Women Host Iowa Saturday Night

NORMAN, Okla. -- After nearly upsetting then-No. 3 Stanford last weekend, the ninth-ranked Oklahoma women's gymnastics team returns to the Howard McCasland Field House. The Sooners will face Iowa in a 7 p.m. double dual that will feature the OU and Iowa men's teams.

Saturday night will be a rematch of OU and Iowa's Feb. 18 meeting in Iowa City. The Sooners won that event by a 195.650 - 194.525 margin. Oklahoma won at least a share of every individual and team event title against the Gym Hawks.

Oklahoma stands at 11-2 on the season after falling to Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. on March 9. The Cardinal was the highest-ranked team OU has faced this season. The Sooners' only two defeats on the season have come on the road to Stanford and No. 3 Alabama (Jan. 12).

Junior Kiara Redmond has emerged as an all-around threat for the Sooners in recent weeks. The junior transfer from Fullerton College has taken the all-around title in OU's last three competitions, including a career-best 39.575 against Texas Woman's University on March 3. Redmond, who scored a perfect 10.0 on vault against TWU earlier this season, won only one all-around crown last year.

Live Scoring | Web Cast | Notes | GymInfo Rankings

Iowa is 6-8 on the season after falling to No. 18 Missouri, 195.425-192.875, last week. The GymHawks were led by sophomore Jennifer Simbhudas, who earned a tie for first place on floor against the Tigers with a 9.8. Freshman Katie Turcotte and junior Katie Burke tied for third on vault with a pair of 9.85s, while sophomore Kara Pinjuv scored a 9.85 on beam to tie for second.

The last time Iowa visited Norman was Feb. 14, 2003. Trailing after three rotations, the Sooners rallied on their final event to claim a 196.600 - 194.725 victory.

Live stats from Saturday night's meet can be found on SoonerSports.com. The scores will be updated following each rotation. Fans can also watch the action live on the O-Zone by clicking on the Web casts link on SoonerSports.com. The feed will become active at the start of the competition.

SETTING THE SCENE
What: No. 9 OU vs. No. 29 Iowa

Where: Howard McCasland Field House - Norman, Okla.

When: Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m.

Live scores: Live scores will be available on the Live Stats page on SoonerSports.com. Scores will be updated following each rotation.

Web cast: A live webcast of Saturday's double dual will be available on the Web Casts page of SoonerSports.com in the O-Zone. The link will become active at the start of the competition.

Promotions: To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the first 500 fans will receive a St. Patrick's Day T-shirt.

What 2 Watch 4: After winning just one all-around title last season, junior Kiara Redmond has claimed four so far this season, including OU's last three meets in a row.

Redmond is currently ranked 14th nationally in the all-around (39.285), one spot below teammate Brittney Koncak-Schumann. Redmond is also the Sooners' top-ranked competitor on floor (T13) and vault (14).

COMING UP NEXT...
The Sooners wrap up the regular season with a home dual against Pittsburgh on March 24 before heading to the Big 12 Championships in Columbia, Mo. on March 31. The March 24 meet with Pitt will be Senior Night for Brittney Koncak-Schumann and Lori Winn.

REDMOND MAKES IT THREE IN A ROW
With herr all-around victory at Stanford on March 9, junior Kiara Redmond has won at least a share of the all-around title in OU's last three meets. The Los Angeles, Calif.. native has four all-around crowns this season after winning just one in 2006.

NEARLY PERFECT
Brittney Koncak-Schumann came just 0.025 points away from recording the Sooners' second perfect vault of the season against Stanford on March 9. One judge gave the senior a perfect score, while the second awarded a 9.95. Koncak-Schumann's 9.975 marked a career high on the apparatus and earned her second vault title of the year.

THE DYNAMIC DUO
The Sooners proved they have quite a one-two punch against Texas Woman's University on March 3. Senior Brittney Koncak-Schumann and junior Kiara Redmond each scored a 39.575 to share the all-around title against the Pioneers. The score was also a career best for Redmond and just 0.025 off of Koncak-Schumann's career mark of 39.600.

The win was Koncak-Schumann's 15th event title of the season and fourth in the all-around, while Redmond notched her third all-around crown to give her 10 event wins on the year.

ACTION JACKSON
Sophomore Ashley Jackson continues to impress. The Hudsonville, Mich., native won her fourth vault title of the season with a career-high 9.9 against TWU in Norman. She also matched her career high on floor exercise with a 9.875 to tie for second place with Koncak-Schumann. Jackson has notched at least one event win in the Sooners' last four competitions.

RECORD START
With their 11-1 start to the 2007 season, this year's OU squad matched the record set by the 2000 team. The Sooners won 11 in-a-row after a near-upset of No. 4 Alabama in their season opener in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 12.

END OF THE ROAD
OU's March 9 matchup with No. 3 Stanford marked the end of a grueling 2007 road schedule. Seven of the Sooners' first nine events of the season were away from the Howard McCasland Field House. Oklahoma finished 5-2 on the road, including an upset of No. 8 Nebraska in Lincoln and wins at No. 13 Iowa State, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 27 Iowa.

SOONERS SWEEP BIG 12 FOES
For the first time since the conference's inception in 1996, OU defeated all three Big 12 rivals in the regular season. The Sooners defeated Missouri in Norman on Jan. 19 and beat Nebraska (Feb. 2) and Iowa State (Feb. 16) on the road. The last time an Oklahoma team swept its conference foes in the regular season was 1991 in the Big Eight.

WE'RE NO. 1
After road wins at Iowa State (Feb. 16) and Iowa (Feb. 18), OU rose to No. 7 in the GymInfo rankings released on Feb. 19. It marked the Sooners' highest national ranking since coming in at No. 6 on March 27, 2006. Oklahoma was also the top-rated team in the Big 12, a distinction they had not held since Feb. 20, 2006.

KEEP TAKING IT HIGHER
In addition to the personal bests set by Oklahoma gymnasts at the Arizona State tri-meet, OU also recorded three team scores that constituted season bests.

The Sooners' 196.400 was the team's highest score to date and the second-highest total recorded by a Big 12 team this year (Nebraska, 196.800).

OU also set season benchmarks on the uneven bars (49.100) and floor exercise (49.075).

CLUTCH PERFORMER
For two consecutive weeks, OU's senior leader Brittney Koncak-Schumann came up with solid performances on the final rotation to seal an OU road win against a ranked opponent.

With a slight lead over then-No. 21 Arizona State in Tempe on Feb. 9, Koncak-Schumann scored a meet high 9.875 on the uneven bars to cap a 196.400 - 196.275 win over the Sun Devils.

Clinging to a narrow lead on the last rotation against No. 6 Nebraska on Feb. 2, OU head coach K.J. Kindler needed a near perfect beam performance from Koncak-Schumann to seal the win. The 2006 Big 12 all-around champion delivered under pressure, scoring a 9.9 on the apparatus to seal the upset.

VISE MAKES OU DEBUT
Freshman Hollie Vise made her collegiate debut against Arizona State and Cal on Feb. 9. The Dallas native competed on the balance beam for the Sooners, scoring a solid 9.8. Vise is a two-time junior national champion on the apparatus and also was the 2003 world champion on bars, helping the U.S. Team to the World Championship title.

SHINING BRIGHT IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN
Three OU gymnasts set career highs in the tri-meet at Arizona State. Junior Kiara Redmond scored a 9.85 on bars to best her previous high of 9.825. Sophomore Haley DeProspero improved her career mark on beam from 9.9 to 9.925, while freshman Mary Mantle set a new mark in her short career with a 9.825 on vault.

Redmond and DeProspero, along with Brittney Koncak-Schumann also set season highs in Tempe. Koncak-Schumann's 39.475 all-around score was her best of 2007, as was her 9.875 on floor. Redmond tied her season best with a 9.875 on floor, while DeProspero's 9.8 on the apparatus was her best of the year.

A HISTORIC WIN
The Sooners' upset of the Cornhuskers was more than just a big conference win. The last time OU beat Nebraska was at the 2004 Big 12 Championships where the Sooners claimed their only Big 12 title.

Ending that two-year losing streak to the Huskers paled in comparison, however, to OU's struggles in Lincoln. With the victory, Oklahoma defeated Nebraska in a dual meet in Lincoln for the first time since 1991 -- a span of over 15 years.

OU WELL-REPRESENTED IN BIG 12 AWARDS
OU gymnasts have won six of the 20 weekly awards handed out by the conference so far this season. Brittney Koncak-Schumann's has earned three Gymnast of the Week honors, while Lori Winn, Kiara Redmond and Ashley Jackson have each earned Event Specialist of the Week awards.

Big 12 Gymnast of the Week
Jan. 9 - Janet Anson, Iowa State
Jan. 16 - Brittney Koncak-Schumann, Oklahoma
Jan. 23 - Brittney Koncak-Schumann, Oklahoma
Jan. 31 - Desire' Sniatynski, Nebraska
Feb. 5 - Brittney Koncak-Schumann, Oklahoma
Feb. 13 - Adrianne Perry, Missouri
Feb. 20 - Emily Parsons, Nebraska
Feb. 27 - Emily Parsons, Nebraska
March 7 - Emily Parsons, Nebraska
March 13 - Emily Parsons, Nebraska

Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week
Jan. 9 - Emily Parsons, Nebraska
Jan. 16 - Lori Winn, Oklahoma
Jan. 23 - Emily Parsons, Nebraska
Jan. 31 - Kiara Redmond, Oklahoma
Feb. 5 - Emily Parsons, Nebraska
Feb. 13 - Kylie Stone, Nebraska
Feb. 20 - Ashley Jackson, Oklahoma
Feb. 27 - Katie Lasher, Iowa State
March 7 - Katie Sweetin, Iowa State
March 13 - Stephanie Carter, Nebraska

SHE'S SO PERFECT
Junior Kiara Redmond recorded a perfect 10.0 on the vault in OU's Jan. 27 quad meet victory over Texas Woman's, George Washington and Centenary. Redmond's 10 was the first recorded by a Big 12 gymnast in 2007. Redmond joins Leah Mueller (2002) and Amber McCracken in the OU vaulting record books.

TEN NAMED TO BIG 12 HONOR ROLL
Ten members of the OU women's gymnastics team were selected to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the Fall 2006 semester. Senior Brittney Koncak-Schumann and sophomore Gina Lesko were two of the 39 OU athletes to earn perfect 4.0 grade point averages.

The other Sooner honorees were Haley DeProspero, Caitlin Hinkis, Ashley Jackson, Jessica Kinder, Kiara Redmond and Kristin Smith. Seniors Coral Borda and Tara Anderson, whose gymnastics eligibility expired at the end of last season, were also on the list..

MANTLE STEPS UP TO THE PLATE
Freshman Mary Mantle proved to be a valuable contributor for head coach K.J. Kindler through the first six meets of the season. After competing as a vault specialist in the Sooners' first two events, Mantle was thrust into the lineup on bars and floor in the TWU quad meet on Jan. 27. The Bellvue, Colo. native responded, turning in scores of 9.725 on both events in helping No. 8 OU improve its record to 5-1 on the season.

KONCAK-SCHUMANN GOES BACK-TO-BACK
Oklahoma's Brittney Koncak-Schumann was named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week for the second week in a row on Jan. 23. The honor was the sixth of her career.

The 2006 Big 12 all-around champion won the all-around (39.325), uneven bars (9.875) and balance beam (9.95) titles in the Sooners' home-opening win over Central Michigan and No. 22 Missouri. Her balance beam score was a career-high. She also finished fourth on vault (9.85).

Koncak-Schumann won three Big 12 weekly honors in 2006, and she is the first to win back-to-back honors this season. Nebraska's Emily Parsons and Iowa State's Janet Anson took home consecutive honors last season.

RECORD BREAKERS
Five OU gymnasts recorded career highs against Missouri and Central Michigan on Jan. 19. Senior Brittney Koncak-Schumann scored a near perfect 9.95 on beam, while junior Stephanie LoPiccolo was right behind her with a 9.925.

Sophomore Ashley Jackson topped her previous best with a 9.875 on vault, and a pair of freshmen, Jacqueline Flanery (9.825/FX) and Kristin Smith (9.675/FX) also set new benchmarks in their short OU careers.

SOONER SENIORS EARN BIG 12 HONORS
Oklahoma's two senior gymnasts, Brittney Koncak-Schumann and Lori Winn, swept the Big 12 Conference's weekly honors for Jan. 16 after leading OU to a near upset of No. 4 Alabama on Jan. 12.

Koncak-Schumann, from McQueeney, Texas, was named the conference Gymnast of the Week after taking second in the all-around against the Crimson Tide with a score of 39.350, just 0.025 points behind Alabama's Kassi Price. She also shared the balance beam title (9.85), was third on uneven bars (9.85), sixth on floor exercise (9.85) and tied for seventh on vault (9.80).

Winn, an Oklahoma City native, earned the first conference honor of her career. The Event Specialist of the Week is a new award for this season to recognize those who do not compete in the all-around.

Winn competed on three events for the Sooners at Alabama. She shared the balance beam title (9.85) with Koncak-Schumann while placing fourth on uneven bars (9.825). She also competed on floor exercise (9.75).

STARTING FRESH(MEN)
Three Oklahoma freshmen saw the first action of their collegiate careers against the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Jacqueline Flanery, from Plattsburg, Mo., recorded a 9.775 on both the vault and floor exercise. Mary Mantle, a Bellvue, Colo. native, scored a 9.8 on the vault, the Sooners' second-highest score on the apparatus against the Tide. Oklahoma City native Kristin Smith scored a 9.0 on the floor in her debut.

SOONERS DEBUT AT NO. 10
The University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team is ranked No. 10 in the 2007 preseason GymInfo Coaches Poll. The top-10 ranking ties the Sooners' highest preseason poll position of the last 10 years. OU was also ranked 10th in the 2006 preseason poll.

“OU is honored to be placed amongst the top 10 teams in the country,” Kindler said. “We have strong leadership in our two seniors and will rely heavily on their guidance of a fairly young squad.”

Oklahoma finished the 2006 season ranked 10th nationally, tying for the second-best final poll position in school history.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Oklahoma women's gymnastics team will be either road-tested or road weary by the end of the 2007 season. Of the Sooners 11 regular season meets, only four take place within the friendly confines of the Howard McCasland Field House.

After starting the season on the road against Alabama, OU will return to Norman to face Missouri and Central Michigan on Jan. 19. Following the home season opener, head coach K.J. Kindler's squad faces a stretch of five consecutive away meets, including trips to No. 7 Nebraska (Feb. 2), No. 11 Arizona State (Feb. 9), and No. 13 Iowa State (Feb. 16).

OU hits the road one final time to face eighth-ranked Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. on March 9.

The 2007 Big 12 Championships will also be away, as the event will be hosted by No. 18 Missouri in Columbia, Mo.

Oklahoma's seven away meets in 2006 are the most since OU went on the road eight times in 2005. The Sooners also traveled to seven away meets in 2004.

The five straight meets away from Norman (Jan. 27-Feb. 18) marks the second-longest road trip for OU in the last five years. The 2002 Sooner squad opened the season with seven consecutive away events.

KINDLER SIGNS THREE FOR 2008
First-year head coach K.J. Kindler announced her first Oklahoma recruiting class Friday, signing three gymnasts to National Letters of Intent. Taylor Zondervan, Natalie Ratcliff and Melanie Root will join the Sooners for the 2008 season.

Zondervan, a Level 10 from Schoolcraft High School in Kalamazoo, Mich., trains at Geddert's Twistars, the former club of current OU gymnast Ashley Jackson. Zondervan was a member of the 2006 Junior Olympic National Team and finished fifth in the all-around, third on bars, fifth on beam and sixth on floor in the Senior B Division at the 2006 J.O. Nationals. She also captured the bars and floor titles at the 2006 Region 5 Regionals in Senior B and took 10th in the all-around at the 2005 J.O. Nationals. Zondervan plans on majoring in Zoology/Pre-Med at OU.

A native of Overland Park, Kan., Ratcliff is a member of Great American Gymnastics Express where she is coached by Al and Armine Fong and Rodney Gust. The Blue Valley Northwest High School senior and Level 10 gymnast is an eight-time Missouri State Champion and a former member of the U.S. National Team. An honor roll student at Blue Valley, Ratcliff intends to major in Elementary Education.

Root attends Cartersville High School in Cartersville, Ga., and trains at Cartersville Twisters. She is a three-time State Champion (2003, 2004 and 2006) and finished 15th in the all-around and 10th on beam at the 2006 Junior Olympic Nationals. She also qualified for Nationals is 2005 and was an alternate in 2003 and 2004. A Level 10, Root went pre-elite for a year in 2004. She plans to major in Management at OU.

2007 INDIVIDUAL EVENT TITLES (38)
Haley DeProspero (1)
Beam (1): vs. Stanford, 9.9, 3/9/07

Ashley Jackson (5)
Vault (4): vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 9.875, 1/19/07; vs. Arizona State and Cal, 9.85, 2/9/07; vs. Iowa State, 2/16/07, 9.875; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 9.9

Beam (1): vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 9.825

Brittney Koncak-Schumann (16)
All-Around (4): vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 39.325, 1/19/07; vs. Nebraska, 39.300, 2/2/07; vs. Arizona State and Cal, 39.475, 2/9/07; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 39.575

Floor (1): vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 9.875

Vault (2): vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 9.875; vs. Stanford, 3/9/07, 9.975

Bars (5): vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 9.875, 1/19/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 9.9, 1/27/07; vs. Arizona State and Cal, 9.875, 2/9/07; vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 9.925; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 9.925

Beam (4): vs. Alabama, 9.85, 1/12/07; vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 9.95, 1/19/07; vs. Nebraska, 9.9, 2/2/07; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 9.9

Kiara Redmond (12)
All-Around (4): vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 39.350, 1/27/07; vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 39.250; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 39.575; vs. Stanford, 3/9/07, 39.500

Floor (4): vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 9.875, 1/19/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 9.875, 1/27/07; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 9.925; vs. Stanford, 3/9/07, 9.925

Vault (4): vs. Alabama, 9.85, 1/12/07; vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 9.875, 1/19/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 10.0, 1/27/07; vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 9.875

Lori Winn (4)
Bars (1): vs. Iowa State, 2/16/07, 9.875

Beam (3): vs. Alabama, 9.85, 1/12/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 9.875, 1/27/07; vs. Iowa State, 2/16/07, 9.9

2007 TEAM EVENT TITLES (25)
Vault (6): vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 49.150, 1/19/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 49.325, 1/27/07; vs. Arizona State and Cal, 48.925, 2/9/07; vs. Iowa State, 2/16/07, 49.175; vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 49.100; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 49.300

Bars (6): vs. Alabama, 48.875, 1/12/07; vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 48.700, 1/19/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 48.950, 1/27/07; vs. Arizona State and Cal, 49.100, 2/9/07; vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 49.000; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 49.350

Beam (7): vs. Nebraska, 48.575, 2/2/07; vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 49.325, 1/19/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 48.475, 1/27/07; vs. Iowa State, 2/16/07, 49.250; vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 48.400; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 49.025; vs. Stanford, 3/9/07, 49.100

Floor (6): vs. Nebraska, 48.800, 2/2/07; vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 48.950, 1/19/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 48.850, 1/27/07; vs. Iowa State, 2/16/07, 48.975; vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 49.150; vs. TWU, 3/3/07, 49.050

GETTING TO KNOW YOU CAITLIN HINKIS

Biggest fear: Tornadoes!

Favorite actor/actress: Will Smith

First job: Coaching gymnastics

Favorite athlete: My sister, Meaghan Hinkis, a ballet dancer at the American Ballet Theater in New York City and Carl Pendelton, OU football player.

Athlete who you pretended to be as a child: Kim Zmeskal

Sport you would play if you weren't a gymnast: Dancer

Favorite place to eat in Norman: Moe's

What made you choose OU?
It is a top-10 Division I program with an outstanding tradition in both academics and athletics. The school spirit is unwavering and makes the Sooners a potent force in the collegiate world.

Role models: My parents and my club coach Byron Knox

Pre-meet ritual:
I call my little sister and we both say, in unison, “You want intimidation?! I'll show you intimidation!! Grrrrrrrr!!!” It's from the movie The Little Rascals. I also listen to Power of the Dream by Celine Dion before every competition.

Most famous person you have met: The director of the American Ballet Theater.

One word that describes you: Hard-working

Worst habit: I'm a perfectionist.

Biggest pet peeve: Failing

Most embarrassing moment at a gymnastics meet:
I slipped on some water that had spilled out of a Gatorade station in front of a full crowd at a home meet.

Favorite holiday: Christmas

Favorite movies: Hitch and Patch Adams

Favorite TV show: Boy Meets World

Favorite food: Grilled chicken