Oklahoma had won two of the last three gymnastics national championships. The Sooners appeared in 11 of the past 13 finals.
For UCLA to win its first NCAA national championship since 2018 — and eighth overall — the Bruins were going to have to show their best on every rotation to take down the recent titans of the sport.
And at first, the Bruins could believe.
Oklahoma scored a 49.615 on balance beam, an event in which it is ranked No. 1 nationally. UCLA responded with an identical score on floor exercise, its signature event, with Jordan Chiles’ almost-flawless routine — receiving three perfect 10s from six judges en route to a meet-high 9.