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Kayla DiCello celebrates during the Gators' meet at SEC Championships on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at BOK Center in Tulsa, OK
Hannah White/UAA Communications
The No. 3 Florida Gators and No. 2 LSU Tigers finished first and second in Thursday’s national semifinal in Fort Worth, Texas, advancing to Saturday’s NCAA National Championship.
Though the programs came into Texas as favorites to advance, they fought off a formidable challenge from No. 6 Georgia and a late-meet push from No. 7 Stanford, whose seasons ended today in Fort Worth.
Jenny Rowland’s Florida Gators led from the second rotation on, delivering consistency in moments when perfection can take a turn. “This team was “unbreakable today," she smiled.
With their results, the two SEC programs return to the NCAA Championship after uncharacteristically missing the final in 2025. The Gators seek their first national championship since 2015, and LSU’s second in three years.
All-around favorite Kailin Chio claimed the individual lead after one, and the sophomore star was emotional in her post-meet interview. “[I told my team that] I was not having a repeat of last year,” Kailin Chio tearfully said to ESPN, referencing LSU’s semifinal exit from 2025. “We’ve got to get it together," she added.
Thankfully, they did. “I did it for them, and they did it for us,” Chio reflected.
National Semifinal I Results:
- Florida Gators: 197.7875
- LSU Tigers: 197.4375
- Georgia GymDogs: 197.2625
- Stanford Cardinal: 196.9375
The Gators and Tigers will wait to receive their opponents for Saturday’s NCAA Championship, with the second of two semifinals beginning at 9 p.m. ET in Fort Worth. Both semifinals are broadcast on ESPN2.
Today’s competition will determine the individual NCAA champions. After the first semifinal, the leaders are as follows:
Individual Leaders:
All-Around: Kailin Chio (LSU) – 39.6125
Vault: (t) Kailin Chio & Kaliya Lincoln (LSU) – 9.965
Bars: Riley McCusker (Florida) – 9.9875
Beam: (t) Ana Barbosu (Stanford) & Konnor McClain (LSU) – 9.95
Floor: Kailin Chio (LSU) – 9.9625
Fort Worth Play-by-Play
Rotation One: Tigers Roar on Vault
The first rotation saw national title-worthy routines from the first salute.
The No. 2 LSU Tigers started on vault, an event where they are ranked second in the nation. After a slow start to their rotation, sophomore Kaliya Lincoln ignited the crowd, sticking her massive Yurchenko 1.5. Lincoln received a massive 9.9625, a score just short of a career high.
“Our normal is more than enough,” Lincoln remarked to ESPN after the rotation.
Minutes later, Kailin Chio brought the house down. Chio stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 on the sixth-straight occasion, making for 13 of 15 stuck landings in 2026. Roars of disapproval echoed throughout the arena as Chio’s score posted: another 9.9625 for LSU. Though it wasn’t a 10.0, it was close. LSU was on a roll.
Opting to start on beam, the No. 3 Florida Gators put the sport’s most nerve-wracking event behind them. After an error in the second spot, the Gators fought back to post four-straight scores near or above a 9.90.
Though the Georgia GymDogs saw subpar scores in the low 9.8s for the majority of their lineup, All-SEC freshman Autumn Reingold delivered in the anchor spot, posting a 9.925 for the highest score of the rotation.
On the floor, the Stanford Cardinal put forward a solid rotation, highlighted by strong scores from Levi Jung-Ruivivar and Anna Roberts; however, the scores remained tight, with none exceeding 9.9.
After One: 1. LSU: 49.475 2. Florida: 49.4625, 3. Stanford, 49.250 4. Georgia: 49.150
Rotation Two: Florida Pulls Ahead, GymDogs Inch Closer
With the narrowest of leads over Florida heading into rotation two, the LSU Tigers would need sharp landings to hold steady on uneven bars. Unfortunately, the Tigers were shaky on their weakest event.
Despite a clutch 9.9125 from Konnor McClain in the anchor spot, LSU posted 49.1875, its lowest bars score of the season, to drop into second. All-around favorite Kailin Chio scored just a 9.800 after a deep landing on her dismount, one of her lowest scores of the season.
While the Tigers struggled on bars, the Georgia GymDogs fought with tenacity on the balance beam. Georgia put together a solid 49.250 to pull within three-tenths of the Tigers in the standings.
With beam behind them, the Gators cruised on floor exercise, posting a strong 49.4375, highlighted by a big 9.9375 from senior transfer eMjae Frazier. On the other end of Dickies Arena, the Stanford Cardinal fell into a distant fourth place after a disappointing vault rotation. The event has been the Cardinal’s Achilles’ heel all season, and the team counted four 9.7s to fall behind in the standings.
After Two: 1. Florida: 98.900, 2. LSU: 98.6625, 3. Georgia 98.400, 4. Stanford 98.125
Rotation Three: Georgia Owns the Floor
With the Gators in a comfortable lead, the LSU Tigers needed to hold off a late-meet push from the No. 6 Georgia GymDogs. The Dawgs headed to the floor – their best event, making the third rotation their time to strike.
Momentum quickly shifted in favor of Georgia and Stanford. While the LSU Tigers recorded two-straight sub-9.8 scores to open their beam rotation, the former two programs opened with massive scores. Stanford redshirt freshman Levi Jung-Ruivivar continued her stellar day, earning a 9.900 in the leadoff spot.
The GymDogs couldn’t put a foot wrong on floor, posting four scores above a 9.900 to earn the highest total of the day through three rotations (49.5375). All-SEC Freshman CaMarah Williams closed the rotation with unprecedented power, posting the second consecutive 9.9375 for the GymDogs.
At the same time, LSU struggled through an uncharacteristic and costly beam rotation. The Tigers recorded three scores below 9.8, one in the 9.4s, and needed massive hits from McClain and Chio to salvage the rotation.
McClain and Chio delivered. After aggravating a nagging injury at the Regional Final, the junior stepped up under immense pressure, posting a near-perfect 9.95 and setting up Chio for success in the anchor spot.
Though Chio’s nerves were evident, the star sophomore concluded her routine with her trademark: a stuck dismount. Though Chio’s 9.8875 pulled the Tigers out of despair – they now trailed Georgia by only 0.025.
While chaos ensued across the arena, the Florida Gators simply needed to stay clean, and a trip to the Final Four felt imminent. Though the Gators were far from perfect on vault, they counted no scores below a 9.8 to stay in the lead.
After Three: 1. Florida: 148.125, 2. Georgia 147.9375, 3. LSU: 147.9125, 4. Stanford: 147.4125
Rotation Four: Tigers Claw Back
Going into the final rotation, it was a three-team race for a national championship berth. The Gators headed to their best event: bars. The LSU Tigers also headed to theirs: floor. The GymDogs went to vault, needing the rotation of their season to keep dreams alive.
As the leaders, the Florida Gators delivered exactly what they needed. After two strong scores to open the rotation, U.S. elite Skye Blakely produced brilliance, earning a 9.975 for the highest bars score of the day.
Selena Harris-Miranda sealed the deal for the Gators in the fifth spot, sticking her double-layout dismount to near-immediate tears. Senior Riley McCusker followed her teammate with the highest score of the day. The Gators booked their ticket to the NCAA final – but who would be joining them?
Both LSU and Georgia started strong, with the opening scores falling within .0125 of each other. The two SEC foes went routine-for-routine in the final rotation, their respective contingents roaring in opposition as their athletes performed.
Though the GymDogs fought hard on their vault landings, the Tigers roared back to life on the floor. Starting slow with a trio of 9.8 and 9.7 scores, junior Amari Drayton helped close the door on Georgia with a 9.9375. Chio was up next, sticking her landings cold to post a massive 9.9625.
For a moment, it seemed like magic was possible for Georgia – but it was not to be. With Lincoln still to go, the Tigers hurdled back into second by just .0375. Lincoln’s score would be icing on the cake.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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