On Thursday morning, eight teams walked into Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, with one goal in mind: advance to the NCAA national championship final. By the end of the day, Oklahoma, Missouri, Utah, and UCLA had earned the right to compete for the title.
For Oklahoma, the pressure was immense after a shocking elimination in the 2024 semifinals. The Sooners ended their semifinal on that same vault rotation. Head coach KJ Kindler said afterward that she never wants to see footage of that meet again. “That dragon is slayed. We’re past it.”
While many expected Oklahoma to advance, few predicted which team would join them. In an all-SEC semifinal, Missouri rose to the occasion, earning a historic first trip to the team final. Both programs celebrated the moment side by side.
“We had an opportunity to be the best team in [program] history, and we have obviously exceeded that,” Missouri head coach Shannon Welker said. “We’ve been super consistent at a high level, and I feel like we deserve to be here.”
Utah and UCLA—former Pac-12 rivals—advanced together in the second semifinal, with the Red Rocks topping the Bruins for the third time this season. Utah extended its streak of qualifying a full team to every NCAA championship and advanced to the final for…
