One vaulter after another, the Sooners continued to execute proficiently.
From senior Allie Stern to freshmen Jordan Bowers and Danae Fletcher, flipping off the table and sticking landings carried to consistency throughout Thursday’s meet that saw Oklahoma advance in postseason competition.
The No. 1 Sooners defeated No. 16 Arizona State, No. 18 Arkansas and Arizona in the second round of the NCAA South Central Regional on Thursday night in Norman. Oklahoma posted a 198.175, notching its 127th home victory to advance to the final on Saturday, April 2.
Arkansas placed second with a 196.975, also advancing to the final. Arizona placed third with a 196.800 and Arizona State placed fourth with a 196.600, respectively. The Sooners held steady throughout the meet, notching no less than a 49.475 on any event. But, vault is where they shined, tallying a 49.550.
“Vault was out of this world,” head coach K.J. Kindler said “Incredible. Best vault performance of the year. Wow, wow, wow.”
Senior Allie Stern during the meet against Arizona State, Arkansas and Arizona in the second round of the NCAA women's gymnastics championship on March 31.
Kindler had a right to believe so as Stern started for OU on the event, as always, and set a standard with a 9.95. That resonated with the rest of the vaulters, as no one tallied less than a 9.8.
“Our whole vault team, we’ve had a great couple weeks of practice,” Stern said. “We’ve stuck more landings as a whole, and we feed off of each other. Starting that off for them, I knew they were going to keep the momentum going up.”
The Sooners fed off momentum, each event seeping into the next, beginning with floor.
To start the meet, sophomore Bell Johnson stepped up to post a 9.9, leading to another 9.9 from freshman Danielle Sievers. Then, Bowers and junior Ragan Smith delivered 9.925s, aiding Oklahoma to a .075 first place lead and a 49.525 on the event.
“Huge to get started off, obviously,” Kindler said. “Being in the lead going off the first event, that’s definitely where you want to be.”
Sophomore Bell Johnson during the meet against Arizona State, Arkansas and Arizona in the second round of the NCAA women's gymnastics championship on March 31.
Then on vault, 9.95s from Bowers and Fletcher stood alongside Stern’s 9.95. Sophomore Katherine LeVasseur added a 9.8, while senior Oliva Trautman and Sievers notched a 9.9 and 9.85, respectively.
Following the first two events, the Sooners owned a .450 lead before their No. 1 bars squad started to swing.
Sievers tallied a 9.9 before Smith added a 9.925. In the No. 5 spot, Bowers notched a 9.975, leading to sophomore Audrey Davis anchoring with a 9.95.
As a starter on bars for the 10th time this season, Sievers still felt pressure to set the tone. But, a pep talk from Kindler helped hold her composure and compete to her fullest.
“I wanted to go out there and do the best routines I could for my team,” Sievers said. “I settled in and had a lot of fun performing.”
Freshman Danielle Sievers during the meet against Arizona State, Arkansas and Arizona in the second round of the NCAA women's gymnastics championship on March 31.
Exceptional bars routines propelled Oklahoma to a .800 lead from second place, heading into the final rotation with a head of steam.
Junior Jenna Dunn established the pace as a longtime starter and specialist on beam. With beam being the last event, Dunn had to keep her body warm throughout the first three events. Despite the lingering tension from waiting to compete, Dunn notched a 9.9.
“It’s gotten easier over the years,” Dunn said of her lengthy warmup. “I’ve kind of made a schedule for myself to stay warm throughout the meet.”
The Oklahoma City native went into depth on her rigorous warm up schedule. While the team is on floor, Dunn stretches and cheers her teammates on. While OU prepares for vault, she helps set up the table. And on bars, she says she runs around in circles for about five minutes.
The comical, yet genuine answer led to laughter from her teammates while sitting in front of the podium, displaying the camaraderie and chemistry the Sooners share.
Junior Jenna Dunn during the meet against Michigan on March 4.
That camaraderie can largely be attributed to the sense of comfortability they felt while competing in front of their home crowd on Thursday night.
“Very grateful,” the quartet of Sievers, Johnson, Stern and Dunn said in unison regarding the postseason coming to the Lloyd Noble Center.
After winning 10 consecutive meets, one of the Sooners’ toughest challenges awaits. Oklahoma advances to the regional finals to take on No. 8 Minnesota, No. 9 California and Arkansas at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 2 in Norman (ESPN+).
“We take nothing for granted,” Kindler said. “We put our best team out today.”
