Completed Event: Women's Gymnastics versus Auburn on April 4, 2025 , Win , 198.025, to, 196.950
Final
Women's Gymnastics
198.025
vs Auburn
196.950
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Smith, Heindselman Earn Gautt Scholarship
August 15, 2024 | Women's Gymnastics, Wrestling
NORMAN – University of Oklahoma women's gymnast Ragan Smith and wrestler Josh Heindselman are among 28 student-athletes from Big 12 Conference schools named recipients of the 2023-24 Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship, the league office announced Thursday. The total amount of each scholarship is $10,000.
Smith is the sixth women's gymnast to earn the award and the first since Lara Albright in 2014, while Heindselman is the fourth wrestler and first since Kendric Maple in 2014.
The scholarships are named in honor of the late Dr. Prentice Gautt, a former Big 12 Conference staff member and student services' pioneer who passed away in March 2005. Gautt, who earned his undergraduate degree from OU in 1960, broke new ground in 1956 as the first African American football student-athlete on scholarship at the university under hall-of-fame head coach Bud Wilkinson.
A two-time All-Big Eight Conference football selection and CoSIDA Academic All-American, Gautt played professionally for the Cleveland Browns in 1960 and the St. Louis Cardinals from 1961-67.
The list of all-time recipients has grown to 529 since the inception of the league in 1996-97. Starting in 2002-03, additional funding increased scholarship award winners to two per member institution.
To date the Big 12 has provided over $3.9 million for postgraduate education. The individual grants began at $2,500 in 1996-97, were raised to $5,000 in 1999 and increased to $6,900 for 2004-05. The awards climbed to $7,500 in 2006-07, moved to $9,000 in 2011-12 and have been at $10,000 since 2013-14.
Smith, a two-time national champion with the Sooners, has excelled both on and off the field throughout her time in Norman. The Lewisville, Texas, native was a five-time NCAA All-American, a six-time WCGA regular season All-American, and eight-time All-Big 12 selection and the 2020 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. She was four-time Big 12 individual champion and a two-time regional champion on the balance beam. In her time at OU, she recorded 11 perfect scores on balance beam, becoming the first OU gymnast to record three-straight perfect 10s on any event and the only to record four in a row on one event.
Off the field, Smith was a four-time Academic All-Big 12 first-team selection and a 2024 WCGA Scholastic All-American. Smith graduated in 2024 with a degree in multidisciplinary studies.
Heindselman, a redshirt senior from Piedmont, Okla., holds an 82-46 overall record that includes 18 bonus-point wins. During the 2023-24 season, the heavyweight became a four-time NCAA qualifier while claiming 285-pound titles at the Michigan State Open and Southern Scuffle. Heindselman, who has a bachelor's degree in biology and is pursuing a master's in healthcare law, is a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American and a four-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree.
Criteria for the awards includes a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.200 on a 4.000 scale and participation in at least two years of intercollegiate athletics at the nominee's respective institution. The student-athletes must graduate from their respective member institutions and enroll in graduate or professional school of their choice within 15 months of their selection of the postgraduate scholarship.
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
AA
/ Women's GymnasticsFORGED: Episode 1
Sunday, September 21
FORGED: Episode 2
Saturday, September 20
FORGED: Episode 3
Friday, September 19
WGYM National Championship Celebration
Monday, April 28
