Oklahoma Opens Season with Top 10 Battle at Inaugural Super 16 in Las Vegas

Saturday, January 7

Las Vegas, Nev.

8 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

Michigan

Tickets

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Oklahoma Opens Season with Top 10 Battle at Inaugural Super 16 in Las Vegas

January 06, 2023 | Women's Gymnastics

Meet Notes Watch BTN Live Stats Event Website Event Tickets Podium Training Photo Gallery

NORMAN – The defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Oklahoma women's gymnastics team is set to kick off the 2023 season at the inaugural Super 16 presented by Ozone inside the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. on Saturday.

The largest women's collegiate invitational in the nation will feature 16 teams, including three programs that have won the last six NCAA Championships (Oklahoma, Michigan and UCLA) and a combined total of 13 NCAA team titles.

The Saturday night session will air on Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. CT with former Olympians John Roethlisberger and Laurie Hernandez on the call. Live stats will be available through Meet Scores Online and fans can watch through the Fox Sports app and online here.

LET'S GET IT STARTED

The 2023 Oklahoma squad returns 21 routines and two newcomers who are excited to start the new season. Under head coach K.J. Kindler, OU is 15-3 all-time in season openers. The Sooners have not lost a season opener since 2016.

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN

OU's K.J. Kindler is in a league of her own in 2023 as the only coach in NCAA history to take two different programs to the NCAA Finals. In 2006, Kindler's Iowa State team advanced to the Super Six. Kindler has guided 11 OU teams to the NCAA Finals in her 17 years in Norman.

Kindler and Michigan head coach Bev Plocki are the only two active coaches to win an NCAA team title.

THE ROAD TO NATIONALS

The 2023 Oklahoma women's gymnastics schedule rivals any in the nation. OU will compete against many top-10 programs, including preseason No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Utah, No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Auburn, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Alabama and No. 10 UCLA.

Oklahoma will also have the chance to compete on podium three times ahead of the 2023 NCAA postseason, including in its season opener Saturday at the Super 16. In another podium test, OU will look to defend its title at the Metroplex Challenge inside the Fort Worth Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 11. In that event, the Sooners will face a tough field that includes three preseason top-20 teams: No. 7 Alabama, No. 15 Arkansas and No. 16 Stanford.

For its last podium challenge before the NCAA postseason, OU will vie for its 14th Big 12 Championship on Saturday, March 18, in Morgantown, W. Va.

ROAD WARRIORS

The Sooners will be tested early and often away from home in 2023. On the road, OU will face eight preseason top-20 teams, including five in the top 10. On top of facing top-10 teams Auburn, Michigan, UCLA at Saturday's Super 16, the Sooners will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for another big road test against preseason No. 6 LSU on Monday, Jan. 16, inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. It will be the first time since 2016 that OU will meet LSU in Baton Rouge.
OU will conclude the month of January with its conference opener at Denver on Sunday, Jan. 29. The Pioneers won their first Big 12 Conference championship in 2021.

The Sooners look to defend their title at the Metroplex Challenge inside the Fort Worth Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 11. OU will return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area the following weekend for a matchup up against Texas Woman's on Sunday, Feb. 19.

Another tough and last road challenge of the regular season awaits the Sooners in Ann Arbor, Mich. OU will face the preseason No. 4 Wolverines for the second time Monday, March 6. It will be the first time since 2019 for the Sooners to face Michigan inside Crisler Center.

The Big 12 Championship will also be held on podium at West Virginia on Saturday, March 18. The Sooners will be vying for their 14th Big 12 title.

ONE MORE SHOT

With COVID-19 derailing the end of their sophomore seasons and being granted an extra year of eligibility, Allie Stern and Olivia Trautman return for a final season in 2023.

A full-scholarship athlete each of the last four years, Stern came back as a walk-on for the 2023 season in her last year of eligibility.

Stern's passion for the sport is evident in her work ethic and personal drive. She has been a standout vault specialist since her freshman year in 2019. The two-time All-American had an accomplished 2022 season, finishing third on vault at the NCAA Championships and earning her first career perfect 10 to open the season against Alabama. She brings a powerful 10.0-start-value Yurchenko 1.5 to OU's strong vault lineup for the 2023 season.

Trautman is one of the most powerful gymnasts in program history. She was a standout all-arounder her freshman year in 2019, becoming just the fourth freshman in program history to earn a perfect 10 on any event when she did it on floor at the Perfect 10 Challenge. Though three of her seasons have been shortened by injury, Trautman hasn't missed a beat in the postseason. She has turned in incredible performances and racked up many accolades in the biggest competitions, including 10 All-America honors and two Big 12 individual titles. She was named 2019 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and has earned four career perfect 10s on vault and floor.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

The traditional senior class of 2023 features Jenna Dunn and Ragan Smith. Since their arrival in Norman, OU has secured a national championship (2022) and a runner-up finish (2021). The Sooners have also won a Big 12 title (2022) and back-to-back regional crowns (2019, 2021).

Dunn has probably been one of the biggest surprises for the Sooners since her very first start at the Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim, Calif., in 2020, when she was only slated to be the alternate but jumped into the leadoff position on beam and never looked back. As the leadoff, Dunn sets the tone for OU's beam squad with a solid and confident routine highlighted by her triple series (back handspring, back handspring, layout stepout). Competing in all 16 meets in 2022 on beam, Dunn matched a career-high 9.925 and hit 100% of her beam routines.

Always smiling in the gym, Smith has true passion and joy for the sport of gymnastics and constantly strives to be better. She has a long list of accomplishments as a Sooner, including seven All-America honors, three Big 12 individual event titles and five All-Big 12 honors. She was also named the 2020 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Last season, Smith earned a perfect 10 on beam in back-to-back meets (Feb. 4 and Feb. 11) and was ranked No. 1 in the nation on the event to end the regular season. Under the pressure and the spotlight, she anchored the beam lineup and posted a 9.9625 to clinch the NCAA title for the Sooners.

THERE'S ONLY ONE

The defending national champion Oklahoma women's gymnastics team was tabbed as the No. 1 team in the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association preseason coaches poll. The Sooners received 22 first-place votes for 1,727 points, while Florida came in second with 1,724 points and 21 first-place votes, and Utah third with 1,648 points and two first-place votes. The Gators and the Red Rocks are coming off second- and third-place finishes at the 2022 NCAA Championships, respectively.

This marks the fifth time in program history that OU has been picked as the No. 1 team, 13th straight season in which it has been ranked in the top five nationally to begin the year and the ninth consecutive year being ranked in the preseason top three. Prior to this season, OU was voted the No. 1 team in the preseason in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020, No. 2 in 2015 and 2019, No. 3 in 2014 and 2021, and No. 4 in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

OU has now opened 18 consecutive seasons ranked in the top 10 nationally and the last 22 years in the top 25. Since Coach Kindler's arrival in 2007, the Sooners have been ranked in the preseason top 10 every year.

FRESH FACES

The new year also means the introduction of a pair of fresh faces. Dynamic duo Faith Torrez and Ava Siegfeldt make up the 2023 freshman class and are former national team members. Sooner fans can expect these two up-and-comers to make an immediate impact as all-around contributors.

Torrez is a former senior national team member with international experience. She made her international debut at Gymnix International where she won a team gold medal and individually captured gold on beam and bronze on bars. The 2019 Nastia Liukin Cup participant was also a successful level 10 gymnast, earning the national all-around title and scoring a pair of perfect 10s (bars and beam) in 2022 to cap off her club career. Torrez is anticipated to make an immediate impact in all four lineups and may be one of the top all-around competitors for the Sooners.
Siegfeldt brings extensive experience to the Sooners. The former senior national team member finished 14th at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials and was one of only 16 women in the country to participate in the prestigious event. She also finished 15th at the 2021 U.S. Championships and competed at the 2021 GK U.S. Classic and the 2021 American Classic.

WE TOO DEEP

The Sooners return 16 gymnasts from their 2022 NCAA championship squad, including fifth-year seniors Allie Stern and Olivia Trautman, seniors Jenna Dunn and Ragan Smith, juniors Audrey Davis, Bell Johnson, Katherine LeVasseur, Audrey Lynn, Sheridan Ramsey and Meilin Sullivan, and sophomores Jordan Bowers, Danae Fletcher, Caitin Kirkpatrick, Danielle Sievers, Madison Snook and Amy Wier.

Super seniors Trautman and Stern were also part of the 2019 national title team, bringing their national championship ring total to two.

FLIP ON THE TV

The Sooners will be featured four times on ESPN networks during the 2023 season, including two anticipated matchups against the second and third-place finishers of the 2022 NCAA Championship Finals, No. 2 Florida and No. 3 Utah.

In its Jan. 22 home opener, the Sooners will face Pac-12 opponent Utah for a showdown in the Lloyd Noble Center at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Red Rocks are coming off a third-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships. To kick off the month of March, OU welcomes SEC foe and NCAA runner-up Florida in Norman for a rematch of the 2022 NCAA Championships on Friday, March 3. ESPN2 will broadcast the matchup at 8 p.m. CT. The last road challenge of the regular season will feature the 2021 NCAA champions Michigan hosting the Sooners, the defending NCAA champions, in Ann Arbor on Monday, March 6 at 4:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

The Big 12 Championship hosted by West Virginia in Morgantown will be in primetime on Saturday, March 18. OU, Denver, Iowa State and West Virginia will vie for the conference title at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

Both NCAA Championship semifinals will air on ESPN2 with finals on ABC. The championship will take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, April 13-15. The semifinals are set for 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 13, with the finals slated for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 15.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

NO. 4 MICHIGAN: The defending Big Ten champion enters the 2023 season ranked No. 4 after finishing in eighth place at the 2022 NCAA Championships. The 2021 NCAA champion returns five-time WCGA All-America honoree Abby Heiskell and reigning AAI Award winner Natalie Wojcik, who are both using their COVID-19 eligibility for a fifth season. Bev Plocki is in her 34th season as the head coach of the Wolverines and has guided the squad to 25 Big Ten championships, the most by any coach in any sport in Big Ten history, along with 26 NCAA Championships appearances and 10 NCAA Super Six berths. She and OU head coach K.J. Kindler are the only two active coaches to win an NCAA championship.
NO. 5 AUBURN: The Auburn Tigers are coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships and are led by 2020 Tokyo Olympian Suni Lee, who won the all-around gold medal and became the fifth straight American to win the all-around crown at an Olympic Games. Lee has indicated interest in pursuing a berth to the 2024 Olympic Games. In addition to Lee, the Tigers bring a wealth of talent with All-Americans Derrian Gobourne, who was runner-up on bars and floor at the 2022 NCAA Championships, and Sophia Groth.
NO. 10 UCLA: The seven-time NCAA champions return a star-studded lineup, led by 2020 Olympic silver medalist and three-time 2022 World Championships medalist Jordan Chiles. Indicating interest in pursuing a berth to the 2024 Olympic Games, Chiles is one of three returning All-Americans on the Bruins squad, along with four-time All-American Chae Campbell and three-time All-American Margzetta Frazier. The Bruins also return a wealth of international experience with 2020 U.S. Olympic team alternate and All-Pac-12 beamer Emma Malabuyo, 2020 Canadian Olympian Brooklyn Moors and 2018 World beam silver medalist Ana Padurariu. UCLA also kicks off a new era with first-year head coach Janelle McDonald leading the squad.

LOOKING AHEAD

Following its season opener, OU will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for a showdown against sixth-ranked LSU at 2 p.m. CT on Jan. 16 before opening its home slate Jan. 22 at 6:45 p.m. CT against third-ranked Utah on ESPN inside Lloyd Noble Center.

SUPER 16 TICKETS ON SALE

Single-session tickets range from $30 to $55 (plus taxes and fees) while all-session tickets range from $79 to $291 (plus taxes and fees) for the inaugural Super 16 meet at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Both ticket options may be purchased online through the Orleans Arena website. Discounted tickets will be available through participating gym clubs. For group or gym club ticket information, email gymnationtickets@gmail.com.

To keep up to date on event, go to Super16gymnastics.com or follow it on social media at @super16gym on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.