In just her first routine of the season, Katherine LeVasseur sprung off the vault, nailed her landing and erupted with excitement as she leapt into the arms of associate head coach Tom Haley.
IT"S A PERFECT 10 FOR KATHERINE LEVASSEUR!!!!!!!!!!!📺 ESPN | https://t.co/9mkkSGaobe pic.twitter.com/VLvv69zqjW
— Oklahoma Women's Gym (@OU_WGymnastics) January 9, 2022
Such elation from the typically quiet competitor surprised even head coach K.J. Kindler, who said afterward she’d never seen LeVasseur so animated but that after that performance, the sophomore gymnast’s “adrenaline went through the roof.”
As Allie Stern prepared to follow LeVasseur, Kindler was hoping her senior vault standout wouldn’t psyche herself out after watching the previous perfect routine. But, assured as ever, Stern took flight on vault and landed flawlessly herself, smirking with utmost confidence as cheers reverberated through the Lloyd Noble Center, celebrating the rare feat.
.@alliekstern...FINALLY GETS HER PERFECT 10!!!!!!!!📺 ESPN | https://t.co/9mkkSGaobe pic.twitter.com/MnZPwH3LLD
— Oklahoma Women's Gym (@OU_WGymnastics) January 9, 2022
“Honestly, the best vaults that I do are the ones when I don’t think about anything,” Stern said afterward. “I think I was in that mindset today, all through warmup, all through the meet, really just letting my body do it. When I landed, I kind of just shocked myself.”
Consecutively, LeVasseur and Stern earned perfect 10s for the first time in their careers in No. 3 Oklahoma’s season opener in Norman on Sunday, helping lead the Sooners to a 197.400-195.875 victory over No. 6 Alabama before an electric fan base.
“To have it happen at a home meet, you couldn’t have scripted it better,” said Kindler, who is in her 16th year at OU and seeks national championship No. 5 this season. “Both those young women have incredible vaults, and if they stick it, they have a potential of getting a 10 every single week.”
Alongside the perfect 10s for the Sooners, sophomore Audrey Davis tallied a 39.325 to win the all-around competition in her first time competing on all four events collegiately.
Following a 49.300 performance on vault, the Sooners continued to impress with a 49.475 on bars, as Davis scored the team-high with a 9.95.
In the third rotation, the Sooners notched a 49.175 on beam, and fifth-year senior Carly Woodard matched her career-high on the event with a 9.95. On floor, the Sooners registered a 49.450 thanks to freshman Jordan Bowers tallying a team-high 9.925 in her first meet.
OU wasn’t entirely infallible on the afternoon, as Bowers couldn’t hit her first collegiate routine on vault and junior Ragan Smith took a tumble on beam. Kindler also said, perfect 10s aside, she hopes to raise her squad’s vault scores from the 9.775 range to 9.85s in meets to come.
Despite a few minor ups and downs, the Sooners took care of business anyway, posting the nation’s third-highest score for opening week. And, they did so without arguably their best performer in senior Olivia Trautman, who missed the opener due to knee tendonitis.
“This wasn’t unexpected. … It’s not really an injury, it’s a hindrance that’s keeping her out,” Kindler said of Trautman. “We’re doing everything we can to get her to a place where she feels better physically.”
Following its victory, Oklahoma will next take on No. 4 Utah in a top 5 showdown at 1:45 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 14 on ESPN2.
As the Sooners push for another national championship after falling just short of Michigan last season, they probably couldn’t have begun the season better. As Kindler put it, landing a pair of 10s on day one was “pure insanity.”
“It was a good meet from top to bottom,” Kindler said. “We’re going to be pretty special this year.”
