No. 9 OU Hosts TWU Saturday Night

NORMAN, Okla. After five consecutive away meets, the ninth-ranked Oklahoma women's gymnastics team returns to the friendly confines of the Howard McCasland Field House to take on Texas Woman's University on Saturday at 7 p.m. (CST).

The meet is a double dual that also features the third-ranked OU men's team taking on No. 4 Ohio State. The event will be Web cast as part of the O-Zone.

OU (10-1, 3-0 Big 12) is off to its best start since the 2001 team started the season 11-1. This year's squad also holds the distinction of being the first OU team to go undefeated against Big 12 teams in the regular season since the conference's inception in 1996. The Sooners defeated Missouri on Jan. 19 in Norman and beat Nebraska (Feb. 2) and Iowa State (Feb. 16) on the road.

The Sooners and Pioneers have squared off once already this season. Oklahoma traveled to Denton, Texas to face TWU, Centenary and George Washington on Jan. 27. The Sooners finished first in the quadrangular with a score of 195.600. Oklahoma swept every team event and had the event champion on every apparatus. The highlight of the meet was OU junior Kiara Redmond scoring a perfect 10.0 on vault.

Live Scoring | Web Cast | Notes | GymInfo Rankings

Texas Woman's (7-7) is coming off a loss to Southeast Missouri State on Feb. 24 where the Pioneers scored a season-high 192.500. Senior Courtney Arno scored a 9.825 to win the uneven bars title, while sophomore Tonya Pipkin took the balance beam title with a 9.8.

OU hits the road one last time after Saturday's matchup, visiting No. 3 Stanford on March 9. The Sooners close out the regular season with consecutive home duals against Iowa (March 17) and Pittsburgh (March 24). The Pitt meet will be Senior Night as Oklahoma honors Brittney Koncak-Schumann and Lori Winn.

SETTING THE SCENE
What: No. 9 OU vs. Texas Woman's University
Where: Howard McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla.
When: Saturday, March 3 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: Saturday night is “Fill the Field House Night.” The first 250 fans will receive a fan banner and the first 100 kids will get a red glow stick.
What 2 Watch 4: The Sooners will have four gymnasts compete in the all-around against the Pioneers. Seniors Brittney Koncak-Schumann and Lori Winn will be joined by junior Kiara Redmond and sophomore Haley DeProspero. Koncak-Schumann has won three all-around titles in 2007, while Redmond has claimed two. DeProspero has competed in the all-around four times this year, scoring a season-best 39.200 in OU's win over Iowa State on Feb. 16. Winn has earned scores of 38.375 and 38.450 in her two all-around appearances.

COMING UP NEXT...
Oklahoma hits the road one last time in the regular season to face No. 3 Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. on March 9. The Sooners then host Iowa (March 17) and Pittsburgh (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.

OU NINTH IN FEB. 26 GYMINFO POLL
The Sooners stand ninth in the latest GymInfo rankings after climbing to No. 7 in the Feb. 19 poll. OU dropped two spots although the team did not compete last weekend.

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. With a 10-1 record in 2007, Oklahoma is off to its best start since beginning the 2000 season 11-1.

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.

CLUTCH PERFORMER
For the second week in a row, OU's senior leader Brittney Koncak-Schumann came up with a solid performance 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.

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 of 2007 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).

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.

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.

OU WELL-REPRESENTED IN BIG 12 AWARDS
OU gymnasts have won six of the 16 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

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

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 has proven to be a valuable contributor for head coach K.J. Kindler through the first three 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 TEAM AND EVENT TITLES
Individual Event Titles (28)
Ashley Jackson (4)
Vault (3): 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

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

Brittney Koncak-Schumann (12)
All-Around (3): 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

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

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

Bars (4): 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

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

Kiara Redmond (8)
All-Around (2): vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 39.350, 1/27/07; vs. Iowa, 2/18/07, 39.250

Floor (2): vs. C. Michigan and Missouri, 9.875, 1/19/07; vs. TWU, GW and Centenary, 9.875, 1/27/07

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

Team Event Titles (20)

Vault (5): 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

Bars (5): 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

Beam (5): 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

Floor (5): 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

GETTING TO KNOW YOU ASHLEY JACKSON
Biggest fear: Failure
Favorite actor/actress: Denzel Washington
First job: I had an internship at Michigan Medical PC with Dr. Geovanuci my junior year of high school.
Favorite athlete: Michael Johnson
Athlete who you pretended to be as a child: Dominique Dawes
Sport you would play if you weren't a gymnast: Track & field or tennis
Favorite place to eat in Norman: Pad Thai
What made you choose OU? The friendly atmosphere and the University was a very comfortable environment.
Role model: My mother
Pre-meet ritual: I make sure to eat some sort of red meat, say a prayer, and perform my routines the same as I do in practice.
Most famous person you have met: Justin Timberlake
One word that describes you: Determined
Most embarrassing moment at a gymnastics meet: I got a wedgie in the middle of my beam routine when I had to bend over.
Favorite holiday: Christmas
Favorite movie: Love & Basketball
Favorite TV show: Grey's Anatomy
Favorite food: Taco salad
Favorite way to spend your free time: Sleep and spend time
talking on the phone with my parents and little brother.
Dream place to live after college: San Diego, Calif. or San Juan, Puerto Rico

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