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Oklahoma Sooners’ sports programs thriving at high levels on national stage

By Chip Rouse

Jun 10, 2021; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners celebrate after the game against Florida State Seminoles during game three of the NCAA Womens College World Series Championship Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 10, 2021; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners celebrate after the game against Florida State Seminoles during game three of the NCAA Womens College World Series Championship Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma football and basketball will always be the big headliners when it comes to Oklahoma Sooners sports, but you may be surprised to learn there are a number of other OU programs that rank among the best of the best in their respective sports nationally.

The football and basketball seasons for the 2021-22 academic year have come and gone. But the Sooner athletic brand remains extremely visible in and competitive at the highest level in national athletic competition.

The Sooner softball squad has been dominant this season, sporting a perfect 29-0 record, the only remaining undefeated team in NCAA Division I softball. Patty Gasso’s team is the reigning national champion and currently ranked No. 1 in the country in 2022.

OU Women’s gymnastics is 19-2 in regular-season competition and getting ready to participate in the 2022NCAA Women’s Championships and goes in as the top-ranked team and No. 1 overall seed. And the Sooner men’s gymnastics squad is right there too. The Sooner men are 13-1 this season and currently ranked in the No. 2 position nationally.

And this isn’t a one-year phenomenon for any of these Oklahoma athletic programs. The OU softball program has won four national championships since 2013 and five overall, including back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. Women’s gymnastics has finished first or second in the last five NCAA Championships, including three national titles. The men have won 12 national championships, including three of the last five.

And those aren’t the only Oklahoma athletic programs that are enjoying highly successful seasons at the national level in 2022. Sooner men’s golf has four first-place finishes this season, two seconds, a third and a fourth and is ranked No. 1 in the country with three tournaments remaining before the NCAA postseason begins in mid-May. The OU men were national champions in 2017 and were national runners-up to Pepperdine a year ago.

That brings us to Oklahoma women’s tennis. The Lady Sooners began the season ranked No. 19 in the country. Sporting a sensational 19-1 record, OU has progressively advanced upward in the rankings to its present No. 3 position. The Sooners completed a sweep of Baylor and No. 6 Texas this past weekend. It was their second win over Texas. OU beat the Longhorns in February when Texas was the top-ranked team in the country.

There is a lot to cheer about beyond the big revenue sports if you are Sooner sports fan, and there aren’t that many schools around the country that can say that.

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