No. 1 Sooners Open 2020 in California

Saturday, January 4

Anaheim, Calif.

8:30 PM

University of Oklahoma

California

Photo by: photo shevaun williams

January 03, 2020 | Women's Gymnastics

Meet Notes FloGymnastics Collegiate Challenge

By: Lindsey Morrison

NORMAN – The No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team will kick off a new decade Saturday with the Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim, Calif. The Sooners are set for an 8:30 p.m. CT quad-meet with No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 California and No. 22 Stanford on Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The meet will be broadcast on FloGymnastics.com

NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR MEET ONE

LET'S GET IT STARTED
The Sooners are opening the season on the road for the third-straight season as they begin 2020 in Anaheim, Calif. OU has defeated Georgia and Arkansas on the road in the previous two season openers. Under head coach K.J. Kindler, OU is 10-3 all-time in its season opener and haven't lost in the first meet of the year since 2016.

LOOK BACK AT IT
The Sooners are coming off a perfect year as they were crowned the National Champions at the end of a 32-0 season. OU was ranked No. 1 every week of the season and earned the fourth national title in program history in April. The Sooners also won their eighth consecutive Big 12 Championship and 10th straight regional championship.

Senior Maggie Nichols became the sixth gymnast in NCAA history to win back-to-back all-around titles as she picked up her program-record sixth individual title. Sophomore Olivia Trautman was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and senior Jade Degouveia was named Event Specialist of the Year. Former Sooner Brenna Dowell earned conference and southeast region gymnast of the year accolades.

THERE'S ONLY ONE
Oklahoma was tabbed as the No. 1 team in the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association preseason coaches poll. The Sooners received 36 of 51 first place votes for 1,813 points. LSU earned the No. 2 ranking with 1755 points and 11 first place votes. Florida came in at No. 3 (1,680 points) with No. 4 UCLA (1,671 points) and No. 5 Utah (1,559) rounding out the top five teams.

This is the 10th straight year the Sooners have been ranked in the top five nationally to begin the season and sixth consecutive time being ranked in the top two. OU has OU was slated No. 1 in 2016, 2017 and 2018, No. 2 in 2015 and 2019, No. 3 in 2014 and No. 4 in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Oklahoma has now opened 15 consecutive seasons ranked in the top 10 nationally and the last 19 years in the top 25. Since Kindler's arrival, the Sooners have been ranked in the preseason top 10 every season.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Sooners will start the season with three consecutive road meets. After opening the season in California, OU will head to Tempe, Ariz., for a matchup with Arizona State on Jan. 11. The Sooners will close out their road swing on Jan. 17 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for a Friday night matchup with Alabama.

THE ROAD TO FORT WORTH RUNS THROUGH NORMAN
The road to the NCAA Championships will make a journey through Norman and Lloyd Noble Center in 2020. OU is one of four host sites this season, meaning the Sooners will have a home-floor advantage during the three-day regional competition.

This will be the fourth time since 2011 that the Sooners will play host as they hosted in 2011, 2013 and 2015. OU has won all three regional championships in the LNC and will look to make it four in April.

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
Head coach K.J. Kindler is in a league of her own in 2020. With the retirement of long-time UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field at the end of the 2019 season, Kindler is now the only active head coach to win a national championship.
Kindler is still the only coach in NCAA history to take two different programs to the NCAA Finals (Iowa State, 2006; Oklahoma, nine times).

TO 198 AND BEYOND
In each of last two seasons, the Sooners have posted at least eight marks of 198 or higher. Since 2016 OU has totaled 26 scores of 198 or better and has 33 such scores in program history. Of those 33, only 11 have been earned at home with the other 22 all coming at road or neutral sites. Nine of those scores have come in regional or national competition, including the 198.475 mark at the 2019 NCAA Athens Regional which is the top road score in NCAA history. In 2018, OU set the NCAA record with 10 scores of 198 or better in a single season. OU has more scores of 198 in the last four years than any other program has in their entire history.

WE TOO DEEP
The Sooners return 11 gymnasts from the 2019 NCAA Championship squad, all who competed extensively last season in seniors Jade Degouveia, Maggie Nichols and Bre Showers; juniors Jordan Draper, Evy Scheofper, Karrie Thomas, Carly Woodard and Anastasia Webb; and sophomores Emma LaPinta, Allie Stern and Olivia Trautman.

All 11 returners appeared in at least five meets and came up with clutch performances to help OU to an undefeated season. Of the 11 returning, seven appeared in at least one lineup during the NCAA Finals. Webb is the only Sooner on the current roster to appear in every meet of her career. Webb has hit 76 of 80 routines, good for a .950 average.

QUICK HITS

OU is ranked No. 1 in the WCGA preseason coaches poll, the sixth-straight season the Sooners have been ranked in the top two to begin the year.
Twelve of Oklahoma's 13 regular season opponents are ranked in the preseason coaches poll.
OU will face six preseason top-10 opponents during the 2020 season including No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Denver, No. 8 Georgia, No. 9 California and No. 10 Alabama.
Oklahoma returns seven previous NCAA All-Americans who own 23 total accolades: Jade Degouveia (VT, FX), Maggie Nichols (AA, VT, UB, BB, FX), Bre Showers (VT, AA), Karrie Thomas (UB), Olivia Trautman (FX), Anastasia Webb (UB, FX), Carly Woodard (BB).
The Sooners will be featured on ESPN networks four times during the regular season: at Arizona State (ESPNU), at Alabama (ESPN2), Denver (ESPNU) and the Big 12 Championship (ESPNU).

SCOUTING REPORTS

CALIFORNIA
Cal is ranked No. 9 in the preseason coaches poll. The Golden Bears finished in the top 25 on all four events with a No. 12 ranking on vault and bars, No. 13 on beam and No. 21 on floor. The Bears advanced to the Athens Regional Final, coming in third with a 197.675. Milan Clausi clinched a share of the regional vault title and advanced to the NCAA Championships where she earned a 9.825.

STANFORD
Stanford is ranked No. 22 in the preseason coaches poll and will face the Sooners twice in 2020. The Cardinal finished in the top 25 in the nation on floor with a No. 18 ranking. Stanford made it to the Corvallis Regional in 2019, coming in third on day one.

UCLA
UCLA finished the 2019 season coming in third place at the NCAA Championships. The Bruins were the top-ranked team on bars and floor at the end of 2019, along with boasting a No. 2 ranking on beam and No. 3 ranking on vault. Head coach Chris Waller is in his first season at the helm of the program after the retirement of legendary coach Valorie Kondos Field at the end of the 2019 season. UCLA boasted the top athlete on vault, bars, floor and the all-around at the end of the regular season.