OU Gymnastics: Oklahoma Advances to 20th Straight NCAA Championship

The Sooners posted another 198-plus to win the Ann Arbor Regional and are back in Fort Worth seeking another national championship.
Oklahoma's Jordan Bowers
Oklahoma's Jordan Bowers / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

By OU Media Relations

ANN ARBOR, MI — Won and advanced.

With a 198.400 in the Ann Arbor Regional Final, the No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team won their 14th-straight NCAA Regional title to advance to their 20th straight and 23rd overall NCAA Championship.

The Sooners will be joined by Alabama (197.575) who placed second at the meet. Ohio State (197.200) came in third, followed by Penn State (197.050). OU's 198.400 is their second-highest team score in regional competition.

Jordan Bowers led the field in the all-around with a 39.725. The junior also took home the tile on floor with a near-perfect 9.975. Hannah Scheible earned a 9.925 on vault for the high score of the night and Audrey Davis took home the bars title with a 9.95. Ragan Smith and Katherine LeVasseur shared beam with matching near perfect scores of 9.975.

Starting on beam, the Sooners earned a 49.800 – tying their program high and setting a record for highest team beam score in regional competition. Davis started the meet strong, showing off her incredible flexibility and a stuck dismount for a 9.95. In the No. 2 spot, Ava Siegfeldt was steady and confident, earning a 9.925. Keeping the stuck dismounts coming was Bowers whose elegance and poise was on display for a 9.95 of her own. Faith Torrez was exceptional, nailing her gainer full dismount for a 9.95 in the No. 4 spot. LeVasseur's gorgeous lines and flexibility were on display as she earned a career-high tying 9.975. In the anchor spot, Smith showed why she's the No. 1 beam worker in the nation as she earned a near-perfect 9.975.

The Sooners used a 49.675 on floor, tying their best regional score on the event, to extend their lead at the halfway point. Leading off her second event of the night, Davis got the crowd going with her upbeat routine for a 9.9. In the No. 2 spot, Bell Johnson added a 9.700. Smith nailed her opening double tuck and ending double pike for a 9.95 in the No. 3 spot. LeVasseur's country themed routine and dynamic full-in earned her a 9.9, followed by Torrez drilling her double layout for a 9.95. In the anchor spot, Bowers first pass was perfect as she earned a team-best 9.975.

OU added a 49.325 on vault in the third rotation. Torrez led off with a 9.8 on her Yurchenko 1.5, followed by a 9.9 from Keira Wells. Bowers added a gorgeous 1.5 in the No. 3 spot for a 9.875, followed by a 9.725 from LeVasseur. Scheible drilled the landing on her handspring pike half for a 9.925 in the No. 5 spot. Anchoring was Siegfeldt with a big 1.5 for a 9.825.

Closing out the night on bars, the Sooners used a 49.600 on the event. Dani Sievers led off the bars squad with a 9.9 as she stuck her full twisting double tuck dismount. LeVasseur's exquisite handstands and stuck dismount earned her a 9.925 in the No. 2 spot. Smith nailed her double layout dismount in the No. 4 spot for a 9.9. It was business as usual for Davis in the No. 5 spot, showing why she's the top bars worker in the nation for a 9.95. Bowers anchored with a stunning routine for a 9.925.

The Sooners will advance to the NCAA Championships held in Fort Worth, TX, April 18-20. OU and Alabama will compete with the top two advancing teams out of the Gainesville Regional in one of the two semifinals on April 18.


Published |Modified
John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.