Top-Two Championship Rematch Set for Friday on ESPN2

NORMAN – Hosting their own "Friday Night Heights" in Norman, the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners welcome the No. 2 Florida Gators to Lloyd Noble Center for one of the most anticipated meets of the 2023 season. The two teams are facing off in a rematch of the 2022 NCAA Championships which saw OU win its fifth national championship by just 0.1125 over runner-up UF. Coming down to the last competitor of the meet, Ragan Smith maintained her poise on beam to clinch the win for the Sooners with a clutch 9.9625.

The top-two showdown will air live on ESPN2 at 7:45 p.m. CT with Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson Clarke on the call and Samantha Peszek as the sideline reporter. The meet marks the third of five this season for OU on an ESPN Network and the second at home. 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.

CRIMSON OUT

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

Be your own CHAMP!: The first 500 fans receive a championship roller banner.
Rider's Up: The first 250 students that attend receive a red LED Cowboy hat. Admission is free for OU students.
Bring Home the W: The first 500 students will receive a free honey butter chicken biscuit coupon courtesy of Whataburger.
High Five for $5: Show your ticket from women's basketball or women's gymnastics to get into the other event for $5. - Red Poms in lower bowl

MARQUEE MATCHUP

On Friday night, No. 1 Oklahoma hosts No. 2 Florida for the first time since March 1, 2019, a meet that was held in front of an OU-record crowd at the time (5,082). The two programs have combined for an incredible eight NCAA team championships in the last decade (five by OU).

Oklahoma and Florida have met 31 times in program history with OU winning the most recent meeting at the 2022 NCAA Championships en route to its fifth national title. The Sooners, who are coming off a school-record 198.575 performance in a win over West Virginia last Friday, are 8-3 against Florida in the last 11 meetings, with six coming in postseason competition.

The two powerhouse programs have combined to win 29 conference postseason championships. A total of 18 Sooners and Gators have combined for 44 individual national titles, including the last seven NCAA all-around champions. The programs have combined to produce 481 All-America honors.

PURE PERFECT10N

Oklahoma has registered three perfect 10s this season, all by different gymnasts on different events. Senior Ragan Smith earned her third career 10.0 in Oklahoma's 198.425-197.425 conference victory at then-No. 9 Denver on Jan. 29. Smith, who became the first Sooner to earn a perfect 10 in 2023, won her first beam title of the season and 13th overall on the event. Last season, she earned back-to-back perfect scores on beam against Texas Woman's (Feb. 6) and George Washington (Feb. 11). Smith is up to fifth in program history for career perfect 10s (three) and is tied with NCAA individual champions Brenna Dowell and Nicole Lehrmann.

Sophomore Jordan Bowers (floor) and Katherine LeVasseur (vault) were two of 11 perfect 10s nationally last weekend, including the only two from the Big 12 Conference. Bowers and LeVasseur's second career perfect 10s tied them for eighth in program history for career perfect 10.0 scores with Chayse Capps and Kiara Redmond. Bowers earned OU's first perfect 10 on floor since teammate Olivia Trautman on Feb. 15, 2019. The other time LeVasseur scored a perfect score was in last season's home opener against Alabama on Jan. 9, 2022.

HOME SWEET HOME

Oklahoma is 129-4 inside Lloyd Noble Center since the arrival of head coach K.J. Kindler in 2007 and has posted 67 consecutive home 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 Kindler's alma mater Iowa State on Feb. 3 and had a record-breaking night against Big 12 opponent West Virginia last Friday night. OU will conclude the regular season at home (Senior Day) against No. 15 Arizona State on March 12 at 1:45 p.m. CT.

SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS

The top-ranked Sooners made history Friday night with their school-record 198.575 in a win over West Virginia (195.675) in front of the fifth-best crowd in program history (6,200) at Lloyd Noble Center. OU's score is the best nationally this season and tied for the fifth best in NCAA history.

OU improved to 12-0 on the year with its fifth straight score of at least 198.000 and registered nine individual career-high performances on the night, including perfect 10s from junior Katherine LeVasseur on vault and sophomore Jordan Bowers on floor. Their previous program-high score was a 198.500 vs. Florida at home in 2015.

The Sooners swept the individual standings and took at least the top four spots on each event and top two in the all-around. Bowers captured her sixth career all-around title with a 39.750 and added titles on floor and beam. LeVasseur captured her sixth vault title while junior Audrey Davis earned her 17th bars crown and shared the beam title with Bowers. Alongside Davis, senior Ragan Smith won bars for the second time this season.

PERFECT SWEEP

For the fourth time this season, a trio of Oklahoma gymnasts swept the weekly Big 12 Conference honors, the conference announced Tuesday. Jordan Bowers was named Gymnast of the Week, Katherine LeVasseur was Event Specialist of the Week and Faith Torrez was named Newcomer of the Week.

Bowers notched her 11th weekly league honor and sixth Big 12 Gymnast of the Week accolade. LeVasseur's second Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week recognition marked her fourth weekly league honor and second this season. The most for a single gymnast this season, Torrez earned her fourth consecutive weekly conference honor and sixth overall. Torrez (six), Bowers (four), LeVasseur (two) and sophomore Danielle Sievers (two) are the only Big 12 gymnasts this season to earn multiple weekly conference accolades.

Over the weekend, Bowers led the Big 12 on beam, floor and in the all-around. She earned her first perfect 10 on floor while matching a career-high 9.950 on beam for her fifth title on the event. Bowers captured her fifth straight all-around crown and eighth consecutive score of 39.500 or higher this season. In LeVasseur's only event of the night, she nailed a gorgeous Yurchenko 1.5 for her first perfect 10 this season on vault and led the conference on the weekend. Torrez tied career highs on floor (9.950) and beam (9.900), and added a 9.875 on bars to finish as the top freshman in the conference on all three events last weekend.

STEADY AS THEY GO

Oklahoma remains No. 1 in the nation for the eighth consecutive week with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 198.205 after the second week of NQS rankings. OU holds the nation's best scores at home (198.575), on the road (198.425) and at a neutral site (198.125).

Going into Friday's highly anticipated showdown at Lloyd Noble Center, the Sooners and Florida (197.845) are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively. After earning the second highest score last weekend (198.550), Utah moved into the top three with an NQS of 197.805. OU's last road opponent the season, Michigan (197.715) sits at No. 4, while UCLA rounds out the top five (197.655). Fellow Big 12 member Denver sits at No. 10 (197.305).

For the fifth consecutive week, OU is ranked in the top three nationally on each of the four events, including No. 1 on vault (49.535) and bars (49.610). The Sooners remain second on beam with a 49.555 and third on floor with a 49.545. Last weekend, OU matched a season high and the fourth-highest score in program history on floor (49.675), the second-highest scores this season on vault (49.625) and bars (49.650), and third-best score in 2023 on beam (49.625).

THE NATION'S BEST

Six Sooners own a total of 12 individual top-25 rankings, with at least one gymnast ranked in the top 10 on all four events and in the all-around. Four out of six gymnasts who competed on bars over the weekend are ranked in the top 25 in NQS. The Sooners registered nine individual career-high performances last Friday night, including a pair of perfect 10s from junior Katherine LeVasseur on vault and sophomore Jordan Bowers on floor.

Bowers ranks in the top 15 on all four events and in the all-around, including in the top 10 on beam (9.940 NQS, T-4th), in the all-around (39.670, 5th) and on vault (9.915 NQS, T-6th). She is also tied for 13th on bars (9.925) and 11th on floor (9.925). LeVasseur, junior Audrey Davis and freshman Faith Torrez also boast top-10 rankings this week. LeVasseur jumped six spots to No. 4 (tied) on vault with an NQS score of 9.925. Davis is tied for fourth nationally on bars with a 9.960 NQS. Torrez is sixth overall on floor with a 9.945 NQS and the top freshman nationally on the event.

Senior Ragan Smith and sophomore Danielle Sievers also enjoy top-20 national rankings for week eight. Smith is ranked No. 12 on beam and No. 18 on bars with a pair of 9.915 NQS scores. Sievers sits at No. 17 on vault (9.895) and No. 21 on bars (9.905).

THE COMEBACK

Coming back from injury year after year throughout her career and always looking better each season, super senior Olivia Trautman is the definition of perseverance and leadership.
After missing Oklahoma's first three meets this season, Trautman was originally slated to compete in the exhibition spot on beam at then-No. 9 Denver on Jan. 29. Instead, Trautman made her season debut in the No. 5 spot and wowed with a career-high-tying 9.950 on beam to win Big 12 Specialist of the Week on Jan. 31. Her beam performance fueled OU's 49.725 score, which represented the third-best in program history and currently the second-best score in the nation this season on the event.

Trautman was also instrumental in helping the Sooners to the best score in the nation this season (program-record 198.425) in front of the fifth-largest home crowd in program history last Friday vs. West Virginia. She returned to vault for the first time this season, and after a perfect score from teammate Katherine LeVasseur followed with a stellar effort of her own, a near-perfect 9.975 on her Yurchenko 1.5. The Champlin, Minn., native also registered a career-high 9.925 on her first bars routine since last year's NCAA Championships finals. She capped off her night on beam with her fifth consecutive 9.900-plus mark on beam (9.925).

TO 198 AND BEYOND

Oklahoma has totaled 59 scores of 198 or better in program history, including 51 scores since 2016. Of those 51, only 20 have been earned at home with the other 31 coming at road or neutral sites. Seventeen of those scores have come in regional or nationals competition, including a 198.475 mark at the 2019 NCAA Athens Regional Final. The Sooners surpassed their own nation's-best score this season with a program-record 198.575 against West Virginia last Friday night. 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. They have done it five times this year.

The Sooners currently hold the top spot with five consecutive scores above the 198-mark, a 198.205 NQS and four straight 198-plus averages this season. OU holds the best scores nationally at home (198.575), on the road (198.425 at Denver on Jan. 29) and at a neutral site (198.125 at the Metroplex Challenge on Feb. 11). Seven teams have hit 198-plus this season, including all teams in the top four. Three of OU's opponents have posted two scores of 198 or higher each — No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Utah and No. 4 Michigan.

CLOUD 9.9

Through eight weeks of the season, the Sooners have posted 109 scores of 9.900 or higher. With 199 routines competed, that means 54.8 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 seven of eight meets this season, including a season-best 17 vs. West Virginia last Friday. Against the Mountaineers, the Sooners posted 9.9-plus in five of the six spots in the lineup on bars and beam (five straight to begin the lineup).

KINDLER VS. THE SEC

The Sooners have proven to be a force when it comes to battling their foes in the Southeastern Conference. Seventeenth-year OU head coach K.J. Kindler is 66-9 against the SEC, including 38-1 since Jan. 26, 2018. Soon, this season's SEC opponents will be yearly competition as Oklahoma is set to join that league on July 1, 2024. Five SEC teams are on OU's 2023 regular season schedule, and the Sooners are 4-0 against the league with victories on the road over Auburn (Jan. 7 in Las Vegas), LSU (Jan. 16), and Alabama and Arkansas (Feb. 11 in Fort Worth, Texas). The Sooners will face their last SEC opponent of the regular season on Friday when they host No. 2 Florida.

SCOUTING THE GATORS: NO. 2 FLORIDA

A program with rich gymnastics tradition, No. 2 Florida boasts 25 NCAA Finals appearances, including three national championships and a runner-up finish at last year's NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. The Gators enter Friday's competition with the highest score on any event this season with a 49.800 on bars last Friday against Kentucky, and they rank No. 2 nationally behind the Sooners with a 49.610 NQS on the event. Florida also holds the highest score in the nation on floor with a 49.725, tied for sixth overall (49.470 NQS). The Gators also rank second overall and tied fifth on vault (49.330) and third on beam (49.500).

Seven Gators have been a part of U.S. Senior National Teams, which is the third-highest total in NCAA history. Included are world champions Leanne Wong (2022), Riley McCusker (2018) and Morgan Hurd (2017, '18); 2021 world all-around bronze medalist Kayla DiCello; and reigning NCAA all-around champion Trinity Thomas. Wong and DiCello were named alternates to the U.S. Olympic team.

Three UF gymnasts rank in the top 10 nationally in the all-around: Thomas (3rd, 39.720), Wong (8th, 39.580) and DiCello (10th, 39.550). Thomas is ranked in the top 10 nationally on all four events and in the all-around, including three in the top three. She is tied for first on bars (9.965), second on floor (9.960) and third in the all-around. Wong is tied for fourth on bars (9.960) and 11th on beam (9.920), while DiCello is fourth on beam (9.940) and 12th on bars (9.930).

CHALK TALK

The Sooners will be featured on ESPN networks five times during the season: at LSU (Jan. 16), vs. Utah (Jan. 22), vs. Florida (March 3), at Michigan (Monday, 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.

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

In its last road challenge of the regular season, OU will make the journey to Ann Arbor, Mich., to face the No. 4 Wolverines at 4:30 p.m. CT next Monday, March 6. The programs will meet inside Crisler Center for the first time since 2019 and the competition will be televised by ESPNU. OU head coach K.J. Kindler and Michigan head coach Bev Plocki are the only two active head coaches to have won an NCAA championship.

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