FORT WORTH, Texas — The Gators started with a wobble on beam and closed with an awkward landing on uneven bars.
Considering Florida entered the NCAA Championships as the top-ranked team in both events, that sums up the way Saturday went for UF.
The Gators had to be at their best to win their first national championship since 2015, but they were more like average in the team standings, resting in third or fourth place as Southeastern Conference rivals Oklahoma and LSU battled for the title.
Florida finished third behind Oklahoma, which repeated as national champions and has now won four of the last five. The Sooners posted a team score of 198.1625, ahead of runner-up LSU (198.0750), Florida (197.6875) and Minnesota (197.3750).
“I saw this team fight until the end,” Gators head coach Jenny Rowland said. “They didn’t back down. It is not gymnastically what we wanted at the end. Emotionally, this team gave it their all and left it all out there.”
Four weeks after the Gators beat Oklahoma and LSU for the SEC Championship, they had trouble mounting a serious threat on Saturday after a 49.3875 balance beam score. The rotation started with a wobble from Skylar Draser (9.8375) in the leadoff spot, and a 9.8000 from eMjae Frazier was later counted when Alyssa Arana, in the final spot in the beam rotation, fell for a 9.1500.
While the Gators had plenty of time to close the gap after the first rotation, they didn’t have enough highlight performances to dig out of their early hole. Senior Selena Harris-Miranda delivered big on beam with a 9.9375, and Skye Blakely turned in a 9.9125 floor routine.
On vault, a sore spot all season for the Gators, Harris-Miranda and Frazier both scored team-high 9.8750s.
Florida turned in a typical strong performance on the uneven bars with a 49.6000, with Blakely (9.9950) and Harris-Miranda (9.9950) leading the way. Riley McCusker, who won the individual uneven bars national championship on Thursday, wrapped the Gators’ performance with an uncharacteristic step on dismount and dropped score.
McCusker and her teammates were disappointed but not disheartened after returning to the NCAA Finals after being eliminated in the semifinals in 2025.
“It literally could be anyone’s day. We could have the same meet tomorrow and it could be a different outcome,” McCusker said. “It just wasn’t our day. But that’s OK.
“I don’t think it hit me until after bars, but just so much love and an overall sense of gratitude for this team. I’ve had the best experience. This team is so special.”
WHAT IT MEANS
The Sooners remain the team to beat in NCAA women’s gymnastics. Oklahoma has won eight national championships since its first in 2014, sharing the title with the Gators. Florida remains one of the country’s elite programs under Rowland and will look to upgrade its vault lineup before the 2027 season.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Fifth-year senior Selena Harris-Miranda will go down as one of the great transfers in program history. Harris-Miranda joined the Gators from UCLA in 2025 and did not disappoint in her first NCAA Finals appearance Saturday. She finished fourth in the all-around standings, scoring a team-best 39.6625.
STAGGERING STATISTIC
The Gators made their 42nd appearance in the NCAA Championships, the most of any program in this year’s field. The Gators have advanced to the final round in 18 of their last 21 appearances.
EVENT WINNERS
Event
Name & School
Score
Vault
Kailin Chio, LSU
10.0
Bars
Skye Blakely, Florida
9.95
Selena Harris-Miranda, Florida
9.95
Konnor McClain, LSU
9.95
Beam
Lily Pederson, OU
9.95
Faith Torrez, OU
9.95
Konnor McClain, LSU
9.95
Floor
Faith Torrez, OU
9.95
All-Around
Lily Pederson, OU
39.725
FINAL TEAM TOTALS
No. 3 Florida in NCAA Championship Team Final
April 18, 2026 – Dickies Arena (9,475)
Team
Vault
Bars
Beam
Floor
Total
Oklahoma
49.600
49.4875
49.4375
49.6375
198.1625
LSU
49.475
49.6125
49.475
49.5125
198.075
Florida
49.25
49.600
49.3875
49.450
197.6875
Minnesota
49.275
49.2625
49.450
49.3875
197.375