Top-Ranked Sooners Return to Lone Star State for Texas Woman’s

NORMAN – After winning their fifth straight Metroplex Challenge title last weekend, the Sooners return to the Lone Star State this Sunday for their last road meet in February. OU will face Texas Woman's University at 2 p.m. CT inside Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, Texas.

Live stats will be available through TWU's SIDEARM Stats page and will live stream for purchase via TWUAthletics.com.

MEMORABLE METROPLEX

Trailing going into the final rotation, No. 1-ranked Oklahoma closed with a season-high 49.675 on floor (tied its fourth-best score ever on the event) to win the four-team Metroplex Challenge last Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas, with a score of 198.125. OU improved to 10-0 on the season by registering this season's highest neutral site score in the nation.

The Sooners took the top spots on each event and in the all-around in the top-25 showdown against Alabama, Arkansas and Stanford, who are currently No. 9, No. 14 and No. 22, respectively.

Sophomore Jordan Bowers scored a career-high 39.750 to notch her third all-around title of the season and fourth of her career. She also captured her third-career beam title with a 9.925 and seventh floor title with a career-high 9.975. Junior Audrey Davis took third in the all-around with a career-high-tying 39.625 and finished in a four-way first-place tie on vault with a 9.925 (her first title of the season on that event). Freshman Faith Torrez captured her second bars title of the season with a career-high 9.975.

LONE STAR SOONERS

When OU hits the road for Denton, four Sooners will be making a trip back to the state where they trained and call home. Audrey Davis is from Frisco, Katherine LeVasseur from San Antonio, Caitlin Smith from Houston and Ragan Smith from Lewisville.

Davis trained at WOGA, LeVasseur at Mavericks Gymnastics, Caitlin Smith at World Champions Centre (WCC) and Ragan Smith at Texas Dreams. Two of the club programs (WOGA and WCC) have produced three of the last five Olympic all-around champions — Carly Patterson (2004) and Nastia Liukin (2008) from WOGA and Simone Biles (2016) from WCC.

ROAD WARRIORS

The Sooners are being tested away from home often in 2023. On the road, OU will face eight teams currently in the top 25 nationally, including five in the top 10. OU is 8-0 on the road so far, picking up top-15 victories against Auburn, Michigan, UCLA, LSU, Denver and Alabama, who are all in the top 10 of the current rankings.

OU returns to the Dallas-Fort Worth area this weekend for a matchup up against Texas Woman's University on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT.

Another tough and final road challenge of the regular season awaits the Sooners in Ann Arbor, Mich. OU will face the No. 3 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.

DYNAMIC DUO

After helping the Sooners earn their third consecutive 198-plus score (198.125), sophomore Jordan Bowers and freshman Faith Torrez were named the Big 12 Gymnast and Newcomer of the Week, respectively, for their performances at last weekend's Metroplex Challenge.

With the Sooners trailing the Crimson Tide after the first and third rotations Saturday night, Bowers and Torrez contributed to a pair of 49.675 team scores on bars and floor. The bars score matched the sixth-highest in program history and tied for the highest mark in the nation on the event this year. On floor, the team tied the fourth-best mark in program history.

Bowers was named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week for the fifth time in her career and notched her 10th weekly league honor. The Lincoln, Neb., native had the meet of her life, earning her third straight all-around title and fourth in her career with a career-high 39.750. She is the only gymnast in the conference to boast a score of 39.750 or higher in the all-around this season. Bowers won her second floor title this season and seventh overall with a career-high 9.975, while also capturing her third beam title with a 9.925.

Torrez earned her fourth weekly conference honor, the most by a single gymnast this season, and became the first gymnast to earn back-to-back weekly honors in 2023. In only her second podium meet in her collegiate career, Torrez competed on three events Saturday and was the top freshman in the Big 12 over the weekend on bars (career-high 9.975), floor (matched career-high 9.950) and beam (9.825). Torrez handled the pressure in the floor anchor spot to help OU clinch the team victory after matching a career high on the event.

STEADY AT THE TOP

For the sixth week in a row, the Sooners remain the No. 1 team in the country. This marks the last week scoring will be tabulated with averages and next week national rankings will be determined by the National Qualifying Score (NQS) for the rest of the season.

OU has posted back-to-back 198-plus averages this season with a 198.038 for week six and a 198.020 for week five. After posting the highest score on the weekend (198.350), Florida made the jump to No. 2 with a 197.838, while Michigan remains in the top three with a 197.792 average. Staying in the top five this week are Utah (197.679) and Auburn (197.446). Fellow Big 12 member Denver (197.150) remains at No. 10.

For the third consecutive week, OU is ranked in the top three on each of the four events and shares the season high on bars with Florida (49.675) and holds the top team score this season (198.425 at Denver). The bars score is also tied for the sixth best in program history. OU shares the top spot on vault with Michigan (49.500), is second on bars (49.542) and floor (49.517) and third on beam (49.479).

THE NATION'S BEST

Nine Sooners earned a total of 17 individual top-25 rankings this week, with at least one gymnast ranked in the top 10 on bars, beam and in the all-around. Four out of six gymnasts that competed on beam and floor over the weekend are ranked in the top 25, while five have performed on beam this season.

Sophomore Jordan Bowers ranks in the top 20 in all four events and in the all-around, including two top-10 rankings. In a stacked field, Bowers is ranked sixth in the country in the all-around for the third consecutive week. The Lincoln, Neb., native has posted six consecutive scores of 39.500-plus this season. Bowers shares the fourth spot nationally on vault with a 9.925 average. She is also tied for 17th on bars (9.912), shares the 15th spot on floor (9.913) and is tied for 20th on beam (9.896). Junior Audrey Davis is 10th nationally in the all-around (39.563) and bars (9.929), and tied for No. 17 on beam (9.912 average).

Junior Katherine LeVasseur is tied for 11th nationally with teammate Danielle Sievers on vault (9.896), while holding the No. 6 spot on beam (9.925 average). Sievers also remains in the top 25 on floor with a 9.905 average. The Gary, S.D., native earned her fourth straight 9.9-plus on the event last weekend, matching a season-high 9.925.

Joining LeVasseur in the top 25 beam rankings are seniors Olivia Trautman (No. 11; 9.917), Ragan Smith (No. 13; 9.913) and Jenna Dunn (tied at No. 24; 9.890). Super senior Allie Stern is tied for No. 25 on vault (9.879), while freshman Faith Torrez shares the No. 20 spot on floor (9.908).

VAULTING BACK TO THE TOP

All six vaulters from the 2022 NCAA Championships squad — Jordan Bowers, Danae Fletcher, Katherine LeVasseur, Danielle Sievers, Allie Stern and Olivia Trautman — returned for the Sooners in 2023, yet vault has received the biggest upgrade in 2023. OU possesses the difficulty, power and amplitude on this event and currently shares the top spot in the nation with a 49.500 average. With eight to nine potential 10.0 start values, the depth is impressive and should assure a lineup that can be shifted weekly.

Four of the six from the 2022 NCAA Championships vault lineup have earned perfect 10s on the event, including three last year (Bowers, LeVasseur and Stern), while Trautman has earned multiple perfect 10s. Each member of that quartet earned All-America honors on vault last season, with Stern placing third at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

Both competing Yurchenko 1.5s, junior Audrey Davis and freshman Faith Torrez have also been consistent contributors in the vault lineup this season with Davis competing every meet on the event and Torrez in four out of six meets.

Looking to break into the lineup, freshman Ava Siegfeldt adds another Yurchenko 1.5 to the Sooner squad and junior Audrey Lynn, who was sidelined with an injury in the second meet of the 2021 season, competes a unique 10.0 start value front-entry vault (pike front half).

The Sooners have displayed 10.0 start value vaults in all six spots for every meet this season. On Jan. 22, OU posted the eighth-best score on vault in program history (49.650), which is tied for the second highest vault score this season. The Sooners have been the top team on vault three times this season, and returned to the No. 1 spot in the current standings (tied with Michigan).

TO 198 AND BEYOND

Oklahoma has totaled 57 scores of 198 or better in program history, including 49 scores since 2016. Of those 49, only 19 have been earned at home with the other 30 all coming at road or neutral sites. Seventeen of those scores have come in regional or national competition, including a 198.500 mark against Florida on March 6, 2015, which is the top score in program history. Last season, OU matched an NCAA record with 10 scores of 198 or better in a single season, which the Sooners first accomplished in 2018.

OU currently holds the top spot with three consecutive scores above the 198-mark and back-to-back 198-plus averages this season (198.038 week six; 198.020 week five). The Sooners hold the highest road and neutral site scores this season with a 198.425 at Denver on Jan. 29 and a 198.125 at the Metroplex Challenge last Saturday. OU's road score at Denver is also the top season high overall in 2023. OU, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Utah and No. 9 Alabama are the only teams to hit 198-plus this season, with the Sooners (three) and Wolverines (two) reaching that mark more than once.

CLOUD 9.9

Through six weeks of the season, the Sooners have posted 77 scores of 9.900 or higher. With 144 routines competed, that means 53.47 percent of the routines have scored at least a 9.9 this season. OU has put up double-digit marks of 9.9 or higher in five of six meets this season, including a season-best 16 vs. Iowa State on Feb. 3. Last Saturday in Fort Worth, the Sooners posted 9.9-plus in all six spots in the lineup on floor and five 9.900s or higher on bars. OU totaled 15 9.900s, just one shy from its season best.

DEPTH DISPLAYED

Oklahoma has showcased the depth it has on its roster with 12 Sooners appearing in at least one lineup this season. Seniors Ragan Smith (UB, BB, FX) and Allie Stern (VT), juniors Audrey Davis (AA) and Katherine LeVasseur (VT, UB, BB), sophomores Jordan Bowers (AA), Danae Fletcher (VT, UB, FX) and Danielle Sievers (VT, UB, FX), and freshman Faith Torrez (AA) have competed in every meet this season. Seniors Jenna Dunn (BB) and Olivia Trautman (BB), junior Bell Johnson (FX), and freshman Ava Siegfeldt (BB) have all competed in at least three meets this season.

The underclassmen are playing a major role once again as the five sophomores and freshmen have combined for 86 of 144 routines (59.7 percent). Bowers, Davis, Sievers, Smith and Torrez have contributed 111 routines (77.1 percent) as all five have competed at least three routines in every meet, with Bowers being an all-arounder in all six.

In addition, junior Sheridan Ramsey and sophomore Amy Wier also show the added depth from the Sooners squad in exhibition spots. Ramsey competed on vault twice this season with a season-high 9.825, while Wier made her season debut on beam at Denver on Jan. 29.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY

Head coach Lisa Bowerman enters her 12th season as the Texas Woman's University (TWU) head coach and led the Pioneers to their 12th USAG Women's Collegiate National Championship in 2022. TWU has an even record (7-7) entering this weekend, which includes wins over Bowling Green, New Hampshire and runner-up and third-place finisher at the USAG Women's Collegiate National Championship, Air Force and Lindenwood, respectively.

CHALK TALK

The 2023 Oklahoma roster returns 21 routines from the 2022 squad, including eight gymnasts who combined for 20 All-America honors in seniors Ragan Smith, Olivia Trautman and Allie Stern, junior duo Katherine LeVasseur and Audrey Davis and sophomores Jordan Bowers, Danae Fletcher and Danielle Sievers.
With COVID-19 derailing the end of their sophomore seasons and being granted an extra year of eligibility, Stern and 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.
The Sooners are being featured on ESPN networks five times during the season: at LSU (Jan. 16), vs. Utah (Jan. 22), vs. Florida (March 3), at Michigan (March 6) and at the Big 12 Championship (March 18).
Eleven of OU's regular season opponents are ranked in the top 25 of the current RoadToNationals standings, including all the other teams in the top six and eight of the top 10.

LOOKING AHEAD

Oklahoma kicks off a two-week home stretch starting next Friday, Feb. 24 against West Virginia at 6:45 p.m. CT. The party continues the following Friday, March 3 against No. 2 Florida at 7:45 p.m. in a highly anticipated matchup of two of last year's NCAA Championships squads.

Individual home meet tickets are as low as $5, and can be purchased at SoonerSports.com/tickets.

FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

For updates, follow @OU_WGymnastics on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Women's Gymnastics on Facebook.