Women's Oklahoma gymnastics has outperformed, outpointed all comers this season
By Chip Rouse
The No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team has gone up against 18 different opponents this season, including two teams twice, and has come out on top against all 18.
The two-time defending national champions are a perfect 18-0 and appear well on the way to joining the Oklahoma softball team as back-to-back-to-back national champions.
Competing in the Metroplex Challenge in Ft. Worth, Texas, over the weekend, the OU women posted a winning score of 198-plus for the fourth time this season in defeating No. 2 California, No. 16 Arkansas and Washington.
Four-time All-American Ragan Smith recorded a perfect "10" on the balance beam. It was the fifth-year senior's sixth perfect score of her career on beam and the first this year. She is one of two Sooners to post a perfect score this year. Junior Jordan Bowers scored 10.0 on the uneven bars earlier this month.
The Sooners posted a winning overall score of 198.300 at the Metroplex Challenge, defeating Cal (197.400), Arkansas (196.850) and Washington (196.450). Oklahoma swept or won at least a share of all five individual titles, including the all-around, won by OU's Bowers.
Sooner sophomore Faith Torrez and freshman Wells were named Big 12 Gymnast of the Week and Event Specialist of the Week, respectively. Torrez scored a career-high 39.650 in the all-around competition at the Metroplex Challenge over the weekend. Wells tied her career high with a 9.925 on vault, sharing the individual title with Lauren Williams of Arkansas. This was the fifth Gymnast of the Week honor this season for an OU gymnast and the second for Torrez. It was the third time a Sooner has received Specialist of the Week honors from the Big 12,
Already this season, Oklahoma has defeated seven of the NCAA top-10 teams in women's gymnastics -- No. 2 California (twice), No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Utah, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 7 Denver, No. 8 UCLA and No. 10 Michigan State. And they will face No. 9 Alabama on March 17 at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Oklahoma retains its No. 1 ranking for the seventh consecutive week. Over the last two-plus season, the Sooner women are 77-4 with two national championships. In addition to being No. 1 overall, OU ranks No. 1 in the country in average team score (198.139), bars, beam and floor and is tied for second nationally in vault.