Dowell Named Finalist for Prestigious AAI Award

Dowell's Career Awards and Honors
• 2017 NCAA Team Champion
• 2018 NCAA Vault Co-Champion
• 2015 NCAA Floor Exercise Runner-Up
• Four-time NCAA All-American
• First OU freshman to record a 10.0 on any event
• Has hit 174 of 177 (98 percent) career routines
• Owns 39 individual titles
• 2015 NCAA Third-Place Finisher Team Member
• 2018 NCAA Runner-Up Team Member
• 2015 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
• Six-time NACGC/W All-American
• Six-time All-Big 12 Selection
• 10-time Big 12 Weekly Award Winner
• Three-time Big 12 Champion Team Member (2015, 2017, 2018)
• Three-time Big 12 Individual Champion
• Three-time NCAA Regional Champion Team Member (2015, 2017, 2018)
• Three-time NACGC/W Scholastic All-American
• Three-time Academic All-Big 12

NORMAN – Oklahoma's Brenna Dowell has been named one of six finalists for the prestigious AAI Award, recognizing the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country. The honor is voted on by NCAA women's gymnastics head coaches and sponsored by American Athletic, Inc. (AAI).

The AAI Award is considered one of the highest honors given in the sport of women's gymnastics. Dowell is Oklahoma's eighth consecutive finalist for the award, joining Megan Ferguson (2012), Brie Olson (2013), Taylor Spears (2014), Erica Brewer (2015), Haley Scaman (2016), Chayse Capps (2017) and AJ Jackson (2018).

Dowell is joined by five additional finalists including Alicia Boren (Florida), Sarah Finnegan (LSU), Olivia Karas (Michigan), Katelyn Ohashi (UCLA) and Toni-Ann Williams (Cal).

“Brenna has been a rock for our team and an amazing testament to the gymnastics community that you can achieve success at every level,” head coach K.J. Kindler said. “An elite athlete who deferred her sophomore season to chase her World Championship and Olympic dreams, Brenna was able to balance both her elite aspirations and her collegiate career. We admire her courage to step away AND return to NCAA gymnastics without skipping a beat. She is a leader in the classroom, in the gym and in life. She has challenged herself at every crossroads and grown immensely from her experiences. We are so proud that she chose to be a Sooner.”

A member of OU's 2017 National Championship team, Dowell has been an integral part of OU's success. During her career, the Sooners have secured an NCAA top-three finish each year, earned three consecutive NCAA Regional titles and three straight Big 12 Conference Championships.

Dowell deferred after her freshman season to pursue a spot on the U.S. Senior National Team for the World Championships but came back better than ever. After winning a gold medal at the 2015 Women's World Championships, competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials and having a skill named after her in the Code of Points, Dowell returned to the Sooners in 2017 to help lead the squad to its third national title.

Dowell has missed just one meet in her OU career and boasts a hit percentage of 98.2%, nailing 174 of her 177 routines performed thus far. As a sophomore and junior, she hit 100 percent of her routines. A three-event stud, Dowell has excelled on every event she has competed, recorded a perfect 10 on both bars and vault in her career, and posted a career high 9.975 on floor. Entering her senior year, Dowell made it her mission to compete in the all-around for the first time. She excelled immediately, earning a career-high 9.925 on beam and a career-high 39.725 in the all-around.

The list of Dowell's individual accolades is extensive. The 2018 NCAA Vault Co-Champion has snagged four NCAA All-America honors and six NACGC/W awards in her career. She has added a runner-up finish at the NCAA Event Finals on floor exercise in 2015 and finished in the top 10 nationally twice, with a 10th place finish on bars in 2015 and a 10th place finish on floor in 2018.

In addition, Dowell was the 2018 Big 12 Co-Floor Champion, the 2017 Big 12 Co-Bars Champion, the 2015 Big 12 Floor Champion and the 2015 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. She has earned six All-Big 12 honors and has been a 10-time Big 12 weekly award winner. The Odessa, Mo. native has 39 event titles to her name.

Dowell is set to graduate from OU in May with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and minors in business and classical culture. She is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and a 2019 recipient of the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, the Big 12 Conference's highest academic honor.

The No. 1 Sooners will next compete at the Big 12 Championships held in Norman, Okla., at the Lloyd Noble Center. The meet is slated for a 1 p.m. start and will air live on ESPNU. Tickets are available for purchase online.