No. 1 OU Travels to Take on No. 6 Alabama

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Alabama
March 16 | 7:30 p.m. CT | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Coleman Coliseum

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
	Oklahoma	Alabama
2018 Record	11-1-0	7-3-0
2018 Ranking	No. 1	No. 6
2018 RQS	197.995	196.510
2018 Scoring Average	197.814	196.790
2018 Team High	198.375	196.800

NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR MEET TEN

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team is back in action on Friday when it takes on No. 6 Alabama. The meet is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and will air on the SEC Network+.

ROAD WARRIORS
In recent seasons, OU has proven itself to be as successful away from Norman as at home. The 2018 road slate has been no exception as the Sooners are averaging a 197.908 away score for three true road meets. After a stretch at home that saw the Sooners averaging a 198.035 in five meets, OU will hit the road to wrap up the regular season. The Sooners are 72-11 all-time on the road under 12th-year head coach K.J. Kindler and have picked up wins against 13 of their last 14 road opponents.

RQS BREAKDOWN
For the ninth straight week, the Oklahoma women's gymnastics team is the No. 1 team in the nation. This is the third week that rankings have been determined by regional qualifying scores (RQS). RQS is based on a team's six best regular season scores, three of which must be away. The overall high score is eliminated, and the five remaining scores are averaged. RQS scores are used to determine seeding for NCAA regional competition at six campus sites on April 7. OU's RQS of 197.995 is the best mark in the nation. Additionally, the Sooners are in the top five on all four events, posting regional qualifying scores of 49.520 (vault; No. 1), 49.515 (bars; No. 2), 49.550 (beam; No.2) and 49.490 (floor; No. 3). OU also possesses the highest average on vault and bars.

OKLA-HOME-A
The Sooners wrapped up their home slate last weekend with a quad meet win over No. 10 Arkansas, No. 12 Arizona State and No. 15 Denver. OU went 9-0 in the state of Oklahoma this season, winning five meets at home and the Perfect 10 Challenge in Oklahoma City. OU posted an average 198.035 at home this season, including topping 198 in its final three meets, and will look to carry that momentum into the postseason stretch.

BARS BOOM
OU put up its highest score of the season on bars Friday night, counting five scores of 9.9 or higher to post a 49.625 on the apparatus. The mark also ties the fourth-best score in program history. Junior Nicole Lehrmann led the Sooners and took home the event title with a 9.950 in the No. 5 spot. Freshman Anastasia Webb, senior Stefani Catour and sophomore Maggie Nichols all added 9.925s, while AJ Jackson tied her career high with a 9.900 in the leadoff spot.

TOP TOTALS
Of the top scores so far this season, OU has four that rank in the top 10. OU holds the No. 1 team score in the nation with a 198.375 against Michigan (March 3). The Sooners also have the fourth-best total with a 198.150 against North Carolina (Feb. 11), the sixth-best with a 198.125 at Florida (Jan. 26) and the seventh-best with a 198.100 (March 9). LSU has three scores in the top 10, UCLA has two and Florida has one.

TO 198 AND BEYOND
Twice this season, the Sooners posted three consecutive marks of 198 or higher. With six total, the Sooners set a program record for marks of 198 or higher in the regular season, surpassing the five set in 2017. OU first tallied three straight from Jan. 26-Feb. 11 and then again from Feb. 23-March 9. The Sooners are one of just two teams to put up more than one mark of 198 or higher this season and only four schools have posted a 198 in 2018 (Florida, LSU, UCLA). In its last nine meets (dating back to the 2017 Super Six), Oklahoma has reached the 198 threshold seven times.

CLOUD 9.9
With 216 routines under their belts, the Sooners have put up 108 scores of 9.9 or better. That means that exactly half of Oklahoma's routines fall in the “excellent” category. The Sooners are averaging 12 scores of 9.9 or higher per meet. OU's 108 scores of 9.9 is first in the nation, despite having competed in one fewer meet than the other top-five teams. LSU, which has competed in two more meets than OU, has a total of 100 scores of 9.9 or higher.

INDIVIDUAL SCORES
Below is a breakdown of the Sooners' individual scores on each event this season, including totals of at least 9.85, 9.9 and 9.95.

VAULT At least 9.85 (43) | 9.9 (25) | 9.95 (9)
BARS At least 9.85 (46) | 9.9 (33) | 9.95 (11)
BEAM At least 9.85 (41) | 9.9 (28) | 9.95 (12)
FLOOR At least 9.85 (38) | 9.9 (24) | 9.95 (8)

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Six Sooners hold 12 individual top-25 rankings, which are also determined by RQS. Sophomore Maggie Nichols is ranked first in the all-around with a 39.765 RQS, a mark that is better than the highest score of all but four gymnasts. Nichols is second on beam (9.960), tied for second on vault (9.940), tied for third on floor (9.950) and sixth on bars (9.945). Junior Brenna Dowell is tied with Nichols for second on vault (9.940), tied for 20th on bars (9.900) and tied for 21st on floor (9.900). Junior Nicole Lehrmann is tied for seventh (9.935) on bars. Sophomore Bre Showers is 14th on beam (9.905), while freshman Anastasia Webb is tied for 17th (9.900). Senior AJ Jackson is tied for 18th on vault (9.885).

A GLANCE AT ALABAMA
Rankings (as of March 5)
Team
Overall: 6th (197.120 RQS)
Vault: 9th (49.220)
Bars: 4th (49.415)
Beam: 5th (49.340)
Floor: 15th (49.265)

Top Individuals
All-Around: ---
Vault: Nickie Guerrero (T-9th, 9.905)
Bars: Kiana Winston (T-10th, 9.915)
Beam: Nickie Guerrero (T-6th, 9.920)
Floor: Nickie Guerrero (T-15th, 9.910)

SERIES HISTORY
Alabama leads the all-time series with a 28-15 advantage. However, the Sooner have won the last ten meetings between the two teams. The teams last met in 2017 in the NCAA Super Six where OU defeated the Crimson Tide 198.3875-196.000

QUICK HITS

Eleven of OU's scores this season are currently in the top 10 in program history including two team totals, three vaults scores, two bars scores and four beam scores. Of the four beam scores, one is the top mark in program history.
Four current Sooners have recorded at least one 10.0 in their careers, including juniors Nicole Lehrmann (UB, 2017) and Brenna Dowell (UB, 2017; VT 2018), sophomore Maggie Nichols (VT,UB, BB, FX), and freshman Anastasia Webb (BB, 2018).
Oklahoma returns six previous NCAA All-Americans who own 16 total accolades: Natalie Brown (BB), Stefani Catour (UB, BB), Brenna Dowell (UB, FX), AJ Jackson (VT, UB, FX), Nicole Lehrmann (UB, BB), Maggie Nichols (VT, UB, FX).
OU was ranked No. 1 in the NACGC/W Preseason Coaches' Poll for the third straight season, receiving 33 of 50 first-place votes. It marked the eighth straight year the Sooners had been ranked in the top five nationally to begin the season.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will finish out a double weekend, hitting the road to Denton, Texas to take on TWU Sunday, March 18, at 2 p.m. CT.