No. 1 OU Ready for Perfect 10 Challenge in OKC

No. 1 Oklahoma at Perfect 10 Challenge

Teams: No. 12 Denver, No. 17 George Washington, Utah State
Feb. 12 | 6:45 p.m. CT | Oklahoma City, Okla. | Cox Convention Center

Notes

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
	Oklahoma	DU	GW	USU
2016 Record	13-1-0	6-0-0	9-0-0	3-2-0
2016 Ranking	No. 1	No. 12	No. 17	No. 30
2016 Scoring Average	197.393	195.945	195.656	194.760
2016 Team High	197.925	196.675	196.175	195.425

NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR MEET EIGHT

THE CHALLENGE
The No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team heads to Oklahoma City this Friday night for the annual Perfect 10 Challenge, held inside the Cox Convention Center. Other teams in the podium meet are No. 12 Denver, No. 17 George Washington and Utah State. Friday's meet, which is slated to begin at 6:45 p.m. CT, will mark the first Big 12 meeting between OU and Denver, who joined the conference this season. The Sooners are 5-0 in the state of Oklahoma in 2016, averaging a 197.500 in their three meets in Norman.

WE'RE NO. 1
For the first time this regular season, Oklahoma sits atop the national rankings. The Sooners used two scores of at least 197.900 last weekend to surge into the top spot with a season average of 197.393. OU was ranked No. 1 in the 2016 NACGC Preseason Coaches' Poll for the first time in program history.

TOPPING 197
In their last six meets, the Sooners have turned in 197-plus performances, showing constant improvement from week to week. Last weekend, OU posted a pair of impressive marks in their two meets, scoring a 197.925 (at Texas Woman's University with then-No. 10 Auburn and Illinois State) before closing with a 197.900 at home against then-No. 23 West Virginia. OU holds three of the five best scores in the country this season, with its 197.925 from last Friday night coming in as the second-highest mark overall and the best road score.

BEST ON BEAM
The Sooners are known for their consistent success on beam, and this season, they have continued to shine despite having to fill three lineup voids from a year ago. This week, OU rose to the No. 1 ranking on the event, holding a 49.321 average. Each season since 2010, OU has finished first or second in the nation on beam, including five seasons in first. Individually, junior Chayse Capps is ranked No. 1 on beam with a 9.914 average following a weekend in which she scored her first perfect 10.0 and added a 9.95.

NEW LINEUP, NO PROBLEM
In the 2016 season, the Sooners returned just half of their bars lineup from the previous campaign, but Oklahoma has not missed a beat. The Sooners have been incredibly strong on the event, moving into first place nationally this week with an average of 49.386. At the Metroplex Challenge on Jan. 30, the Sooners exploded for a 49.525 for the rotation, matching the highest score in the nation on bars so far this season and tying the eighth-best mark in program history. Junior McKenzie Wofford sits at No. 1 individually on the event, averaging a 9.925.

QUICK HITS
• The same OU trio swept the Big 12 awards for the second straight week, with junior Chayse Capps being named the Gymnast of the Week, junior McKenzie Wofford earning her fourth Event Specialist of the Week accolade and freshman Nicole Lehrmann snagging the Newcomer of the Week honor. It marks the first time since the Big 12 first awarded a newcomer honor in 2011 that the same three gymnasts have swept the same three awards.
• Junior Chayse Capps set the OU program record in the all-around when she scored a 39.775 in TWU's quad meet on Friday, Feb. 5, besting the previous mark of 39.700. In the meet, she scored her first career perfect 10.0 on beam, which was the fourth in school history on the apparatus.
• Senior Haley Scaman entered this season as the only Sooner in program history to post multiple 10.0s in a career on multiple events. Scaman owns three perfect scores on floor and two on vault.
• OU's schedule includes 10 meets to be held in the states of Oklahoma or Texas, including five in Norman inside the Lloyd Noble Center.

A GLANCE AT NO. 12 DENVER
New Big 12 opponent Denver holds a 6-0 overall record in 2016, including a 1-0 conference mark. Denver scored a season-high 196.675 to top Utah State at home last weekend, and senior Nina McGee is the third-ranked all-arounder in the nation. Head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart is in her 18th season at Denver. The Sooners lead the all-time series with Denver, 26-8, winning last year's meeting.

A GLANCE AT NO. 17 GEORGE WASHINGTON
George Washington heads to the Perfect 10 Challenge with a 9-0 record. In their last contest, the Colonials placed first with a score of 196.075 to best Kent State (196.050) and Northern Illinois (193.900). The Colonials are led by 31st-year head coach Margie Foster-Cunningham. Friday will mark the third time OU and George Washington have faced off. The Sooners took the previous two matchups, the most recent in 2007.

A GLANCE AT NO. 30 UTAH STATE
The Aggies enter Friday's meet with a 3-2 overall record. Most recently, Utah State faced then-No. 13 Denver on the road, falling by a score of 196.675-195.000. Nadalie Walsh is in her third season at the helm of the program. OU holds a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series, including a win in the most-recent meeting in 2012.

UP NEXT

The Sooners head to Athens, Ga., to take on No. 11 Georgia on Saturday, Feb. 20. The meet will stream on SEC Network+ and is slated for a 3 p.m. CT start.