Dowell Selected for World Championships Team

NORMAN — Deferred Oklahoma women's gymnastics sophomore Brenna Dowell has been chosen as one of seven members of the 2015 U.S. Women's World Championships Team and will participate at the international event from Oct. 23-Nov. 1 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The announcement was made on Thursday night following a three-day selection camp, which was held at the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch, an official U.S. Olympic Training Site, in Huntsville, Texas.

“We are elated to celebrate with Brenna this amazing accomplishment,” OU head coach K.J. Kindler said. “Since I have known Brenna, she has expressed to me that her goal was to be on the World Championships team and win a team gold medal. She's halfway there and we couldn't be more proud of her. She is fulfilling a life-long dream and we are excited to be along for the ride!”

"We are elated to celebrate with Brenna this amazing accomplishment ... She is fulfilling a life-long dream and we are excited to be along for the ride!"
— Head Coach K.J. Kindler

OU junior Chayse Capps echoed Kindler's excitement for Dowell on this accomplishment.

“Brenna's determination and drive to achieve this goal has been incredible and we are so proud of her,” Capps stated. “Not many gymnasts get the opportunity to be a part of a World Championships team, and for her to be picked is amazing. All of her Sooner sisters will be cheering her on from Norman!”

After her stellar freshman season at Oklahoma in 2015, Dowell announced her plans to defer for this year in order to again pursue the sport on a national and international level. The Odessa, Mo., native was the 2015 NCAA runner-up on floor exercise and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. She was also a first-team All-American on floor and uneven bars and an event finalist on both events.

Additionally, Dowell was the Big 12 individual champion on floor and posted a perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars in January 2015, becoming the first-ever Sooner freshman to earn a perfect score on any apparatus.

Dowell competes for Great American Gymnastics Express (GAGE) under Al and Armine Fong. While there, she appeared in multiple national and international competitions, including the AT&T American Cup, P&G Championships, U.S. Olympic Trials, Secret U.S. Classic, VISA Championships, Covergirl Classic and J.O. Nationals.

The Fongs have coached several other Olympians, World Championships team members and collegiate athletes, including Courtney McCool (Georgia, Olympian), Terin Humphrey (Alabama, Olympian, World Team Member) and Ivana Hong (Stanford, World Team Member).

Dowell, who recently participated in the 2015 P&G Championships, was a non-travelling alternate for the 2014 World Championships and a member of the 2013 World Championships team, though she did not see competition.

Other notable gymnasts who have previously or are currently deferred from collegiate competition to compete on national and international stages include Kristina Vaculik (Stanford), Brittany Rogers (Georgia, deferred for this semester), Alicia Sacramone (Brown) and MyKayla Skinner (Utah, currently deferred). Vaculik and Rogers competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games for Canada before returning to their respective universities to finish their collegiate careers.

The 2015 World Gymnastics Championships are the first of two opportunities to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The top eight teams advance to the Olympics, and the teams ranked ninth to 16th advance to the Olympic Test Event, where four more teams will qualify along with individual athletes for the all-around and individual events.