Gymnasts Sweep Big 12 Awards

Big 12 Award Winners
Gymnast of the Week Kara Lovan - So. - Des Moines, Iowa - Posted a career-high score on BB (9.925) and season-high on V - Ranked No. 12 nationally on BB and FX
Specialist of the Week Haley Sorensen - Sr. - The Woodlands, Texas - Earned a career-high 9.9 on BB to win event title at Metroplex - Helped OU to No. 1 NCAA ranking on BB
Newcomer of the Week Brenna Dowell - Fr. - Odessa, Mo. - Posted four routines of 9.9 or better in OU's two wins - Ranked No. 5 nationally on UB and No. 20 on FX

NORMAN - For the third time this season, Oklahoma has swept the Big 12 gymnastics weekly honor listing.

The trio of Kara Lovan, Haley Sorensen and Brenna Dowell combined for nine scores of 9.9 or higher in Oklahoma's wins at No. 20 Denver and versus No. 2 LSU, No. 8 Arkansas and Iowa State last weekend.

Lovan's Gymnast of the Week accolade is her second in a row, while Dowell's Newcomer of the Week award is her third consecutive honor. Sorensen was named Event Specialist of the Week for the first time in her career as a Sooner.

Lovan captured Gymnast of the Week honors after posting four scores of 9.9 or better in Oklahoma's wins last weekend. The sophomore captured a new career-high of 9.925 against Denver on balance beam to win the event title and added a 9.875 on beam at the Metroplex Challenge to finish in a tie for second.

Lovan also tied for Oklahoma's team-high on vault in the lead-off position at Metroplex with a season-high 9.9. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Lovan posted two scores of 9.9 on floor in OU's two meets, finishing in a tie for third in both contests. She is now ranked No. 12 in the country on both beam and floor exercise and has boosted OU to No. 1 team rankings nationally on both events. Lovan has also earned or tied her career-highs on beam and floor in the last two weeks of competition.

A senior staple in OU's beam lineup, Sorensen earned back-to-back career-highs on balance beam in OU's two meets last weekend. Sorensen posted a 9.875 against Denver before shattering that mark with a 9.9 at the Metroplex Challenge. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Sorensen's mark of 9.9 tied for the beam title at Metroplex, the first event title of her career.

Sorensen aided Oklahoma to back-to-back beam scores of 49.400 in both victories last weekend and a No. 1 team ranking overall this week on balance beam.

Dowell continued her super freshman campaign this week with four routines of 9.9-plus last weekend. She earned a new career-high with a 9.9 on vault against Denver, tying for second overall on the event before following up with the floor title at Denver with a meet-high 9.95.

The Odessa, Mo., native followed up by finishing in a tie for second on bars (9.9) and floor (9.9) at the Metroplex Challenge. Dowell also contributed to OU's season-high 49.500 on floor to seal the win in the final rotation and is ranked No. 5 in the nation on uneven bars and tied for 20^th on floor.

After a road meet with Iowa State this Friday night, Oklahoma will return to the OKC metro for the Perfect 10 Challenge on Friday, Feb. 13. The meet is slated for a 6:45 p.m. start at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City.