Just Getting Started

The road to collegiate gymnastics looks different for every gymnast. Hours spent in the gym often lead to opportunities on state, regional and national stages that help prepare a gymnast for the next level. Many are accomplished, but it is rare to find a journey more experienced than Oklahoma freshman Brenna Dowell's.

The journey started early for the Odessa, Mo. native, first entering the gym before the age of two.
Gymnastics and softball became a way of life throughout Dowell's younger years until a decision at the age of nine would shift her focus to the sport that would eventually allow her to own one of the most distinguished careers of any freshman in the NCAA.

“It came to a point where my parents made me pick between the two,” explained Dowell. “And I was like, 'Why are you even asking that question? Of course I am going to choose gymnastics.'”

Little did she know that her decision would send her down a path of experiences that, for many, only exist in a gymnast's wildest dreams.

Dowell won the 2015 Big 12 Championship on floor with a 9.95.

Dowell would go on to become a seven-time national and international competitor, two-time World Championship representative as an alternate and U.S. Senior National team member, earning multiple titles.

Not only experiencing gymnastics across the nation, Dowell was able to leave her mark around the world, traveling to Mexico, Italy, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

“It's still crazy to me how much has happened and how much I've done,” said Dowell. “I loved doing gymnastics and it was really just about enjoying myself. Having people there to push me and having amazing coaches really allowed me to get where I am today.”

But as she looks back on all that she has accomplished, she admits that it didn't come easy.

"It came to a point where my parents made me pick between gymnastics and softball. Of course I was going to choose gymnastics."
Brenna Dowell

"I wasn't one of those girls that was naturally talented,” said Dowell “I had to work hard. I came in every day and I worked hard.”

The hard work helped Dowell surpass the expectations of her coaches and rapidly soar through the levels of club gymnastics, quickly landing herself in level 10.

The next step? Olympic level competition. Elite.

“That's everyone's dream,” said Dowell. “It's just about whether or not you're actually capable of doing it.”

It turned out to be a dream that Dowell was capable of achieving. Competing as an elite gymnast would lead to countless other achievements along her journey, with one of her most memorable coming in 2012.

Merely 16 years old, Dowell earned her way to the 2012 Olympic trials. It was there that she would get the opportunity to compete alongside those that would soon take the Olympic stage.

“It was really cool being next to those girls,” Dowell recalled. “I was in a group with Nastia [Lukin] and we were chalking up in the same chalk box. Only being 16, it was such an awesome experience.”

Entering the trials at such a young age, Dowell's expectations were not to make the Olympic team, but she was determined to use the experience alongside those that did to motivate her future in the sport.

“Watching those girls, I learned to keep working hard,” said Dowell. “Watching all their hard work pay off, watching all their dreams come true, watching them accomplish their goals, I learned that if I kept working, I could do it too.”

Brenna Dowell Big 12

Dowell was the first freshman at OU to earn a perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars.

Just three meets into her freshman campaign at Oklahoma, and after spending just over two months on campus, Dowell reached one of those goals. She scored a perfect 10.0.

The perfect routine came on the uneven bars, making her the first freshman in Sooner program history to achieve the feat, and the first gymnast in the NCAA to earn a perfect score on the event this season.

That was really cool,” recalls Dowell. “In Junior Olympic and Elite, they don't have the 10.0 system so it was really cool to come out and get a 10.0 and finally accomplish that goal.”

To make the evening complete, Dowell's routine landed a spot on SportsCenter's Top 10. It was only fitting that the perfect 10 was played tenth in the rotation.

“It was amazing to watch it because I was there with LeBron James and all these big basketball players,” said Dowell.

Even with a long list of accolades in her young career, Dowell isn't dwelling on past accomplishments; instead, she is focused on leaving her mark on the University of Oklahoma.

“I look back at what I've done and it's like, 'Yeah, that's cool,' but it really hasn't all set in because I'm still continuing to focus on training and getting better.”

Brenna Dowell and the No. 1 OU women's gymnastics team will compete in the NCAA Norman Regional this Saturday, April 4 in the Lloyd Noble Center at 3:45 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.

Players Mentioned

Brenna Dowell

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