Second-ranked Oklahoma returns home after a dominant two-week stretch on the road to take on No. 15 Illinois today at Lloyd Noble Center.
The Sooners dropped from their top spot, despite their win last weekend at the Perfect 10 Challenge in Oklahoma City.
The rankings were calculated by the regional qualifying score (RQS). The RQS is calculated by taking the top six scores of the season, three must be away, and eliminating the top score.
After this is done, the remaining five are averaged. The Sooners have an RQS of 197.405 and the top-ranked team in the nation, LSU, has a RQS of 197.470.
Last weekend against No. 5 Alabama, No. 7 Michigan and West Virginia, Oklahoma came out on top, scoring a 197.200 overall, leaving Alabama in second with a 197.100. The Sooners were competitive and consistent across all four events with one event winner, sophomore Haley Scaman, who scored a 9.925 on floor.
Oklahoma battled all the way through the last event of the evening. Junior Rebecca Clark said the team’s performance was beneficial beyond just the win.
“Last week, we demonstrated the fight that we need to as a team,” Clark said. “The fact that we fought, through, and we did not let up was a good quality to know we have going forward.”
Haley Scaman was honored for the third consecutive time with the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week. She was a driving force in the Sooner’s victory at the Perfect 10 Challenge where she posted a 9.9 or higher on both vault and floor.
Her performance on floor was what sealed the victory from Oklahoma as it edged out Alabama for the win. She recorded a perfect 10 and multiple clutch scores and as coach K.J. Kindler said, it is part of a days work for Scaman.
“Haley has a lot of charisma. She is such a humble young lady. She does her job and thinks not much of it,” Kindler said.
This week’s Big 12 honors also included freshman Kara Lovan, who was awarded Newcomer of the Week for the first time this season. She posted two individual season-best scores in vault and floor.
“It means a lot to me,” Lovan said. “It demonstrates that I am helping our team out and am able contribute to everything we are accomplishing this season.”
The Sooners have not had a home meet since their close loss to LSU on Feb. 9. After two important victories on the road in both the Metroplex Challenge and Perfect 10 Challenge, Oklahoma is ready to be back in Norman.
“Being away, you are aware you’re in someone else’s house,” Clark said. “Being home, you have the crowd in your favor, and you know that they are there to watch you.”
As Oklahoma moves forward to matchup at 6:45 p.m. Friday against Illinois, Kindler wants to see more confidence from her team.
“I want to see them get a little swagger,” Kindler said. “They are the best team that does not know it.”
