Torrez Named Finalist for Prestigious AAI Award

NORMAN — Oklahoma's Faith Torrez has been named one of seven finalists for the prestigious AAI Award, recognizing the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country. The honor is voted on by NCAA women's gymnastics head coaches and sponsored by American Athletic, Inc. (AAI).

The AAI Award is considered one of the highest honors given in the sport of women's gymnastics. Torrez joins a group of Sooner legends who were finalists including Megan Ferguson (2012), Brie Olson (2013), Taylor Spears (2014), Erica Brewer (2015), Haley Scaman (2016), Chayse Capps (2017), AJ Jackson (2018), Brenna Dowell (2019), Maggie Nichols (2020 – Winner), Anastasia Webb (2021), Jordan Bowers (2025) and Audrey Davis (2024, 2025).

Torrez is joined by six additional finalists including Carly Bauman (Michigan), Jordan Chiles (UCLA), Gabby Gladieux (Alabama), Morgan Price (Arkansas), Anna Roberts (Stanford) and Nikki Smith (Michigan State University).

A member of OU's 2023 and 2025 NCAA Championship teams and the 2024 NCAA Balance Beam National Champion, Faith Torrez has been an integral part of Oklahoma's success over the last four years. During her career, the Sooners have secured a pair of national championships, three straight regional titles, two Big 12 titles and two SEC regular season titles, and set the NCAA team scoring record with a 198.950 in 2024.

"Faith is one of those rare athletes. The moment she walks through the door, you're mesmerized by her talent – her natural ability, her gifts, the way she moves," said head women's gymnastics coach KJ Kindler. "But then, as time passes, you realize something even more special: you begin to see her potential, and how much more she still has inside of her to give. This season, Faith stepped into a leadership role with incredible intention. She led in a way that was authentic to who she is – through joy, through humor, through connection – and her teammates followed her with enthusiasm. She pushed herself through adversity, and while her accomplishments are extraordinary – a national champion on balance beam, an All-American, a conference champion – the real gold at the end of the rainbow was something far more meaningful. It was discovering the leader she truly is. It was finding those hidden gifts that allowed her to lift an entire team, to bring them together through love, laughter, and belief."

In her senior season, Torrez has been limited to mainly competing on just two events but has continued to be a crucial asset to the squad. She has competed on bars and beam in every single meet, while appearing on vault five times. On beam, she has eight scores above 9.95 – including a pair of near-perfect 9.975s – and started the season with seven straight marks above 9.925. Over half of her 29 competition routines this season have earned a 9.90 or higher, including three of her five vault appearances. She has won seven event titles on beam out of 12 possible opportunities.

Torrez had a breakout junior season as she competed in the all-around in every meet and recorded a 100% hit rate. She earned WCGA All-America honors on all four events and in the all-around, one of just four athletes to achieve the feat. Torrez was named the 2025 South Central Region Gymnast of the Year. At the NCAA Seattle Regional, Torrez had the best meet of her career as she earned a career-high 39.800 in the all-around. By doing so, Torrez became one of just four athletes to achieve the feat in program history, joining Sooner legends Maggie Nichols and Anastasia Webb, and teammate Jordan Bowers. She claimed four individual regional titles (all-around, bars, beam and floor). Her beam title came courtesy of her first perfect 10 on the event.

At the 2025 SEC Championships, Torrez made history as the first OU gymnast to win an individual SEC title. She won a share of the beam title before winning the floor crown outright with a perfect 10.0. Torrez was a five-time All-SEC honoree, one of just two athletes to earn all five honors in 2025. She became just the fourth Sooner (joining Bowers, Nichols and Kasie Tamayo) to earn all five conference honors in the same season (first in the SEC).

As a junior, Torrez earned four perfect 10s to bring her career total to five with four on floor and one on beam. Her four career perfect marks on floor rank second all-time in program history.

Torrez ended the 2025 regular season as the No. 1 ranked gymnast in the nation on floor, No. 2 in the all-around, No. 3 on beam and vault and No. 16 on bars. She had a 100% hit rate in 2025 and tallied 42 scores of 9.9 or higher in 60 routines competed. Torrez recorded a 9.9 or higher on 12 of 15 beam and floor routines performed that season and a 9.95 or higher on 20 routines.

As a sophomore in 2024, Torrez claimed her first NCAA individual national championship with a 9.9625 on balance beam. She was the Big 12 Champion on floor with a perfect mark, helping the Sooners to a 198.950 to set the NCAA team scoring record. She was the NCAA runner-up on floor and a two-time All-American.

The 2023 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and Big 12 floor champion, it was evident Torrez would have a bright future in front of her after her freshman season. As a freshman, she was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week seven out of 10 weeks during the regular season.

Despite being limited this season, Torrez has never missed a meet in her OU career and boasts a 97.6% hit rate with 202 hit routines in 207 performances. She was a perfect 100% as a junior and hit 96% in 2024 and 95% in 2023. She has excelled on all four events and in the all-around with a career high of 10.0 on beam and floor, 9.975 on vault and bars and a 39.800 in the all-around.

Torrez has compiled an extensive list of accolades in her time as a Sooner. She was the runner-up on floor in 2024 and 2025 at the NCAA Championships, while also placing third on beam and the all-around in 2025. A four-time conference champion, she has won the floor individual title in every year of her career. She is an eight-time NCAA All-American and seven-time WCGA Regular Season All-American.

The senior owns 64 individual event titles, including 24 on beam, 21 on floor, seven on vault, six in the all-around and six on bars. She is a 12-time conference weekly award winner.

Torrez is majoring in sociology and minoring in criminal justice.