OU Claims Metroplex Challenge Title

Saturday, January 26

Fort Worth, Texas

7:00 PM

University of Oklahoma

Georgia, LSU, Oregon State, Washington

January 26, 2013 | Women's Gymnastics

By: Athletics Communications

(7-0)

	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
Oklahoma	49.225	49.450	49.325	49.275	197.275
LSU	49.500	49.450	48.750	49.400	197.100
Oregon St.	49.225	49.425	49.150	49.025	196.825
Georgia	49.200	49.425	49.075	49.075	196.775
Washington	48.800	49.075	48.775	48.225	194.875

Results | Photos | Highlights

(5-2)

FORT WORTH, Texas - The No. 2 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team won the Metroplex Challenge with a score of 197.275 against some of the top competition in the country on Saturday.

Needing higher than a 49.100 with one rotation remaining to pass LSU for the title, OU scored a 49.275 on floor for the victory. Junior Lara Albright started things off for the Sooners by tying her career high with a 9.9. Erica Brewer and Brie Olson added identical 9.875 scores.

No. 7 LSU (197.100) finished second, followed by No. 16 Oregon State (196.825), No. 9 Georgia (196.775) and Washington (194.875).

"It was an intense competition in an intense atmosphere," said Oklahoma head coach K.J. Kindler. "I thought we did well at staying focused and doing what we know how to do."

OU put together its best bar routine of the year, using back-to-back-to-back scores of 9.9 by Erica Brewer, Keeley Kmieciak and Haley Scaman to post a 49.450, a season high for the Sooners and the second-best score on bars of any team in the country entering this week. Rebecca Clark and Taylor Spears rounded out the Sooner scorer by each totaling 9.875 scores.

"We stuck landings," Kindler said. "It's something we really focused on this week, made some adjustments, and I think it showed."

Individually, Lauren Alexander posted the highest score of the day of any competitor on beam, earning a 9.975 on scores of 10.0 and 9.95. The score was Alexander's career high and the highest score on any apparatus by a Sooner this seaosn. Spears added a 9.875 on the event, while Kmieciak, Brewer and Mooring all totaled 9.825 scores.

"Anytime an athlete gets a 10 it's a very special moment," said Kindler of Alexander's effort. "That tells you that was an extra special routine."

Oklahoma led off the night on vault, scoring a 49.225. Scaman had a team-high 9.9, her career best, and was joined by Spears and Kmieciak who each scored a 9.85 apiece.

The win was the second for the Sooners in the Challenge, having also won the event in their last visit to Fort Worth in 2010.

The Sooners begin Big 12 competition in Morgantown, W.Va., against West Virginia on Friday, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m. CT. Western Michigan and William & Mary will also compete in non-conference competition at the meet.

Event Winners
Event	Gymnast	Score
Vault	Sarie Morrison (LSU)	9.925
Bars	Davis, Courville	9.95
Beam	Lauren Alexander (OU)	9.975
Floor	Aliza Vaccher (UW)	9.925
AA	Spears, Courville	39.450

OU Team Highs
Event	Gymnast	Score
Vault	Haley Scaman	9.9
Bars	3 Gymnasts	9.9
Beam	Lauren Alexander	9.975
Floor	Lara Albright	9.9
AA	Taylor Spears	39.450