No. 1 Oklahoma Back Home to Face West Virginia

NORMAN – No. 1 Oklahoma kicks off a two-week home stretch starting Friday against West Virginia at 6:45 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. Chad McKee and Natalie Brown will be on the call for SoonerVision on ESPN+.

Live stats will also be available through OU's StatBroadcast page for fans to follow the action. Individual home meet tickets are as low as $5, and can be purchased at SoonerSports.com/tickets.

WHITE OUT

Spend your Friday evening with the Sooners and be sure to show out in white in the stands!

Bring the Heat: It may be winter, but we want to keep you warm indoors! The first 150 students get OU gymnastics beanies and first 150 fans will receive an OU gymnastics coffee mug. Admission is free for OU students.
High Five for $5: Show your ticket from women's basketball or women's gymnastics to get into the other event for $5.
Small bites and sips: Take advantage of $2 concession specials at tonight's meet against West Virginia. Fans can purchase small popcorns, 12 oz beers and 16 oz sodas for just $2.

ROAD DOMINANCE

The top-ranked Sooners showcased their depth in a 198.325-195.075 victory at Texas Woman's University on Sunday afternoon inside Kitty Magee Arena. Competing in its seventh meet of the season and fifth on the road, OU improved to 11-0 as it posted its second-highest score of the season. The mark was OU's fourth consecutive 198-plus score and the nation's second-highest road score this season.

Sophomore Jordan Bowers won the all-around for the fourth straight week and fourth time of her career with a 39.500, which included a 9.950 on bars and a career-high 9.975 on beam for her fourth title on the event. Junior Audrey Davis grabbed a pair of event titles on vault (9.950) and bars (9.975), matching career highs on each. Davis earned her second vault title this season and 16th career bars title. Freshman Faith Torrez matched a career-high 9.950 on floor for the fourth time to earn her third title on the event.

OU has picked up nine wins away from home this season, including top-15 victories against Auburn, Michigan, UCLA, LSU, Denver and Alabama, who are all in the top 10 after the initial National Qualifying Score (NQS) rankings.

HOME SWEET HOME

Oklahoma is 128-4 inside Lloyd Noble Center since the arrival of head coach K.J. Kindler in 2007. The Sooners have posted 66 consecutive victories dating back to 2014.

OU has five regular season home meets in 2023, with two airing on the ESPN family of networks. On the national stage, the Sooners opened their home slate on ESPN with a top-five win Jan. 22 against powerhouse Utah, which finished third at the 2022 NCAA Championships. OU picked up its first home conference win against head coach K.J. Kindler's alma mater Iowa State on Feb. 3. The Sooners host Big 12 opponent West Virginia on Friday and will host 2022 NCAA runner-up and No. 2 Florida next Friday, March 3 at 7:45 p.m. CT on ESPN2. OU will conclude the regular season at home for Senior Day against No. 22 Arizona State on March 12 at 1:45 p.m. CT.

TORREZ WIN BIG 12 WEEKLY AWARD

For the fifth time this season and third straight week, freshman Faith Torrez has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday. Torrez's five weekly conference honors are the most for a single gymnast this season. She joins Sooner sophomore duo Jordan Bowers (three) and Danielle Sievers (two) as the only gymnasts this season to earn multiple weekly conference accolades.

The Bristol, Wis., native matched career highs on floor (9.950) and beam (9.900), while also posting a 9.800 on bars in OU's win at Texas Woman's University. Torrez won her third floor title and was the top freshman in the Big 12 on three events, floor, beam and bars (tied) over the weekend.

STEADY AT THE TOP

Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the seventh consecutive week. The week marks the first time in 2023 rankings have been determined by National Qualifying Scores (NQS).

The top three remain the same as OU leads the way with an NQS of 198.105, followed by Florida (197.780) and Michigan (197.690) at No. 2 and 3, respectively. A trio of Pac-12 teams follow in the No. 4-6 spots, Utah (197.575), UCLA (197.530) and California (197.500). A pair of Tigers sit in the next two spots with Auburn (197.385) and LSU (197.335) in seventh and eighth, respectively. Alabama follows at No. 9 with a 197.250, while fellow Big 12 member Denver (197.195) rounds out the top 10.

For the fourth consecutive week, OU is ranked in the top three on each of the four events, including the No. 1 spots on vault (49.495) and bars (49.565). The Sooners' pair of 49.500s are tied for second on beam and third on floor in the nation. At Texas Woman's, OU earned the second-best score this season and tied for eighth-best in program history on beam (49.675) and the third-best score this season on bars (49.650).

THE NATION'S BEST

Seven Sooners earned a total of 13 individual top-25 rankings, with at least one gymnast ranked in the top 10 in all four events and the all-around. At least four out of six gymnasts that competed on vault (five) and bars (four) over the weekend are ranked in the top 25 in NQS.

Sophomore Jordan Bowers ranks in the top 20 in all four events and in the all-around, including four top-five rankings. Bowers moved up to fifth nationally in the all-around for with a 39.625 NQS in a stacked field. The Lincoln, Neb., native has posted seven consecutive scores of 39.500-plus this season and five career all-around crowns. Bowers is ranked in the top 10 on vault (9.915, T-3rd), beam (9.930, 4th), bars (9.925; T-9th). She is also ranked No. 19 on floor with a 9.910 and leads the Big 12 in the all-around, vault and beam, second on bars and third on floor.

Freshman Faith Torrez also boasts a top-five ranking on floor with a 9.940 NQS and is the top freshman in the nation on the event. Junior Audrey Davis leads the conference and is sixth nationally on bars with a 9.945. She is also tied for No. 24 in the nation on vault (9.875) with teammate Allie Stern, which puts them fourth in the conference.

In a stellar beam field, senior Ragan Smith moves into the top 10 at No. 9 with a 9.915 NQS. She's also in the top 25 on bars (9.890) after matching a career-high 9.950 for the second time this season on Sunday. Junior Katherine LeVasseur is ranked at No. 10 on vault with an NQS of 9.900, while Danielle Sievers notched a pair of 9.895s on vault (T-12th) and bars (T-21st), respectively.

TO 198 AND BEYOND

Oklahoma has totaled 58 scores of 198 or better in program history, including 50 scores since 2016. Of those 50, only 19 have been earned at home with the other 31 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.

The Sooners currently hold the top spot with four consecutive scores above the 198-mark, a 198.105 NQS and three straight 198-plus averages this season. OU holds 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 on Feb. 11. The Sooners' road score at Denver is also the top season high overall in 2023. Oklahoma, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Utah, No. 8 LSU and No. 9 Alabama are the only teams to hit 198-plus this season, with the Sooners (four) and Wolverines (two) reaching that mark more than once.

CLOUD 9.9

Through seven weeks of the season, the Sooners have posted 92 scores of 9.900 or higher. With 172 routines competed, that means 53.49 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 six of seven meets this season, including a season-best 16 vs. Iowa State on Feb. 3. Last Sunday in Denton, the Sooners posted 9.9-plus in five of the six spots in the lineup on beam and four 9.900s or higher on bars. For back-to-back weeks, OU totaled 15 9.900s, just one shy from its season best.

KINDLER VS. THE BIG 12

In 17 seasons, head coach K.J. Kindler is 91-5 against current and former members of the Big 12 (not including regionals and NCAA Championships). Against current members of league (Denver, Iowa State, West Virginia), Kindler is undefeated in the regular season with a 48-0 record. At the Big 12 Championships, she is undefeated against Iowa State (15-0) and West Virginia (9-0) and 5-1 against Denver.

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 103 of 172 routines (59.88 percent). Bowers, Davis, Sievers, Smith and Torrez have contributed 127 routines (73.84 percent) as all five have competed at least three routines in every meet, with Bowers being an all-arounder in all seven.

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 three times this season with a season-high 9.825, while Wier made her season debut on beam at Denver on Jan. 29.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS: WEST VIRGINIA

In his 12th season, West Virginia head coach Jason Butts holds a 144-104-1 record entering Friday night's meet with the Mountaineers holding a 8-6 record on the season. West Virginia's 196.575 meet total against Bowling Green last Sunday afternoon is the squad's highest since March 19, 2022, and ties for the 13th-best team score in program history. The Mountaineers captured four out of five individual titles including the all-around. Senior Kianna Yancey earned a pair of titles in the all-around and on beam, sophomore Brooke Alban captured the bars title and senior Emily Holmes-Hackerd took first on floor with a career-high 9.950.

Junior Ellen Collins earned this week's Big 12 Event Specialist of the week, the first weekly conference award this season for the Mountaineers. Collins achieved her first career podium finish after she recorded a career-best 9.900 on floor against the Falcons. In the initial National Qualifying Score (NQS) rankings this week, West Virginia is ranked in the top-25 on floor at No. 23 after posting the program's highest total of 49.575 on the event, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since 2016.

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 (next Friday, 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 five and eight of the top 10.

MEET DAY POLICIES

OU Athletics' clear bag policy will be in effect and walk-through metal detectors will be utilized. The approved clear plastic tote size is a maximum of 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag. Even those bags are subject to search.

Arena doors will open to the public one (1) hour prior to meet start. The general public can utilize the north and east entrances. No pass or payment is required for any parking at the LNC. Full details on OU's meet day policies at Lloyd Noble Center can be found here.

LOOKING AHEAD

The party and home stretch continues next 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

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