Following the best season in program history last year, the OU women’s gymnastics team has high expectations this year.

Thus far, the team seems to be living up to those expectations.

Last year, the Sooners made the program’s first appearance to the Super Six team finals and placed second in the NCAA Championships. On the way, the team posted a 22-0 regular-season record, grabbed the program’s first No. 1 ranking and won the Big 12 title for the third time in a row.

Oklahoma lost five seniors from last year’s record-setting squad, including Hollie Vise, who finished second on both bars and floor at the NCAA individual championships, and All-Big 12 gymnast Jackie Flanery.

Despite the losses, the Sooners have a lot of returning talent this year, coach K.J. Kindler said.

“The team is very confident in their abilities and how they measure up with teams in the conference and the nation,” Kindler said. “And they are continuing to draw confidence.”

Junior Megan Ferguson made last year’s all-conference squad for both beam and bars, junior Sara Stone made the squad for vault and sophomore Natasha Kelley earned all-conference honors on vault and bars as a freshman after competing all season with an anterior cruciate ligament tear. On top of the returning talent, the Sooners also have a talented group of freshman and the same coaching staff — Kindler and assistants Lou Ball and Tom Haley — that swept last year’s coach of the year awards.

This year’s squad began the season ranked No. 7 in the country. However, it has not taken long for the Sooners to leap up the polls. Oklahoma opened the season Jan. 7 at home against then-No. 11 Arkansas, winning the meet 195.475 to 195.075. The Sooners took home all four individual-event titles and three of the four team-event titles to improve to 29-2 at home under Kindler.

The first meet was a good one for the Sooners, but the OU gymnasts soon showed they were capable of more. One week later, the team traveled to North Carolina State for its first road meet and won 196.175 to 195.150, taking home the team title in all four events. Freshman Taylor Spears won the beam title with a 9.875 in her first appearance in the beam lineup for the team, and sophomore Kayla Nowak won a share of both bars and floor.

Both Nowak and Spears earned conference honors for their performances at North Carolina State, and the team rose to No. 3 in the rankings. As good as the team looked in Raleigh, N.C., Kindler said the team will continue to improve.

“The focus level was very high, knowing that we were in a new environment and on different equipment,” Kindler said. “But we also worked very hard to make changes and adjustments after the first meet. We had a really great week of practice, and everybody is working extremely hard to get better.”

Next up, the Sooners host No. 6 Oregon State, No. 23 Denver and Centenary this Friday at Lloyd Noble Center. The team then hits the road to face Texas Woman’s University before facing three top-25 teams — Washington, Nebraska and Iowa State.

The Sooners have a grueling schedule ahead, but Kindler said the team has lofty goals after its early success.

“We have all definitely agreed that we need to get back into that Super Six,” Kindler said. “If we can make it to that night, then anything goes.”