Oklahoma Gymnast Faith Torrez Lands Prestigious National Award

By OU Media Relations

Oklahoma senior and NCAA all-around champion Faith Torrez was named the Honda Sport Award Winner for gymnastics, the Collegiate Women Sports Award announced Thursday.

Torrez is just the seventh Sooner athlete to receive the prestigious award, joining former gymnasts Kelly Garrison (1987, 1988), Maggie Nichols (2019), Anastasia Webb (2021) and Jordan Bowers (2025), and softball's Keilani Ricketts (2012, 2013) and Jocelyn Alo (2022).

The announcement comes during a landmark moment for the organization, as the CWSA celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2025-26 collegiate athletics season. For five decades, the Honda Sport Award has honored the nation's top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, symbolizing "the best of the best in collegiate athletics."

The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2026 Honda Cup, to be presented live on Monday, July 27, at 6 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.

"Winning the Honda Award for gymnastics in my final senior year is something I will hold close to my heart forever," Torrez said. "It is not just about routines or scores, it is about the quiet moments no one sees, the early mornings, the tears, the growth, and the faith it took to keep going. This award reflects my journey, but it also belongs to my team, my sisters who became my home and stood by me through every high and low. It belongs to my coaches, KJ, Lou, Tom, Ash and Jenn, who poured into me, believed in me, and helped shape me into the person I am today. It belongs to our support staff, whose constant care and encouragement carried me through more than they know."

Torrez helped lead Oklahoma to its eighth overall NCAA women's gymnastics championship on April 18 in Fort Worth. In the Four on the Floor, Torrez secured the title for the Sooners in a come-from-behind win with her 9.9500 performance on floor in OU's final routine.

"Faith's gymnastics career has been a journey marked by joy, growth, and challenge," said OU head coach and new Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee K.J. Kindler. "This season asked more of her than ever before. It asked her to lead while letting go, to step up while stepping back. And somehow, in that space of uncertainty, she didn't shrink — she grew. She led herself and her team with a sense of freedom in both pursuit and purpose. Time and again, she took risks and made selfless choices that positioned her team for success in moments of adversity.

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"When she walked into the NCAA Championship, her goal wasn't perfection — it was presence. To feel every moment. To embrace the experience. And when she walked out, she was a champion. Not simply because of her score, but because of the way she showed up — for herself and for her team."

Torrez, a Bristol, WI, native, has been one of the most decorated athletes to compete at Oklahoma. A part of three national title teams, Torrez was the 2026 NCAA all-around champion, becoming the fifth Sooner in program history to earn the title. She was the 2025 South Central Region Gymnast of the Year and 2023 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

After earning first-team All-America honors on all four events and in the all-around in 2026, the only athlete in the nation to do so, Torrez finished her career as a 13-time NCAA All-American. She also earned All-SEC honors on balance beam this season after taking the title with her 10.0 in Tulsa in March. In addition to her 2026 NCAA all-around title, Torrez earned the NCAA beam title in 2024.

A 2026 AAI Award Finalist, Torrez continued to prove her excellence at the NCAA Lexington Regional, where she earned her second perfect 10.0 of the season on beam, helping the Sooners to their 16th straight regional title.

Torrez made her all-around debut at the NCAA semifinals on April 14 and earned three scores of 9.9500 and a 9.9375 (vault) to claim the title with a total score of 39.7875. The senior boasts season highs of a 9.9375 on vault, 9.9500 on bars, 10.0 on beam and a 9.9500 on floor.

"As I close this chapter, my heart is full of gratitude and love for every person who walked this journey with me," continued Torrez. "This is more than an award; it is a reflection of all of us, and a piece of this team I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Boomer."

Torrez was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included UCLA's Jordan Chiles, LSU's Kailin Chio and Standford's Anna Roberts. Torrez will look to become just the second Sooner to win the Honda Cup after Keilani Ricketts won in 2013.

The CWSA, in its 50th year, has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs.

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