Sooners to Host Quad Meet Friday Night

NORMAN – The No. 1 ranked Oklahoma women's gymnastics team is back at home inside Lloyd Noble Center for a quad meet featuring Big 12 newcomer BYU along with TWU and Utah State. The meet is set for a 6:45 p.m. CT start time on ESPN+. Chad McKee and former OU All-American Natalie Walker (Brown) will be on the call.

Friday's meet will be the Sooners fourth quad meet of the season and first at home. OU will welcome back Kristin White (Smith) who is the head coach at Utah State and was a standout gymnast for the Sooners from 2007-2010. The meet will also serve as alumni night with OU alums being honored immediately following the meet.

PROMOS & GIVEAWAYS

Eras Night: Fans can receive a limited edition "Eras Meet" poster featuring Sooner legends Kelly Garrison, Taylor Spears, Maggie Nichols, Nicole Lehrmann, Brenna Dowell, Anastasia Webb and Olivia Trautman. There will be a limited supply of heart shaped sunglasses and a friendship bracelet making station.

Alumni Recognition: Stick around after the meet for a recognition of OU gymnastics alumni who will be in attendance at Friday nights meet.

THE MORE YOU KNOW

HOME SWEET OKLA(HOME)A
Oklahoma is 138-4 inside Lloyd Noble Center since the arrival of head coach K.J. Kindler in 2007 and has posted 76 consecutive home victories across 50 meets dating back to 2014. The 2024 senior class is currently undefeated at home in their careers. OU will compete at home five times during the regular season and will also host the Big 12 Championships. After tonight, the Sooners will host Big 12 rival West Virginia (Feb. 23), 2021 NCAA Champion Michigan (March 1, ESPN2) and future SEC foe Alabama (March 17, ESPN2). The Big 12 Championship will be on ESPNU on March 23.

GOT IT DONE
The Sooners tied a program record with a 49.825 on the uneven bars and Jordan Bowers secured the first perfect 10 of the year for OU as the Sooners posted a season-high 198.375 on Feb. 2. The Sooners took down No. 2 California (197.950) and No. 23 Arizona State (197.250). OU matched its program record on bars, set in 2022 against Michigan, after a lights-out third rotation. The Sooners counted no score lower than 9.95 as multiple Sooners set a season high. Bowers 10.0 was the second of her career on bars and her fourth career perfect mark. Bowers took home the event title on bars with her perfect mark, floor with a 9.975 and the all-around with a 39.675. Faith Torrez took home the beam title with a near-perfect 9.975. All four Sooner all-around competitors notched at least a 39.600 with Katherine LeVasseur earning a 39.650 and Torrez and Audrey Davis earning matching 39.625s.

10 POINT JO
Junior Jordan Bowers became the first Sooner in 2024 to earn a perfect 10 with her outstanding bar routine at Arizona State on Feb. 2. Bowers perfect mark was the second of her career on bars and her fourth career perfect score. She is one of just three Sooners to ever earn more than one perfect score on bars, joining 2017 Bars National Champions Nicole Lehrmann and Maggie Nichols. She is also just the third gymnast to earn a perfect 10 on three events, joining Nichols and Anastasia Webb.

TO 198 AND BEYOND
Oklahoma has totaled 65 scores of 198 or better in program history, including 57 scores since 2016. Of those 65 scores, only 24 have been earned at home, with 41 coming at road or neutral site competitions. Twenty of those scores have come in regional or national competitions, including a 198.3875 at the 2023 NCAA Championship which tied for the highest NCAA Finals score in history. In 2023, the Sooners earned a new program-best with a 198.575 against West Virginia on Feb. 24, 2023. Also in 2023, the Sooners recorded an NCAA record 10 scores of 198-plus, which they accomplished in 2018 and 2022. This season, the Sooners are one of just six schools to reach the 198 mark this season and one of just two (LSU) to achieve the feat twice. OU is the only school with multiple marks over 198.300.

CLOUD 9.9
In five meets, the Sooners have posted 64 scores of 9.9 or higher – an average of 12.8 per meet and 53% of all routines. In the opening meet of the season, the Sooners tallied 11 marks of 9.9-plus and counted only scores of 9.9 or better on bars. In week two, the Sooners posted 12 scores of 9.9-plus and in week three counted 14. Of that 14, five came on beam meaning OU only counted scores of 9.9 or better on the event. OU posted a season high with 15 in week five. The Sooners lead the nation with 64 scores of 9.9 or higher, followed by LSU with 58 and Cal with 53. Only the Sooners have tallied double-digit marks of 9.9 or better in every meet this season.

BOWERS RECOGNIZED BY BIG 12
For the second time this season, junior Jordan Bowers has been named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week. This is the 13th career honor for Bowers who has now been named gymnast of the week eight times. Bowers was instrumental in helping lead the Sooners to an incredible 198.375 in a victory over No. 2 California and No. 23 Arizona State Friday night. The Lincoln, Neb., native scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars, her second on the event, to bring her career total to four perfect scores. Bowers' perfect mark on bars helped OU to an incredible NCAA and program record tying 49.825 in the third rotation. She now ranks No. 1 on the event. Along with her event title on bars, Bowers took home the floor title with a season high and near perfect 9.975. She also won the all-around title with a 39.675, her third straight met with over a 39.650 and fourth mark of 39.600 or better in 2024. The junior now has 11 event titles in 2024 to lead the Sooners. Bowers also helped OU to an incredible 49.650 on beam to wrap up the meet and push the Sooners to their season-high final score. She earned a 9.9 in the No. 3 spot after a stunning routine to finish her day with three marks of 9.9 or better.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
BYU: The Cougars are currently just outside the top 25, coming in at No. 27. BYU last competed against West Virginia earning a new season-high balance beam (49.100) and floor (49.325) scores to contribute to their new season-high score of 196.475, besting the Mountaineers' 193.500. The Cougars are 4-7 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 meets this year. Anyssa Alvarado was named the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week in week one.
TWU: The Pioneers are coming off a record setting night that saw a program-best 49.375 on floor exercise. The 49.375 beat the old record of 49.325 set back in 2015. Texas Woman's has an average score of 194.100, which ranks 55th in the nation, which includes a 48.688 on vault to rank 53rd, a 48.406 on bars to rank 52nd, a 48.175 on beam to rank 61st and a 48.831 on floor to rank 50th nationally.
Utah State: The Aggies are led by former Oklahoma gymnast Kristen White (Smith) and come to Norman after a tough loss to Southern Utah. Utah State secured a season-high 196.275 in its last meet while also posting season-highs on all four events. Utah State has an average score of 194.675 on the season, which includes a 48.785 on vault to rank 46th in the nation, a 48.825 on bars to ranks 38th in the nation, a 48.655 on beam to rank 40th in the nation and a 48.410 on floor to rank 61st in the nation.

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 Sooners will head to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Metroplex Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 17. OU will face Arkansas, California and Washington in the podium quad meet inside the Fort Worth Convention Center.

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