Oklahoma Sweeps Three Top 25 Squads

The No. 1-ranked Sooners took down No. 11 Alabamas, No. 16 Arkansas and No. 24 Stanford to win their fifth straight Metroplex Challenge title.

John E. Hoover | Feb 12, 2023

By OU Media Relations

Trailing going into the final rotation, the No. 1-ranked University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team closed with a season-high 49.675 on floor to win the four-team Metroplex Challenge on Saturday night at the Fort Worth Convention Center with a score of 198.125.

The Sooners downed No. 11 Alabama (198.000), No. 16 Arkansas (197.125) and No. 24 Stanford (196.725) in a podium meet to improve to 10-0 on the season. It was OU's fifth straight Metroplex Challenge title.

“Alabama had an amazing meet and we had to fight with everything in us on floor,” said OU head coach K.J. Kindler. “I loved to see that heart.”

In the individual standings, the Sooners took the top spot on all four events and the all-around crown. Sophomore Jordan Bowers scored a career-high 39.750 on the night to notch her third all-around title of the season and fourth overall. She also captured her third beam title with a 9.925. Junior Audrey Davis took third in the all-around with a career-high-tying 39.625 and finished in a four-way tie on vault with a 9.925 for her first title of the season on that event. Freshman Faith Torrez captured her second bars title of the season with a career-high 9.975.

Starting in Olympic order, OU showcased Yurchenko 1.5s in all six spots for a 49.350 on vault. The first three Sooners, sophomores Danielle Sievers and Danae Fletcher, and super senior Allie Stern, each posted 9.850s. Bowers followed with a 9.900, junior Katherine LeVasseur posted a 9.800 in the No. 5 spot and Davis anchored with a 9.925. Junior Sheridan Ramsey added a powerful Yurchenko Full for a 9.725 in the exhibition spot.

After the first rotation, Alabama (49.425 on bars) held a slight lead over the Sooners (49.375). They were followed by Arkansas (49.200 on floor) and Stanford (49.175 on beam).

The Sooners swung strong by tying their own national-best bars score this season, a 49.675 that tied for sixth best in program history. OU posted five scores of 9.9-plus, starting with Sievers’ 9.900. Freshman Faith Torrez added a near-perfect and career-high 9.975, while Fletcher earned a season-high 9.900. Senior Ragan Smith was solid with a 9.825 and Bowers and Davis ended the rotation with back-to-back 9.950s. The Sooners took the lead after the second rotation with their 99.050 and were followed by Alabama (98.850), Arkansas (98.425) and Stanford (98.400).

In the third rotation, OU posted a 49.400 on beam starting with senior Jenna Dunn, who was back in the lineup with a 9.875. Competing on podium for the first time this season, super senior Olivia Trautman added a 9.900, followed by Bowers’ 9.925. Davis and Torrez posted 9.825s in the fourth and fifth spots, while anchor Smith ended the rotation with a 9.875. Freshman Ava Siegfeldt returned to competition in the exhibition spot and earned an impressive 9.875.

Going into the final rotation, Alabama took back a slight lead (0.025) over Oklahoma, 148.475-148.450. Arkansas followed in the third spot (147.800) and Stanford in fourth (147.475).

All six Sooners scored at least a 9.900 on floor as OU tied its fourth-best score (49.675) ever on the event to overcome its deficit. Davis set the tone for the Sooners with a leadoff 9.925 (career high) and was followed by Smith’s 9.900, Sievers’ season-high 9.925 and Fletcher’s 9.900. OU's final two competitors sealed OU’s victory, with sophomore Jordan Bowers posting a career-high 9.975 and freshman Faith Torrez registering a career-high-tying 9.950 to give the Sooners their third straight score of 198-plus.

“We are seeing some shuffling of lineups and people are gaining more experience,” Kindler noted. “Kat rested this week and Danae stepped up big for us. Audrey and Jordan have seen a lot of action and are handling the responsibility well. Olivia is coming around on bars and vault. The exhibition spots are also giving us a glimpse at the depth. There is a lot to look forward to.”

OU is back in action Sunday, Feb. 19 at Texas Woman's University. The meet is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. CT. The Sooners' next home meet is Friday, Feb. 24 against West Virginia at 6:45 p.m. CT. Individual home meet tickets are as low as $5, and can be purchased at SoonerSports.com/tickets.

Published Feb 12, 2023

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.