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Oklahoma gymnastics: Sooner squads in top form when season skidded to stop

By Chip Rouse

BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 18: Yul Moldauer of the University of Oklahoma competes on the pommel horse during day three of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships 2018 at TD Garden on August 18, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 18: Yul Moldauer of the University of Oklahoma competes on the pommel horse during day three of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships 2018 at TD Garden on August 18, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images) /
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Of all the Sooner sports programs whose seasons were cut short by mitigation measures to slow the coronavirus pandemic, none were in better position to reign supreme over their sport — and on both sides of the gender divide — than Oklahoma gymnastics.

It is extremely rare for a school to win not one but two national championship team titles in the same season in the same sport. Oklahoma has done it twice in gymnastics, winning back-to-back NCAA national titles in both men’s and women’s gymnastics in 2017 and 2018.

Combined the OU men’s and women’s gymnastic programs have won 16 national championships, and they were in a position to make it numbers 17 and 18 this season.

Both Sooner squads were ranked No. 1 to begin  the 2020 season. The OU men were ranked No. 1 in the country when the season started, but with losses to No. 2 Stanford and No. 3 Michigan were at No, 2 when the season was prematurely ended due to the national health crisis.

The Sooner women, who were seeking to become back-to-back national champions for the second time in school history and the second time in three years. For three seniors (Maggie Nichols, Jade Degouveia and Brehanna Showers), it was an opportunity to end their college careers with three national team titles in four years.

The OU women were the nation’s top gymnastics team from start to finish this season and had not relinguished the top spot in 25 consecutive weeks, dating back to the beginning of the 2019 season.

Here are some of the notable numbers that tell the compelling combined story and domination of Oklahoma gymnastics in this unprecedented college sports year:

4 — The Sooners will lose four seniors from the OU men’s team (Collyn Kellogg, Randy Scharnhorst, Tanner Justus and Grant Kell).

5 — Five different times this season, the Sooner women posted scores of 198.000 or better.

7 — Two OU women (Maggie Nichols and Olivia Trautman) combined for seven perfect “10” scores this season. The pair combined for six perfect scores on vault and Nichols produced one on the uneven bars.

16-0 — Season record for the Oklahoma women, the third time in program history that the Sooners have gone undefeated.

19 — The OU men captured 19 individual titles in the shortened 2020 season, including six by both junior Gage Dyer and sophomore Vitaliy Guimaraes. The same two gymnasts earned five regular-season All-America honors.

22 – Senior Maggie Nichols ended her sensational career at OU with 22 perfect scores. That places her fourth all-time in NCAA history. Nichols would have been seeking her third consecutive NCAA all-around championship.

49.775 — On Feb. 14, in a dual competition against West Virginia, Oklahoma set a program record with a 49.775 team score in the vault event.

58 — With a win over No. 9 Iowa on Feb. 8, the OU men extended their home winning streak at McCasland Field House to 58.

198.450 — The OU women posted the highest team score this season. The Sooners also posted a score of 198.400 during the shortened season, the second highest score in the nation.

506 — With eight wins in 2020, head coach Mark Williams eclipsed the 500-win mark at Oklahoma. His incredible record in 21 seasons as the head coach of OU men’s gymnastics is 506-39.

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