Oklahoma gymnastics: No. 1 Sooner women take down another top-10 opponent
By Chip Rouse
On a weekend when the two Sooner basketball teams fizzled in their NCAA Tournament games, the women’s Oklahoma gymnastics squad sizzled with another impressive win over a highly ranked opponent.
The No. 1-ranked Sooner women came out on top of No. 6 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Friday, prevailing in three of the four team events and turned in a score of 197.295 to Alabama’s 197.150 to claim their ninth competitive victory in 10 outings this season.
Sophomore Maggie Nichols led the Sooners finishing first in three of the four individual events, including a perfect score of 10.0 on vault, and also captured the all-around title. Nichols took top honors on vault, uneven bars and beam. Alabama’s Nickie Guerrero posted the high score in floor exercise.
Oklahoma has now beaten four top-10 schools (UCLA, Michigan, Arkansas and Alabama), two of those away from home, and seven schools ranked in the nation’s top 25.
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Next week, Oklahoma’s two-time defending national championship squad will compete in the Big 12 Championship. The Sooners have won six consecutive Big 12 championships and nine total under head coach K.J. Kindler, all coming since 2008.
The NCAA regionals will be held in three weeks. The Sooners’ regional qualifying score (RQS) this season is 198.070, a new NCAA RQS record.
The OU women aren’t the only group of gymnasts dominating the sport this season. The Sooner men’s team has won three consecutive NCAA championships and they are well on their way for a fourth consecutive national crown.
Led by All-American Yul Moldauer, Oklahoma won five of the six team events and five more individual titles in easily defeating Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, on Saturday by a runaway score of 412.300 to 399.700.
It was the fifth consecutive win this season by the OU men and, more importantly, was their 88th consecutive victory, which places them in select company, tied for fifth-place with the great UCLA basketball teams under legendary coach John Wooden for the longest win streak in NCAA Division history.
Moldauer won individual titles in three events (pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars). Teammate Tanner Justus recorded the high score on vault and Alexei Vernyi took home high honors in floor exercise.
The Sooner men have won eight national championships under head coach Mark Williams, all since 2002.