04/18/24 11:53:00
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04/18 23:04 CDT Utah and Florida clinch final two spots at NCAA championship,
denying Oklahoma's bid for three-peat
Utah and Florida clinch final two spots at NCAA championship, denying
Oklahoma's bid for three-peat
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) --- Utah and Florida clinched the remaining two spots at
the NCAA women's gymnastics championship on Thursday night, denying No. 1
overall seed Oklahoma a chance at a three-peat.
Utah took the lead on the first rotation after posting a season-high 49.6375 on
the beam --- with a 9.950 from Abby Paulson and Malie O'Keefe. Jaylene Gilstrap
and O'Keefe also posted 9.950 on the floor to keep Utah in front.
The Utes finished with 197.9375 points, while the Gators had 197.8750 for the
fifth-highest score in program history at the championships. Defending champion
Oklahoma suffered from five falls to place third with 196.6625, followed by
Alabama (196.4125).
Fifth-seeded Utah and No. 4 Florida join No. 2 LSU and No. 3 California in
Saturday's finals. The Gators are seeking their fourth title in program
history, winning three consecutive from 2013-15.
Oklahoma was seeking to win its third straight, but had a disastrous start
after posting its lowest vault score since Jan. 4, 2008. The Sooners had
finished the tournament in the top three every year since 2013, with six
national championships (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023).
Earlier in the day, LSU posted the top score of 198.1125 to advance to the
finals for the 10th time in school history. It was the second-highest score in
program history at a national championship for LSU, which is seeking its first
national title.
Cal reached the finals for the first time in program history with an overall
score of 197.7125, ahead of Stanford (197.0750) and Arkansas (196.4750).
LSU senior Haleigh Bryant's all-around score of 39.7125 from the afternoon
session held up to become the champion. Bryant's teammate, Aleah Finnegan, took
the floor exercise after delivering a 9.9626 to match LSU's best result on the
event at the championship.
Oklahoma senior Audrey Davis shared a pair of titles, including the beam podium
with teammate Faith Torrez. Davis also tied Florida junior Leanne Wong on the
bars.
Stanford sophomore Anna Roberts earned the title on the vault after scoring a
career-best 9.9500.
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