Coach K.J. Kindler and the top-ranked OU women’s gymnastics team are going back to the NCAA Championships.
The Sooners rolled through the finals of the Lexington Regional on Sunday afternoon at Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum. OU’s team score of 198.350 bested Arkansas by almost a point and was the highest total in any regional final this weekend.
OU (29-1-1) will start its defense of the national championship with the NCAA semifinals on Thursday, April 16, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Arkansas (197.450) also advanced to nationals, besting Missouri (197.225) and Ohio State (196.700).
OU is headed back to nationals in pursuit of its eighth national title despite having almost three-fourths of its routines performed by freshmen and sophomores.
“I was amazed,” Kindler said of her team on ESPN+ after the regional finals. “I think there were a little nerves on Day 1. I felt like today they were a little calmer and more at peace as they moved through. I felt like I was seeing our gymnastics a little bit more today, just kind of that confidence came back to them.
“I think they had a pretty phenomenal day.”
That day was capped by a big-time floor rotation. Even though the Sooners had a commanding lead of 0.725 points heading into the final rotation, they only built on it. They started their floor rotation with three consecutive 9.900s from Ella Murphy, Addison Fatta and Lily Pederson.
Elle Mueller and Mackenzie Estep dropped the hammer in the anchor spots, finishing with a pair of 9.950s.
Here’s a look at OU’s floor scores:
Ella Murphy: 9.900.
Addison Fatta: 9.900.
Lily Pederson: 9.900.
Keira Wells: 9.875.
Elle Mueller: 9.950.
Mackenzie Estep: 9.950.
— Jenni Carlson, columnist
Watch OU women’s gymnastics live with ESPN+
The Sooners aren’t the nation’s top-ranked team on balance beam, but they would struggle to be much better than they were Sunday.
They started with a 9.900 from Addison Fatta — and just went up from there until they reached the perfection peak. Faith Torrez anchored the rotation with a perfect 10. After struggling on beam Friday in the regional semifinal, the Sooner senior duplicated her performance in the SEC Championships, turning in a flawless performance.
Her score was one of four scores of 9.950 or better that OU posted.
The Sooners have built on their lead again, now leading by 0.725 points. Their total score of 148.750 stands ahead of Arkansas at 148.025, Missouri at 148.000 and Ohio State at 147.525.
Here’s a look at OU’s scores on beam:
Fatta: 9.900.
Keira Wells: 9.900.
Ella Murphy: 9.950.
Lily Pederson: 9.950.
Elle Mueller: 9.950.
Torrez: 10.000.
— Jenni Carlson, columnist
OU’s lead after the first rotation grew with the Sooners’ performance on uneven bars in the second rotation.
Stuck landings fueled a combined score of 49.475 in the second rotation, and now the Sooners’ total of 99.000 points leads Arkansas (98.657) by 0.325 points. OU’s lead after the first rotation was 0.125 points.
Missouri is third at 98.550 while Ohio State is fourth at 98.125.
OU biggest scores came from Ella Murphy and Faith Torrez, who scored 9.925s. The five scores that counted, all 9.850 or better, included sticks on the landings.
Here are the Sooners’ scores on uneven bars.
Lily Pederson: 9.900.
Murphy: 9.925.
Addison Fatta: 9.850.
Mackenzie Estep: 9.800.
Hannah Scheible: 9.875.
Torrez: 9.925.
— Jenni Carlson, columnist
As the top seed in the Lexington Regional, the Sooners had the choice of what apparatus it wanted to begin on. OU coach K.J. Kindler went with vault, the event on which her team is top ranked in the country, and hoped the Sooners could put up some big scores and build some momentum.
We’ll have to wait and see on the momentum, but the big scores?
Check.
OU posted three scores of 9.925 or better, including freshman Mackenzie Estep’s nearly perfect 9.950. Her stuck landing seemed to ignite a run of sticks as Elle Mueller and Addison Fatta followed with their own. That led the Sooners to a 49.525 on the first rotation.
OU leads the four-team pack, followed by Arkansas at 49.400, Missouri at 49.300 and Ohio State at 49.050.
The Sooners made a change right before the start of the competition, removing Hannah Scheible from the third spot in the rotation and replacing her with Lily Pederson in the anchor spot.
Here’s a look at the Sooners’ scores on vault:
Elizabeth Blessey: 9.875.
Keira Wells: 9.850.
Estep: 9.950.
Mueller: 9.925.
Fatta: 9.925.
Pederson: 9.850.
— Jenni Carlson, columnist
What channel is Oklahoma women’s gymnastics in NCAA Lexington Regional on tonight?
Livestream: ESPN+ (here’s how to stream it live)
The NCAA women’s gymnastics Lexington Regional will be streamed on ESPN+.
What time is OU women’s gymnastics in NCAA Lexington Regional final today?
- Date: Sunday, April 5
- Start time: 4 p.m. CT
- Where: Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky.
The OU women’s gymnastics team will compete in the NCAA Lexington Regional final at 4 p.m. CT Sunday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky.
OU women’s gymnastics highlights in NCAA Lexington Regional
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