University of Oklahoma Athletics
Inaugural Parade of Champions Set for Saturday Afternoon
September 06, 2023 | Athletics
NORMAN – Complete with OU Spirit, the Sooner Schooner and the Pride of Oklahoma Drumline, the University of Oklahoma Athletics Department will hold its inaugural Parade of Champions on Saturday afternoon prior to OU's football game against SMU.
Similar to celebrations of Super Bowls, World Series and NBA Championships, OU's Parade of Champions will celebrate the Sooners' conference, national and world titles from the past year. Featured in the parade will be 2023 national champion women's gymnastics and softball teams, along with NCAA outdoor heptathlon champion Pippi Lotta Enok. OU's women's basketball, women's tennis and men's golf squads will be honored for their 2023 Big 12 team championships, and the track and field teams will celebrate their many individual conference event titles.
The parade, free to the public, will begin at 2 p.m. CT at Baked Bear on Campus Corner and continue south on Asp Ave. to Oklahoma Memorial Union.
The women's gymnastics team set program records on its way to winning its second consecutive and sixth overall national championship in 2023. Olivia Trautman won the vault national title, the eighth Sooner to bring home an individual crown. The team also earned the 14th Big 12 championship title in program history.
Softball brought home its third consecutive and seventh overall national title after a season that included a record-setting 53-game win streak and a 61-1 overall record. The 2023 Big 12 champions went undefeated in conference play to clinch their 11th straight regular season league crown.
For the first time since 2009, the OU women's basketball team won a Big 12 championship. The Sooners clinched their seventh regular season title while five athletes earned all-league honors.
The women's tennis team went back-to-back, earning its second consecutive Big 12 regular season title in 2023. The Sooners advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament with senior Layne Sleeth finishing as the NCAA singles runner-up.
For the second year in a row, the men's golf team stood atop the Big 12 Conference, winning its third Big 12 title under head coach Ryan Hybl. The Sooners ran away with the crown, winning by 18 strokes in wire-to-wire domination.
Track and field had an exceptional 2023 season, highlighted by a combined 13 conference championships. The team set 14 school records in 2023, including a record-breaking heptathlon performance from Lotta Enok that earned her the NCAA outdoor national title in the event.
OU head rowing coach Sarah Trowbridge and senior Lale Edil brought home a world championship in the Women's 8+ at this year's U23 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
OU's football game against SMU will kick off at 5 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Click here for ticket information.
