Defending Champs Unveil 2020 Schedule

NORMAN – Highlighted by meetings with four 2019 NCAA Championship teams, the Sooners will be put to the test this season with an exciting and challenging slate, as the defending national champions look to pursue back-to-back titles.

Oklahoma head women's gymnastics coach K.J. Kindler and Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione revealed Tuesday the Sooners' full competition schedule which features 12 regular season events with meets against four teams who qualified for the NCAA Championships, including Denver, Georgia, Michigan, and UCLA.

"Once again, we have created a schedule with incredible strength and big challenges," Kindler said. "We will be tested every week. We will learn to handle different surroundings and unique atmospheres. This will help refine our mental game for those big moments in post season."

The season starts off with an immediate test as the Sooners will face 2018 NCAA Champion and 2019 third-place finisher, UCLA, at the Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim, Calif. The podium quad meet will also feature NCAA Athens Regional finalist Cal and Stanford.

The Sooners will stay on the road for meets at Arizona State on Jan. 10 and Alabama on Jan. 17.

"The first three weeks of the season are incredibly challenging," Kindler said. "We are traveling to compete in electric environments against some of the strongest opponents in the nation. Our readiness early on will be essential to handle the month of January."

After a tough road slate to start the year, the Sooners will return home to Lloyd Noble Center. The home slate will be exciting as always with six teams making the trek to Norman. The Sooners will open with Arkansas on Jan. 20, with the Razorbacks led by first-year head coach and 2012 Olympian Jordan Wieber.

The Sooners' second opportunity to compete on podium will be at the Metroplex Challenge featuring Alabama, Denver and Georgia (Jan. 25). Held at the Fort Worth Convention Center, OU will get an early opportunity to compete in the venue where the 2019 NCAA Championships will be held.

"We are especially excited about our podium opportunities this season," Kindler said. "The California Grand Invitational, The Metroplex Challenge, The Perfect 10 Challenge and Big 12 Championships will provide us experiences that cannot be matched until the post season. A shoutout to these amazing hosts and their commitment to showcasing collegiate gymnastics by giving the fans a first class look at the best the NCAA has to offer. We will perform on podium in more than 25 percent of our meets this season. That is huge."

The month of February opens in Denton at TWU on February 9 before the Sooners return to Oklahoma for the rest of the month. OU will welcome teams from the Big 12, SEC, Big 10 and PAC-12 conferences to Norman and Oklahoma City.

Iowa State (Jan. 31), West Virginia (Feb. 14), TWU (Feb. 14) and Michigan (March 6) will take on the Sooners in Norman. Stanford will be this year's opponent at the Perfect 10 Challenge in Oklahoma City as the two teams square off on podium on Feb. 21.

One of the most exciting matches at the LNC in 2020 will be a Big 12 battle as Denver returns to Norman on Feb. 29 after a down-to-the-wire finish at the 2019 Big 12 Championships. The meet will also be a rematch of the 2019 NCAA Finals where Denver made its first appearance, finishing as the No. 4 team in the nation.

"Our 10,000 fan record attendance last season against UCLA is a testament to where this program has come and how many people enjoy the show," Kindler said. "OU women's gymnastics provides the best fan experience out there with entertainment from beginning to end. Sooner fans should not miss this very special 2020 team."

OU will end the regular season on March 14 in the home state of Maggie Nichols and Olivia Trautman with the Sooners returning to Minnesota for the first time since winning the 2018 NCAA Minneapolis Regional.

Postseason begins with the Sooners chasing their ninth straight Big 12 Championship title. Podium competition is slated for March 21 at West Virginia.

For the first time since 2015, the Sooners road to the NCAA Championships will run through Norman as they are set to host one of four regionals. The Sooners will be looking to advance to their 11^th straight NCAA Championship in front of their home fans. Under Kindler, the Sooners have won 10 consecutive regional titles, including three in Norman.

"We are elated to have this event back in Norman," Kindler said. "The opportunity is priceless."

Taking place over three days, nine teams will travel to regional sites, with seven automatically advancing to day two. Two teams at each site will compete in a play-in on the first day.

On the second day, eight teams will compete in two sessions of four, and the top two in each of those sessions will advance to the next day. On the final day, four teams will compete in one session, and the top two teams will advance to the finals site. Regionals are slated for April 2-4 in Norman, Denver, Colo., Los Angeles, Calif., and University Park, Pa.

The 2018 NCAA Championships will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, April 19-20. Four teams will compete in each semifinal, with the top two in each semifinal advancing to the final night.

The Sooners return six gymnasts who combined for 11 All-America honors in seniors Jade Degouveia and Maggie Nichols, juniors Karrie Thomas, Anastasia Webb and Carly Woodard and sophomore Olivia Trautman. Nichols also brought home a pair of individual national titles on vault and the all-around. In addition to the returners, the Sooners have added newcomers Vanessa Deniz, Jenna Dunn, Erin Hutchison, Ragan Smith and Brooke Weins.

2020 Schedule
Date	Opponent	Site	Time (CT)
Jan. 4	Cal, Stanford, UCLA^	Anaheim, Calif.	8:30 p.m.
Jan. 11	at Arizona State	Tempe, Ariz,	5:30 p.m.
Jan. 17	at Alabama	Tuscaloosa, Ala,	TBD
Jan. 20	Arkansas	Lloyd Noble Center	TBD
Jan. 25	Alabama, Denver, Georgia%	Fort Worth, Texas	7 p.m.
Jan. 31	Iowa State*	Lloyd Noble Center	6:45 p.m.
Feb. 9	at TWU	Denton, Texas	2 p.m.
Feb. 14	West Virgina*, TWU	Lloyd Noble Center	6:45 p.m.
Feb. 21	Stanford$	Oklahoma City, Okla.	6:45 p.m.
Feb. 29	Denver*	Lloyd Noble Center	11:30 a.m.
March 6	Michigan	Lloyd Noble Center	7:30 p.m.
March 14	Minnesota	Minneapolis, Minn.	2:30 p.m.
March 21	Big 12 Championships	Morgantown, W.Va.	6 p.m.
April 2-4	NCAA Norman Regional	Lloyd Noble Center	TBD
April 17-18	NCAA Championships	Fort Worth, Texas	TBD

^ Collegiate Challenge - Anaheim Convention Center
% Metroplex Challenge - Fort Worth Convention Center
$ Perfect 10 Challenge - Cox Convention Center
*Big 12 Opponent