A True Team Effort

Gymnastics is sport defined by individual performances. Fans remember specific moments: a perfectly hit routine. A vault stuck cold. A 10.0 score.

The importance of the team is what sets NCAA gymnastics apart. As extraordinary as each individual routine can be, gymnasts become a unit working together toward a goal. They feed off each other's performances and momentum. Each routine remains crucially important, but in a different way: everyone has to contribute for greatness to happen.

As head coach K.J. Kindler has recruited gymnasts to Oklahoma over the past nine seasons, she has crafted a roster that goes beyond two or three powerhouse gymnasts. No. 1-ranked Oklahoma is the nation's only top 10 team that has not competed an all-around gymnast yet this season.

While it's easy to train your attention on a handful of “big” routines in the Sooner lineups, the key to Oklahoma's success is the ability of any gymnast to go big on any given night. Huge team performances don't come from one 10.0 floor routine or a single stuck vault. They come from the middle of the lineup, from the student-athletes that plug away every day with their own unique skillsets and focus.

To understand what makes this Sooner squad special, look beyond. Go to the beginning and middle of Oklahoma's lineups and meet the gymnasts that shine there.

ERICA BREWER

When Kindler talks about Erica Brewer, she frequently references a small habit that the Louisville, Ky., native brings to the gym every day.

As team members rotate between events during practice, Brewer doesn't walk to her next assignment. She runs. And she's been running around the gym since her club days at Champion Gymnastics.

It's a habit that perfectly encapsulates Brewer's personality. Energetic and almost constantly in motion, she attacks her gymnastics the same way she attacks every challenge she faces in life.

“Erica's performances are aggressive,” Kindler said. “She goes hard—as hard as she can—every single time. She's so passionate when she competes.”

Brewer has tasted the sweetness of success throughout her career as a Sooner and particularly over the last two seasons. She became a national team champion, scored a 10.0 on balance beam in 2015 and garnered a bevy of conference awards.

But Brewer has perspective. She was also part of two teams who experienced challenges—missing the NCAA Super Six in 2012 and finishing in the agonizingly close runner-up position as a sophomore in 2013.

“Erica has been on teams that have been so close and haven't quite done it before,” Kindler said. “Our freshmen and even our sophomores haven't had that experience. She understands what we're trying to do every day, and she helps others get to that point.”

For Brewer, it's all about setting the pace. Whether it's in competition or practice, her effort is contagious and her teammates work to keep up with her. Kindler says she expects this level of work ethic from her entire team. It's a trait Oklahoma prides itself on.

“Erica leads by example. She stands out in the gym and tries to make the best of every situation so it will result in success. She's been a leader for this team because she gives 100 percent in practice.”

KEELEY KMIECIAK

Ask Kindler what the most important position in any lineup is, and she'll answer without hesitation: the first. To hold the lead-off position on an event means the OU coaching staff has seen something crucial in an individual, and perhaps nowhere is that more true than on balance beam.

Competing beam requires great mental focus and concentration. It's an event that can be fraught with nerves and Kindler takes the selection of her lead-off gymnast on the event very seriously.

Keeley Kmieciak, then, might be considered an unconventional choice to begin Oklahoma's beam lineup. Powerful and aggressive, everything Kmieciak competes is big. The Naperville, Ill., native is noted for her amplitude and dynamic gymnastics, particularly on bars and vault.

For Kindler, though, she's the obvious choice.

“We have great faith and trust in her,” Kindler says. “It's an honor to be the lead-off gymnast on beam. It's huge.”

The Sooners have several precise and consistent routines to choose from on beam. What sets Kmieciak apart? It's not only her power, but her exceptional control.

“Her routine is different than anyone else in the lineup,” Kindler said. “It's powerful and it's very hard to find powerful athletes that are controlled. She's so steady and I think this year she's learned more than ever how to control her nerves and power on beam in the lead-off position. That's very difficult to do.”

Kmieciak also sets the tone for her teammates on the event, showing off a challenging set of skills that give judges a taste of what is to come.

“Keeley's routine is very difficult,” Kindler added. “She shows that we're not going to do easy, piece-of-cake skills. We're going to be unique and different.”

KARA LOVAN

Kmieciak has power. Brewer is aggressive. To balance that out, look no farther than Kara Lovan.

Packed into a compact 4-foot-8 frame, Lovan is the kind of gymnast that Kindler can run out of adjectives to describe: elegant. Light. Pretty. Effortless. Clean. The Des Moines, Iowa native makes it look easy, even if the skills she's performing are anything but.

“Kara's form was impeccable from a very young age,” Kindler explained. “She did everything with such lightness and you don't see that from a lot of athletes. We knew she was clean as a whistle.”

For as lovely as her gymnastics are, it's her mental strength that continually impresses her coaches.

“Kara is one of those athletes that can have a poor warm-up and set it aside,” Kindler said. “She can compartmentalize that and not let it affect her in any way. She moves forward in situations like that. We know she's going to get the best out of herself every time she goes out there.”

Her consistency and execution have been rewarded all season—Lovan was an All-Big 12 pick on the beam and has been ranked as an individual for much of the season on both beam and floor.

She stepped outside the box in her sophomore floor routine, collaborating with Kindler to craft a performance that is reflective of her quirky and witty personality. With beautifully executed tumbling and unique dance, it quickly became a highlight of Oklahoma's lineup.

“As a freshman, she was a bit reserved,” Kindler said. “This year, I felt like I knew her so much better. We had a really fun time picking her music and working on the choreography. Her routine is one of our crowd's favorites.”

Oklahoma will pursue a fourth consecutive Big 12 Championship this Saturday in Norman. For tickets to the meet, visit the OU ticket office's website on SoonerSports.com.