault secured the victory for the Sooners.
Helen Hu posted a 9.9875 on beam to clinch the Tigers’ spot in dramatic fashion.
Florida was in second place behind Oklahoma entering the third rotation. But the Gators turned in a season-low vault score of 49.0750, allowing Missouri to move into second heading to the final rotation.
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