OKLAHOMA WOMEN S GYMNASTICS

Transcription

1 OKLAHOMA WOMEN S GYMNASTICS 2014 & 2016 NCAA CHAMPIONS SIX TOP-THREE NCAA FINISHES 14 CONFERENCE TITLES 104 ALL-AMERICANS 2017 SCHEDULE JAN. 6 3 ALABAMA W, JAN. 15 UCLA 3:45 P.M. Jan. 21 at West Virginia 6 p.m. Jan. 27 at Iowa State 6:30 p.m. FEB. 3 DENVER, NEBRASKA, 6:45 P.M. TWU Jan. 30 at Perfect 10 Challenge+ 6:45 p.m. Auburn Feb. 17 at GYMQuarters Invitational^ 6:30 p.m. Georgia, LSU, Missouri FEB. 24 GEORGIA 6:45 P.M. Feb. 26 at TWU 2 p.m. March 4 at Michigan 3 p.m. March 12 at California 4 p.m. Big 12 Championship - Frisco, Texas March 18 Big 12 Championship 4 p.m. NCAA Regional - TBD April 1 NCAA Regional TBD NCAA Championships - St. Louis, Mo. April NCAA Championships All times listed as central + meet held in Oklahoma City ^ meet held in St. Charles, Mo. Home meets listed in BOLD TICKETS For tickets, call (405) or tollfree (800) 456-GoOU. Tickets can also be purchased at the main ticket office in Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium or at the Lloyd Noble Center on the day of the meet. Oklahoma Women Chelsey Kraft, Assistant Director TBD MEET TWO No. 2 OKLAHOMA vs. No. 8 UCLA Sunday, Jan. 15, :45 p.m. CT Norman, Okla. Lloyd Noble Center Broadcast: FOX Sports Southwest / FOX College Sports Central Stats: OUStats.com SOONERS (1-0-0 overall) Head Coach: K.J. Kindler Record at OU: (11th year) BRUINS (1-0-0 overall) Head Coach: Valorie Kondos Field 27th year at UCLA NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR WEEK TWO BACK AT IT The No. 2-ranked Oklahoma women s gymnastics team returns to Lloyd Noble Center this weekend to host a talented UCLA squad, ranked No. 8 in the nation. The meet is slated for a 3:45 p.m. CT on Sunday. The matchup is OU s second straight against a 2016 NCAA Super Six team, where the Bruins finished in fifth place. STARTING STRONG The defending national champion Sooners entered the 2017 season refocused and ready to embark on a title defense. In their season opener against then-no. 3 Alabama, OU got off to a good start, shining in a victory in front of 3,515 fans inside Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners, whose score represents the highest season-opening total in program history, secured event titles on vault, bars and floor and claimed the top individual score on those three events as well. Freshman Maggie Nichols made her presence known in her debut in the Crimson and Cream, posting an impressive all-around score. THERE S NO PLACE LIKE HOME On Sunday, the Sooners will look to build upon their 82-4 all-time home record under 11th-year head coach K.J. Kindler. OU has claimed 20 straight victories in Norman, dating back to SWAGGIE MAGGIE Oklahoma freshman Maggie Nichols made her debut on the collegiate gymnastics scene known, dazzling in her first meet by scoring an impressive in all-around competition. The mark stands as the highest in the country so far this season and is second in program history, behind a total from now-senior Chayse Capps a season ago. Nichols snagged the all-around, bars (9.975) and floor (9.95) titles in her first meet as a Sooner. According to records from RoadtoNationals.com dating back to 1998, Nichols all-around score is the highest mark by a freshman in her debut. WORLD CHAMPS Sunday s meet will feature three members of the 2015 World Championships squad that won gold for Team USA. OU sophomore Brenna Dowell and freshman Maggie Nichols as well as UCLA freshman Madison Kocian comprised three of seven spots on that team. COMMIT TO 3 Coming off a spectacular season in which Oklahoma claimed its second NCAA crown, the 2017 Sooners are refocused and ready to work toward reaching the pinnacle of their sport for a third time. OU tied with Florida to win its first national championship in 2014, becoming just the sixth school to ever earn a title, before snagging its first out-right win in UP NEXT Next weekend, the Sooners embark on their first road trip of 2017, taking on Big 12 foe and No. 21 West Virginia. The meet is slated for Saturday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m. CT in Morgantown, W. Va. QUICK HITS The Sooners swept the first Big 12 weekly awards, with senior Chayse Capps (Big 12 Gymnast of the Week), junior Stefani Catour (Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week) and freshman Maggie Nichols (Big 12 Newcomer of the Week) all picking up accolades. The conference honor was the 12th of Capps career, one shy of the Big 12 record. OU started 2017 ranked No. 1 in the NACGC/W Preseason Coaches Poll for the second straight season. It marks the seventh straight year the Sooners have been ranked in the top five nationally to begin the season. Oklahoma returns eight previous NCAA All-Americans who own 21 total accolades: Natalie Brown (BB), Chayse Capps (VT, UB, BB, FX, AA), Brenna Dowell (UB, FX), Nicole Lehrmann (UB, BB), Kara Lovan (FX), AJ Jackson (VT, UB, FX), Charity Jones (VT, BB) and McKenzie Wofford (UB). All four of OU s regular season home matches will be televised live by Sooner Sports TV. MATCHUP AT A GLANCE McClendon Center for Intercollegiate Athletics 180 W. Brooks, Suite 2525, Norman, OK O: (405) C: (405) chelseykraft@ou.edu OKLAHOMA UCLA 2017 Record Ranking No. 2 No Scoring Average Team High

2 MEET TWO - VS UCLA OKLAHOMA SOONERS NAME HT YEAR HOMETOWN CLUB PRONUNCIATION Brown, Natalie 5-7 Jr. Dallas, Texas (J.J. Pearce H.S.) WOGA Capps, Chayse 5-2 Sr. Plano, Texas (Homeschool) Infinite Bounds CHASE Catour, Stefani 5-3 Jr. Phoenix, Ariz. (Desert Vista H.S.) Desert Light Gymnastics ca-toor Craus, Samantha 5-4 Jr. Grapevine, Texas (Southlake Carroll H.S.) U.S. Gold Gymnastics Degouveia, Jade 5-4 Fr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Ft. Lauderdale H.S.) American Twisters Gymnastics Dowell, Brenna 5-3 So. Odessa, Mo. (Odessa H.S.) GAGE Hemry, Reagan 5-3 Sr. Norman, Okla. (Norman H.S.) Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy Jackson, AJ 5-3 Jr. Belton, Mo. (Belton H.S.) Eagles Gymnastics Jones, Charity 5-2 Sr. Miami, Okla. (Oklahoma Virtual H.S.) Dynamo Gymnastics Lehrmann, Nicole 5-5 So. Austin, Texas (Vista Ridge H.S.) Capital Gymnastics LAIR-man Lovan, Kara 4-8 Sr. Des Moines, Iowa (SE Polk Senior H.S.) Triad Gymnastics lo-vahn Marks, Alex 5-7 So. Cushing, Okla. (Abeka Academy) Dynamo Gymnastics Nichols, Maggie 5-4 Fr. Little Canada, Minn. (Roseville Area H.S.) Twin City Twisters Showers, Brehanna 5-7 Fr. Rockford, Mich. (Rockford H.S.) R-Athletics Thompson, Megan 5-6 So. Independence, Mo. (Blue Springs H.S.) Xtreme Gymnastics Turner, Nicole 5-1 Sr. Colleyville, Texas (Oregon State)(iSchool H.S.) Top Flight Gymnastics Wofford, McKenzie 5-2 Sr. McKinney, Texas (Abeka Academy) Capital Gymnastics WAHF-ard K.J. Kindler (Head Coach) - 11th Year Lou Ball (Assistant Coach) - 11th Year Tom Haley (Assistant Coach) - 11th Year Candace Blackerby (Director of Operations) - First Year PHOTO ROSTER NATALIE BROWN CHAYSE CAPPS STEFANI CATOUR SAMANTHA CRAUS JADE DEGOUVEIA BRENNA DOWELL REAGAN HEMRY AJ JACKSON CHARITY JONES NICOLE LEHRMANN KARA LOVAN ALEX MARKS MAGGIE NICHOLS BREHANNA SHOWERS MEGAN THOMPSON NICOLE TURNER MCKENZIE WOFFORD

3 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 3 GENERAL INFORMATION Location... Norman, Okla. Enrollment...30,813 Founded President...David L. Boren VP/Athletics Director...Joe Castiglione Nickname...Sooners Colors... Crimson & Cream Conference...Big 12 Arena...Lloyd Noble Center Capacity...12,000 OU s All-Time Record TEAM INFORMATION 2016 Overall Record High Score (vs. Michigan) Big 12 Finish...First NCAA Finish...First Routines Returning/Lost...16/8 All-Americans Returning/Lost...8/3 COACHING STAFF Head Coach...K.J. Kindler Year... 11th Season Alma Mater...Iowa State, 1992 Record at OU Career Record Assistant Coach...Lou Ball Year... 11th Season Assistant Coach...Tom Haley Year... 11th Season WGYM Office Phone...(405) WGYM Office Fax...(405) MEDIA RELATIONS Assistant A.D./Director... Mike Houck WGYM Contact... Chelsey Kraft Cell Phone... (405) Office Phone... (405) Office Fax... (405) chelseykraft@ou.edu Web Site...SoonerSports.com Mailing Address West Brooks Street... Suite Norman, OK Q&A WITH HEAD COACH K.J. KINDLER What stood out to you about your team in the seasonopening meet? I always love to see if the team has fight in them. Competing a great schedule against the best in the Nation, you learn that quickly. They definitely showed mental strength immediately. They were also very unified on the floor. How do you build upon the performance against Alabama? What have been some areas of focus this week? Alabama is the green flag going up. There is nothing to do but build off that performance. We now have a bench mark of our quality, execution and amplitude. We were fortunate to have a long week of training with our UCLA meet scheduled for Sunday, so we ve simply focused on getting better. You ve already faced Alabama and now welcome a talented UCLA squad to Norman on Sunday. What does it do for your team when it takes on such tough competition week after week? It is obviously preparation at the highest level. The challenge is what excites you. It what gets you up each day with the motivation to want for more. A GLANCE AT UCLA Rankings (as of Jan. 12) Team Overall: 8th ( ) Vault: T-4th (49.250) Bars: 5th (49.250) Beam: T-20th (48.725) Floor: 30th (48.475) Top Individuals All-Around: Madison Kocian (T-10th, ) Vault: Madison Preston (T-9th, 9.9) Bars: Christine Peng-Peng Lee, Madison Kocian, Kyla Ross (T-17th, 9.875) Beam: Mikaela Gerber (T-28th, 9.85) Floor: Madison Kocian, Madison Preston (T-15th, 9.875) OU VS. UCLA HISTORY The two teams faced off twice last season, with the Sooners winning the regular season finale in Los Angeles ( ) and topping the Bruins in the Super Six. Overall, UCLA leads the series by a mark. HEAD COACH K.J. KINDLER 11TH SEASON - IOWA STATE, (OU: ) COACHING EXPERIENCE - Coached Oklahoma to its first NCAA individual champion in Oklahoma Head Coach (2006-present) 26 years (Taylor Spears, BB-2014) Iowa State Head Coach ( ) - Led OU to six top-three NCAA Super Six finishes in seven Iowa State Assistant ( ) seasons (2nd-2010, 3rd-2011, 2nd-2013, T1st-2014, 3rd-2015, 1st-2016) CAREER COACHING HIGHLIGHTS - Led OU to eight Big 12 Championships in 10 seasons (2008, - Led Oklahoma to its first NCAA national title in program 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) history (2014) and its second crown (2016) - Led OU to four undefeated regular seasons (2008, 2010, - Three-time National Coach of the Year (2005, 2010, 2015) 2011, 2015) - Seven-time Regional Coach of the Year (2004, 2006, 2010, - Led OU to 10 consecutive NCAA Championships 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016) - Led OU to a 81-4 record at home in the past nine seasons - 10-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, - Coached 97 NCAA All-Americans (81 at OU) 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) - Coached 49 Big 12 Champions (37 at OU) - First head coach in NCAA history to take two separate - Coached 45 NCAA Regional event champions (29 at OU) programs to the NCAA Super Six (Iowa State, 2006; Oklahoma, - Coached 93 Academic All-Big 12 honorees (69 at OU) 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) - Coached 61 NACGC Scholastic All-Americans (49 at OU) BRENNA S BACK After deferring last season to compete with Team USA at 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympic Trials, Brenna Dowell made her return to Norman against Alabama. The sophomore nailed her Yurchenko 1 ½ vault for a career-high Dowell also scored a 9.9 on bars and competed on floor. Dowell was a first-team All- American on both bars and floor as a freshman, helping the Sooners to a third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships. SENIOR STARS OU s senior class will provide leadership on and off the competition floor for the Sooners this season. Chayse Capps, Reagan Hemry, Charity Jones, Kara Lovan, Nicole Turner and McKenzie Wofford make up this year s talented group. Since their arrival in Norman, the Sooners have secured two NCAA Championships (2014, 2016) and a third-place finish (2015). Capps, Jones, Lovan and Wofford have combined for an impressive 13 NCAA All-America honors in their careers. NO BREAKS Overall, 11 of OU s regular-season opponents entered the season ranked, including seven squads listed in the top 10 nationally (No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 UCLA, No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 Auburn, No. 9 Georgia, No. 10 California). BEST OF THE BEST Following the first week of competition, The Sooners sit in the top five nationally on all four events. OU is first on both bars and floor, is tied for second on vault and shares fifth place on beam. NATIONAL RANKINGS As of rankings updates on Jan. 12, eight different Sooners are ranked in the top 25 nationally on at least one event. Freshman Maggie Nichols sits first in the all-around (39.725), while senior Chayse Capps checks in tied for second (39.575). Nichols and Capps are tied for ninth on vault (9.9), while Nichols checks in first on bars (9.975), tied for fifth on beam (9.9) and tied for first on floor (9.95) and Capps is tied for third on floor (9.925). Capps, senior McKenzie Wofford, junior Stefani Catour and sophomore Brenna Dowell and Nicole Lehrmann share fifth on bars (9.9). Dowell also checks in first on vault (9.95), while junior AJ Jackson and senior Charity Jones are tied for seventh on floor (9.9).

4 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 4 NATIONAL RANKINGS (JAN. 12) TEAM STANDINGS (SEASON AVERAGE) NO. TEAM AVERAGE 1 LSU * Oklahoma Florida Alabama * Utah Missouri * Denver * UCLA * Oregon State George Washington Michigan * Arkansas Auburn * Kentucky North Carolina State Northern Illinois Minnesota Penn State West Virginia * Ohio State BYU T-22 Illinois T-22 Iowa Michigan State Arizona * indicates 2017 regular season opponent TEAM EVENT RANKINGS EVENT RANKING AVERAGE Vault T Uneven Bars Balance Beam T Floor Exercise INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (TOP 20) NAME EVENT (RANK) AVERAGE Chayse Capps VT (T-9) 9.9 UB (T-5) 9.9 FX (T-3) AA (T-2) Stefani Catour UB (T-5) 9.9 Brenna Dowell VT (T-1) 9.95 UB (T-5) 9.9 AJ Jackson VT (T-15) FX (T-7) 9.9 Charity Jones FX (T-7) 9.9 Nicole Lehrmann UB (T-5) 9.9 Maggie Nichols VT (T-9) 9.9 UB (1) BB (T-5) 9.9 FX (T-1) 9.95 AA (1) McKenzie Wofford UB (T-5) 9.9 INDIVIDUAL EVENT TITLES BRENNA DOWELL (1) VT 9.95 Jan. 6 (vs. Alabama) MAGGIE NICHOLS (3) UB Jan. 6 (vs. Alabama) FX 9.95 Jan. 6 (vs. Alabama) AA Jan. 6 (vs. Alabama) TEAM EVENT TITLES VAULT (1) Jan Jan. 6 (vs. Alabama) UNEVEN BARS (1) Jan Jan. 6 (vs. Alabama) FLOOR EXERCISE (1) Jan Jan. 6 (vs. Alabama) BIG 12 WEEKLY AWARDS GYMNAST OF THE WEEK Chayse Capps Jan. 9, 2017 EVENT SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK Stefani Catour Jan. 9, 2017 NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK Maggie Nichols Jan. 9, 2017 THE LAST TIME OKLAHOMA... WON A HOME MEET... Jan. 6, vs. Alabama ( ) WON A ROAD MEET... March 13, at UCLA ( ) WON A NEUTRAL SITE MEET... April 16, at NCAA Super Six ( ) LOST A HOME MEET... Feb. 9, vs. LSU ( ) LOST A ROAD MEET... Jan. 9, at LSU ( ) TIED A MEET... April 19, at NCAA Super Six Finals ( ) SCORED A 198 OR HIGHER... March 19, at Big 12 Championship ( ) SCORED A 197 OR HIGHER AT HOME... Jan. 6, vs. Alabama ( ) SCORED A 197 OR HIGHER ON THE ROAD... April 16, at NCAA Super Six ( ) SCORED A PERFECT March 19, Keeley Kmieciak (UB)

5 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 5 SCORING RECORDS TOP TEAM SCORES - OVERALL SCORE OPPONENT, SEASON Florida, UCLA, NCAA Super Six, 2014 Metroplex Challenge, Iowa State, TWU, Michigan, Big 12 Championship, Big 12 Championship, 2014 TOP TEAM SCORES - VAULT SCORE OPPONENT, SEASON 1. NCAA Minneapolis Regional, TWU, Iowa State, 2015 TWU, SEMO, 2015 Big 12 Championship, 2014 at Arkansas, 2014 Iowa State, NCAA Semifinals, 2015 NCAA Super Six, Florida, 2015 LSU, 2014 UCLA, 2013 Arkansas, 2012 TOP TEAM SCORES - BARS SCORE OPPONENT, SEASON Big 12 Championship, 2016 Arizona, TWU, SEMO, Perfect 10 Challenge, Alabama, 2017 Michigan, 2016 Metroplex Challenge, 2014 UCLA, Michigan, 2015 Big 12 Championship, 2014 Big 12 Championship, Arizona, 2003 TOP TEAM SCORES - BEAM SCORE OPPONENT, SEASON Florida, Arizona, Big 12 Championship, UCLA, 2013 Missouri, NCAA Super Six, Illinois, Iowa State, NCAA Super Six, Arizona, Iowa State, TWU, 2009 TOP TEAM SCORES - FLOOR SCORE OPPONENT, SEASON Florida, Michigan, UCLA, 2013 Centenary/TWU, with Auburn, Illinois State, Big 12 Championship, 2015 Metroplex Challenge, 2014 Alabama, West Virginia, 2016 NCAA Super Six, 2014 Arizona, 2013 Nebraska/TWU, TEAM SUPERLATIVES TEAM TOTAL Michigan...Feb Big 12 Championship...March UCLA...March TWU Quad Meet...Feb West Virginia...Feb. 7 VAULT Perect 10 Challenge...Feb TWU Quad Meet...Feb Michigan...Feb Big 12 Championship...March NCAA Semifinal II... April Arkansas... Jan. 17 BARS Arizona...March Big 12 Championship...March Perfect 10 Challenge...Feb Michigan...Feb NCAA Regional... April 2 BEAM UCLA...March Georgia...Feb NCAA Semifinal II... April Big 12 Championship...March TWU Quad Meet...Feb West Virginia...Feb NCAA Regional... April NCAA Super Six... April 16 FLOOR Michigan...Feb TWU Quad Meet...Feb UCLA...March West Virginia...Feb NCAA Super Six... April TEAM EVENT SCORE LAST DATE SET Total Jan. 6, 2017 Vault Jan. 6, 2017 Bars Jan. 6, 2017 Beam Jan. 6, 2017 Floor Jan. 6, 2017 INDIVIDUAL EVENT SCORE GYMNAST Total Maggie Nichols (Jan. 6) Vault 9.95 Brenna Dowell (Jan. 6) Bars Maggie Nichols (Jan. 6) Beam 9.9 Maggie Nichols (Jan. 6) Floor 9.95 Maggie Nichols (Jan. 6) PROGRAM BESTS TEAM EVENT SCORE DATE SET Total March 6, 2015 Vault April 5, 2014 Bars March 4, 2016 Beam March 6, 2015 Floor March 6, 2015 INDIVIDUAL EVENT SCORE GYMNAST, YEAR SET All-Around Chayse Capps, 2016 Vault 10.0 Haley Scaman, Haley Scaman, Sara Stone, Kiara Redmond, Kiara Redmond, Leah Mueller, Amber McCracken, 2000 Bars 10.0 Keeley Kmieciak, Brenna Dowell, Erin LaBarr, Allison Landis, 2003 Beam 10.0 Chayse Capps, Erica Brewer, Kasie Tamayo, Kelly Garrison, 1988 Floor 10.0 Haley Scaman, Haley Scaman, Haley Scaman, Patricia Aoki, 2003

6 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 6 NATALIE BROWN Alabama CHAYSE CAPPS Alabama STEFANI CATOUR Alabama SAMANTHA CRAUS

7 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 7 JADE DEGOUVEIA BRENNA DOWELL Alabama REAGAN HEMRY AJ JACKSON Alabama

8 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 8 CHARITY JONES Alabama NICOLE LEHRMANN Alabama KARA LOVAN ALEX MARKS Alabama

9 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 9 MAGGIE NICHOLS Alabama BREHANNA SHOWERS MEGAN THOMPSON NICOLE TURNER

10 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 10 MCKENZIE WOFFORD Alabama INDIVIDUAL HIGH SCORES 2017 GYMNAST VAULT BARS BEAM FLOOR AA VAULT BARS BEAM FLOOR AA Natalie Brown Chayse Capps Stefani Catour Samantha Craus Jade Degouveia Brenna Dowell Reagan Hemry AJ Jackson Charity Jones Nicole Lehrmann Kara Lovan Alex Marks Maggie Nichols Brehanna Showers Megan Thompson Nicole Turner McKenzie Wofford

11 MEET TWO - VS UCLA 11 MEET-BY-MEET BREAKDOWN DATE MEET TEAM (RANK) VAULT BARS BEAM FLOOR TOTAL 1.6 vs. Alabama OKLAHOMA Alabama vs. UCLA OKLAHOMA UCLA at West Virginia OKLAHOMA West Virginia at Iowa State OKLAHOMA Iowa State vs. Denver, Nebraska, TWU OKLAHOMA Denver Nebraska TWU at Perfect 10 Challenge OKLAHOMA Auburn at GYMQuarters Invitational OKLAHOMA Georgia LSU Missouri vs. Georgia OKLAHOMA Georgia at TWU OKLAHOMA TWU at Michigan OKLAHOMA Michigan at California OKLAHOMA California Big 12 Championship OKLAHOMA Denver Iowa State West Virginia OKLAHOMA OPPONENT SEASON AVERAGES OKLAHOMA OPPONENT