Sooners Seek Fifth Straight Big 12 Title

No. 1 Oklahoma at Big 12 Championship

Teams: No. 10 Denver, Iowa State, West Virginia
March 19 | 4 p.m. CT | Frisco, Texas | Dr Pepper Arena

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MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
	OU	DU	ISU	WVU
Record	20-1-0	17-4-0	12-7-0	10-6-0
Ranking	No. 1	No.10	No. 39	No. 27
RQS	197.845	196.645	195.225	195.805
Scoring Average	197.550	196.345	194.927	195.575
Team High	198.075	197.525	196.025	196.800

NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR MEET 13

FAB FIVE
On Saturday, the Oklahoma women's gymnastics team will pursue an unprecedented fifth consecutive Big 12 Conference title. Last year, the Sooners became the first squad in Big 12 Conference history to win a fourth straight crown. Previously, both Nebraska ('97-'99, '01-'02) and Oklahoma ('08-'10, '12-'14) had posted streaks of three straight titles. OU holds a total of 13 conference titles (five Big Eight, eight Big 12) in its program history and seven Big 12 titles under head coach K.J. Kindler.

IRON SHARPENS IRON
According to RoadtoNationals.com, the Sooners hold the second-toughest strength of schedule this season. Against a challenging regular season slate that featured six top-10 opponents and 14 top-25 squads, Oklahoma rolled to an impressive 20-1-0 overall record. Of the other four teams ranked in the top five for strength of schedule, none has fewer than five losses.

QUEENS OF THE HILL
Oklahoma ended the regular season where it began - as the No. 1 team in the country. After dropping its season opener, OU climbed back up the standings, claiming the top spot on Feb. 8, a position it has held since. This is the fifth straight season the Sooners have finished within the top two of the regular season national rankings based on regional qualifying score. In 2016, the Sooners own a RQS of 197.845 and will have one final chance at the Big 12 Championship to boost that total and remain in the No. 1 spot.

ROAD WARRIORS
Oklahoma will look to continue its winning ways away from the Lloyd Noble Center this weekend. In their seven meets away from Norman this season, the Sooners have been consistent and successful, averaging an NCAA-best 197.464 on their way to a 13-1 record. The second-best away average so far this season is a 197.105 for Florida. At UCLA last weekend, OU tallied an impressive 197.950, the highest away score of the season and its second-best overall total. The Sooners have snagged 22 team event titles and 28 individual crowns in road and neutral site meets in 2016. OU's road success is nothing new as it finished with the highest road average in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons with marks of 197.679 and 197.531, respectively.

2015 BIG 12 RECAP
Last season, the Sooners scored a 197.875 to defeat West Virginia (195.025) and Iowa State (194.775) for their fourth straight Big 12 title, the first team to accomplish the feat. The meet was held inside Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. OU's AJ Jackson (VT), Erica Brewer (BB), Chayse Capps (BB), Rebecca Clark (UB) and Brenna Dowell (FX) all secured at least a share of individual titles.

SERIES HISTORIES
Oklahoma holds a combined 92-22-1 all-time mark against Denver, Iowa State and West Virginia (27-8 vs. the Pioneers, 54-13-1 vs. the Cyclones, 11-1 vs. the Mountaineers). OU is 3-0 against Big 12 foes in 2016.

A GLANCE AT NO. 10 DENVER
Denver will make its first appearance in the Big 12 Championship this weekend, entering the meet with a 17-4-0 overall. The Pioneers, who are led by 18th-year head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart, have been ranked No. 10 in the national standings for the past two weeks. Additionally, the Pioneers are ranked in the top 25 on all four events. The team is No. 14 on vault (49.110), No. 11 on bars (49.240), No. 22 on beam (49.090) and No. 10 on floor (49.350). Senior Nina McGee is tied for third in the all-around (39.570), tied for 13th on vault (9.895), tied for 19th on bars (9.900) and tied for first on floor (9.965).

A GLANCE AT IOWA STATE
The Cyclones enter Saturday's meet with a 12-7 overall record. They currently hold a 195.225 RQS and will look for a strong performance at Big 12s to move into the top 36 and secure a regional spot. Sophomore Haylee Young is the defending conference all-around champion. The Cyclones are led by 10th-year head coach Jay Ronayne.

A GLANCE AT WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia holds a 10-6 overall record coming into this weekend's championship. As a team, the Mountaineers are ranked within the top 25 on a pair of events, including vault (T-19, 49.050 RQS) and floor (14, 49.235). Two WVU gymnasts are ranked in the top 25 individually. Freshman Kirah Koshinski sits at No. 16 on vault (9.89), and sophomore Zaakira Muhammad is No. 27 on the event (9.875). Jason Butts is in his fifth season at the helm of the WVU program.

ON THE AIR
Saturday's meet will air live on the FOX Sports Network with John Roethlisberger (play-by-play), Kelly Funderburk (analyst) and Jessica Coody (sideline) on the call. This will be the second straight season that the conference championship has been broadcast live.

QUICK HITS

• Seven Sooners secured a conference-high 12 spots on the All-Big 12 Gymnastics Team this week. Natalie Brown (BB), Chayse Capps (AA, UB, BB), AJ Jackson (VT, FX), Keeley Kmieciak (UB), Nicole Lehrmann (UB, BB), Haley Scaman (VT, FX) and McKenzie Wofford (UB) all snagged accolades. This season marks the ninth straight year that the Sooners have led the conference in All-Big 12 selections and it is the seventh consecutive season that the Sooners have earned at least nine all-conference selections.• Of the top 10 team scores in the nation this season, the Sooners hold four of those, including three of the top-five marks. OU boasts the second-, fourth- and fifth-best overall scores, with its 198.075 from Feb. 26 against then-No. 4 Michigan coming in as the second-highest total.
• On March 15, junior Chayse Capps picked up her fourth Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honor of the season, while sophomore Stefani Catour earned her first Event Specialist of the Week accolade. OU won at least one conference award each week this season and 20 overall.
• The Sooners have cracked the top 10 in best scores in program history a total of 11 times this season (three times for team scores, three times on bars, once on beam, four times on floor). Their 49.675 bars total against Arizona is the best in school history.
• OU boasts 15 individual appearances in the top 25 of the national rankings, the second-most in the nation. The Sooners join Florida (16), LSU (11) and Georgia (10) as the only programs who can claim double-digit individual rankings.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma will receive its regional assignment next Monday, March 21. NCAA Regional competition is set for Saturday, April 2, at six campus sites around the country (Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Utah). The top two placing teams from each regional will advance to the 2016 NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 15 and 16.