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No. 1 OU women’s gymnastics (5-0-1) defeated Kentucky (0-6) on Friday by a score of 197.550-196.475.

The reigning national champions extended their winning streak to five meets and picked up their third straight Southeastern Conference victory with a composed road performance. OU scored 49.200 or better on all four events and pulled away behind a dominant beam rotation to secure the win.

Here are three takeaways from Friday’s meet:

OU limits damage in opening rotation

OU opened the meet on bars and faced an early deduction in the leadoff position from junior Hannah Scheible after failing to reach vertical on a handstand, but avoided a significant drop in its event total. 

Sophomore Lily Pederson followed with a clean routine that included a stuck dismount, helping steady the lineup after the opening error. Sophomore Addison Fatta posted the highest score of the event with a 9.900.

Kentucky remained within a narrow 0.100 margin after the early mistake, but later routines in the lineup provided stability for the Sooners and allowed them to build a lead. OU finished the rotation with a 49.200, giving it a 49.200-49.100 lead heading into the vault rotation. 

Beam execution secures road victory

OU entered the final rotation with a lead and closed the meet on beam without a fall or major break. The Sooners posted a 49.325 on the event, matching their floor total from the previous rotation and maintaining separation from Kentucky.

The beam lineup produced steady scores throughout, limiting deductions and preventing momentum shifts late in the meet. OU’s ability to remain composed on beam contributed to the final margin.

Senior Faith Torrez anchored the event with a 9.950, her fourth consecutive beam score of 9.95 or higher this season. The anchor routine confirmed the result and capped OU’s clean finish in a road environment.

Young gymnasts play expanded roles

OU relied heavily on underclassmen throughout the meet, with freshmen and sophomores competing across multiple events and lineup positions. Fatta led the team on bars with a 9.900, the highest score of the rotation, while also anchoring vault and contributing on beam.

Freshmen Ella Murphy and Mackenzie Estep appeared in multiple lineups and provided steady scores that limited deductions. Murphy competed on bars, floor and beam, while Estep contributed on vault, bars and floor, giving OU flexibility across events.

Freshman Kamila Pawlak added a routine on floor, contributing to OU’s 49.325 on the event. The involvement of multiple underclassmen across events allowed the Sooners to maintain consistent scoring throughout the meet without overextending.

Next, the Sooners will face Alabama (3-1) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Lloyd Noble Center, on the SEC Network.

This story was edited by Josh Franklin.

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