Oklahoma's Faith Torrez wins NCAA gymnastics all-around title

Torrez, limited by injury all season, makes surprise all-around debut and defeats Olympic and world champions

Apr. 17, 2026 at 6:34am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a gymnast performing a tumbling pass, with the figure broken into overlapping planes of vibrant navy, teal, and gold colors.Torrez's surprise all-around victory at the NCAA gymnastics semifinals showcases the unpredictable excitement of collegiate competition.Fort Worth Today

Oklahoma senior Faith Torrez, who had been limited by injury all season, made a surprise all-around debut at the NCAA gymnastics semifinals and defeated Olympic and world champions to claim the NCAA all-around title with a 39.7875 total score. Torrez's strong performance helped lead the defending champion Sooners back to Saturday's championship meet.

Why it matters

Torrez's unexpected all-around victory is a remarkable comeback story, as she had not competed in all four events all season and was not considered a front-runner for the title. Her triumph over more decorated gymnasts highlights her immense talent and resilience in the face of adversity.

The details

Torrez, who had only competed on uneven bars and balance beam since February, asked her coach if she could start training on floor again after the SEC championships at the end of March. She slowly worked her way back and hadn't even done a full routine until earlier this week. Despite the limited preparation, Torrez's performance was strong enough to edge out LSU's Kailin Chio, the nation's top-ranked all-arounder for most of the season, who finished as the runner-up. Florida's eMjae Frazier took third place.

  • Torrez made her all-around season debut on Thursday night in the second session of the NCAA gymnastics semifinals.
  • Torrez had not competed all four events all season and had only done uneven bars and balance beam since February.

The players

Faith Torrez

A senior at the University of Oklahoma who won the NCAA all-around title despite being limited by injury for most of the season.

K.J. Kindler

The head coach of the University of Oklahoma gymnastics team.

Kailin Chio

A gymnast from LSU who was the nation's top-ranked all-arounder for most of the season and finished as the runner-up to Torrez.

eMjae Frazier

A gymnast from the University of Florida who finished in third place in the all-around competition.

Jay Clark

The head coach of the LSU gymnastics team.

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What they’re saying

“If you would have [told] me probably two and a half weeks ago that I would be in this position right now doing four [events], like living out my dream right now, I'd probably laugh at you. I had no intentions of doing this at the beginning of the season, middle of the season, but to be here and have everything kind of just play out as it did was really amazing. I'm really grateful for that.”

— Faith Torrez

“She is so talented. Great air awareness, great sense of being able to do it when you've been off of it for that long. So all the credit goes to the athlete in the arena who made that decision and felt comfortable enough and strong enough with her body to do that.”

— K.J. Kindler, Head Coach, University of Oklahoma

“Well, we made it interesting. It was not our best day by a long shot, but ... we learned [in the first week of the season] we were fighters and they could fight through things and not quit and just kind of keep swinging. And that's what they did.”

— Jay Clark, Head Coach, LSU

“I'm so proud of these guys. They believed we could do this and they just walked in today with that belief and were steady all the way through. I'm just so proud of them. I'm still a little in disbelief. What a night.”

— Jenny Hansen, Head Coach, University of Minnesota

“I had a bunch of confidence just seeing my teammates go up and do their thing and really being able to build off of their success. A win for one is a win for all. And just being able to go up there after seeing my teammates do the best that they can do and just like, 'OK, all I got to do is my normal.' And yeah, that's what happened.”

— Riley McCusker, Fifth-Year Senior, University of Florida

What’s next

The top four teams - Oklahoma, Minnesota, Florida, and LSU - will compete in the NCAA championship meet on Saturday, where Oklahoma will look to defend its title.

The takeaway

Torrez's unexpected all-around victory is an inspiring comeback story, showcasing her immense talent and resilience in the face of injury. Her triumph over more decorated gymnasts highlights the unpredictability and excitement of NCAA gymnastics, where any athlete can rise to the occasion and achieve their dreams.