Oklahoma gymnastics: Sooner women advance to Ann Arbor regional final with ease
By Chip Rouse
For the 11th time this season, the top-ranked women's Oklahoma gymnastics team posted a score 198-plus to advance to the Ann Arbor Regional Final of the 2024 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships
The two-time defending national champion Sooners scored 198.050 in handily defeating second-place and No. 17 national seed Ohio State (196.975, Illinois (196.750) and North Carolina State (195.950).
Oklahoma advances to the regional final along with Ohio State, No. 8 Alabama and No. 25 Penn State. The latter two were the top two teams out of Thursday's opening session. In somewhat of a surprise host team Michigan, the No. 9 national seed, failed to advance.
The Sooners moved into the lead after the first rotation with a 49.425 score on vault and led the competition wire to wire. OU senior Katherine LaVasseur shared the individual title on vault with a 9.95.
Oklahoma posted the highest team score in each of the individual events in the second session on Thursday with a Sooner gymnast capturing the individual title on three of the four rotations (beam, bars and floor) and sharing the title on vault. Junior Jordan Bowers took the bars title with a winning score of 9.975 along with a 9.95 score in floor exercise. She also was the all-around champion with an aggregate score of 39.675.
Fifth-year senior Ragan Smith posted the high score on beam, her specialty, with a second-consecutive perfect 10.
The Sooners are seeking their 14th consecutive regional championship. Only six of those have been in Norman. If OU does advance to the NCAA Championships, it will be their 19th straight appearance in the championships. They are going for their seventh national title and third in a row.