Sooners Fly Past Razorbacks in Home Opener

Monday, January 20

Lloyd Noble Center

1:15 PM

University of Oklahoma

198.175

196.550

Arkansas

Photo by: Joshua R. Gateley

Sooners Fly Past Razorbacks in Home Opener

January 20, 2020 | Women's Gymnastics

Highlights Final Scores Replay (Premium)Intro Video Photo Gallery

By: Lindsey Morrison

¹ Oklahoma

198.175

19 Arkansas

196.550

Highlights / Stats / Photos

Team Scores
	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor
OU	49.525	49.675	49.400	49.575
ARK	49.025	49.250	49.025	49.250

High Scores
Event	Gymnast	Score
Vault	Maggie Nichols (OU)	10.000
Bars	Degouveia (OU), Nichols (OU), Thomas (OU)	9.950
Beam	Maggie Nichols (OU)	9.975
Floor	Maggie Nichols (OU)	9.975
AA	Maggie Nichols (OU)	39.900

OU Team Highs
Event	Gymnast	Score
Vault	Maggie Nichols	10.000
Bars	Degouveia, Nichols, Thomas	9.950
Beam	Maggie Nichols	9.975
Floor	Maggie Nichols	9.975
AA	Maggie Nichols	39.900

NORMAN – The No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team put on a show for their home crowd as they topped No. 19 Arkansas, 198.175-196.500, in the 2020 home opener.

"Best home opener I think we've ever had," head coach K.J. Kindler said. "Felt super packed. I did hear the attendance was about 4,400. It felt like more than that, which is a good thing for the athletes. They felt good energy. It felt a little bit like UCLA (in 2019). Really good energy and really excited to see people come out on a Monday afternoon. I can't imagine now on a Friday evening what that crowd's going to look like. Really pleased with that."

In their second meet in four days, the Sooners showed no signs of slowing down as they reached the 198 threshold in back-to-back competitions. OU posted the top mark in the nation on bars with a 49.675, their highest event score of the night. The Sooners added a 49.575 on floor, 49.525 on vault and a 49.400 on beam.

"The crowd was really energetic and great for a Monday afternoon," head coach K.J. Kindler said. "It was super exciting and felt like an evening. I honestly think we did an exceptional job after coming off of Alabama. That was a high-emotion meet for us. It was filled with ten-thousand plus fans and we expended a lot of energy not just physical but mental and emotional. To rebound in two days and put forth this result shows a lot about the endurance, fitness and mental strength of our team. As an athlete, turning it around that quick and trying to get a 10 just a couple days later, they aren't used to that. They are used to those five days in-between when they can recover so I was really impressed with the way they handled that."

Senior Maggie Nichols stole the show once again as she posted her second-highest career all-around score with a 39.900. Days after being the first gymnast in 2020 to post a score of 39.800 or better, Nichols became the first gymnast this season to break 39.900.

Nichols is the only gymnast to eclipse 39.900 since Courtney Kupets notched a 39.900 in 2009. Nichols has posted four scores of 39.900 or better with her highest being a 39.925 in 2017. She is the only gymnast in NCAA history with multiple scores of 39.900 or better.

OU started things off hot with a 49.525 on vault. For the second time in as many meets, Nichols scored a perfect 10 on vault. The Little Canada, Minn., native now has seven perfect 10s on the apparatus.

"We strive for perfection every time we go out there, so when I compete, I just try to do my best gymnastics," Nichols said. "When I stick that landing, I just hope to get the best score that I can, so to see that ten just means the absolute world and that the hard work paid off. Like that vault, I was like, 'Okay, that was pretty good,' but you never know. It's in the judges' hands, so I just trust that."

Senior Jade Degouveia and Webb each tallied a 9.9 for the second straight meet on their Yurchenko 1.5s. Sophomore Allie Stern added a 9.875 in the No. 2 spot and junior Evy Schoepfer notched a 9.850 on her tucked 1.5.

The Sooners kept the fire going as three gymnasts posted marks of 9.95 in the second rotation. OU posted a 49.675 on the event, a new nation-best. Webb led things off strong as always with a season-high 9.9. In just her third meet competing bars collegiately, sophomore Olivia Trautman tallied a 9.875 in the No. 2 spot.

"You are seeing some really great landings on bars," Kindler said. "The stuck landings, I am counting at least four really beautiful stuck landings; they came one after another and they fed off each other so I thought that was amazing."

Junior Karrie Thomas matched her career high on the event with a stuck double layout and a 9.95. Following Thomas, Degouveia set a career high herself with a 9.95 of her own. Freshman Ragan Smith tallied a 9.925 in the No. 5 spot, setting up Nichols for a 9.95 in the anchor position.

"We've been really drilling details in the gym," Degouveia said. "I've been really focusing on that, especially the dismounts and landings because that gives you that extra tenth right there that can boost your score a lot. Also, I've built a lot of confidence on the event from the past three meets, and that's really helped me as well. It all just came together today."

In the third rotation, the Sooners posted a 49.400 on beam highlighted by Nichols' near perfect 9.975 in the anchor position. Thomas led off with a 9.85 and Oklahoma City native Jenna Dunn notched a 9.825 in her first meet in front of her home crowd. Smith and junior Carly Woodard tallied matching 9.875s.

"Beam was steady," Kindler said. "If there is any event you are going to show just a little bit of exhaustion, it is beam. You need every little muscle in your body working to keep you on the beam; it has to be so precise. Anastasia (Webb) has a routine that if she misses something, she has to make up for it doing some additional things. We practice it in the gym and she hasn't had to do it because her connection has been so good in the first meets. Today she missed the connection and had to do the other two things in order to start from a 10. That is hard to handle. While you are up there, you are thinking 'what am I going to do, I have to add this in and take this out.' To be able to do that under pressure is remarkable. It is a win to get through that when you have an error like that, and she did a great job."

OU broke 49.500 on floor once again with a 49.575. Junior Jordan Draper led off the final rotation with a season high 9.9, followed by a 9.875 from Smith. Sophomore Emma LaPinta matched her career high, set Friday at Alabama, with a 9.9 in the No. 3 spot.

Degouveia added a 9.85 in the No. 4 spot. Webb wrapped up her all-around performance with a season-high 9.925 for a 39.525 all-around score. Nichols was once again nearly perfect as she anchored the meet with a 9.975.

"Floor, I was so impressed by Jordan Draper and the way she has been leading us off," Kindler said. "She has upgraded every single pass from last year and her starting us off with a 9.9 is exactly where we need to be. I can't say enough about the two at this end (Maggie Nichols and Jade Degouveia) and their leadership. Today we had a theme of being at home and having courage to go for it and leadership. Leadership is so important in guiding teams to win a championship so Jade and Maggie have really taken the reigns with that. Maggie is chasing tens every time she steps on the floor and Jade is doing the same. She is in a position to get a 10 on all three events this year. I am super impressed with their leadership when you have a talented team like this."

The Sooners will compete in their second podium meet of the season on Saturday as they head to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Metroplex Challenge. The quad meet will feature Alabama, Georgia, Denver and Oklahoma.