DEVELOPING LEADERS INSPIRING CHAMPIONS
WE CREATE
SOONER MAGIC
M ASTERFUL • A CCOUNTABLE • G RACIOUS • I NCLUSIVE • C OMPETITIVE
OUR VISION
TO BE THE PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES, STAFF AND FANS TO PURSUE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SPORT AND IN LIFE
Photos by Morgan Givens, Johnny Smiley, Brendall Vargas, Peyton Martin, Andrew Marsh, Reghan Kyle, Michael Meek, John Baker, Josh Gateley, Justin Kaplan, Cameron Kwong-Murphy, Matt Smith
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Dear Friends,
Decades from now, I expect we may look back on this past year as the most transformational in Sooner Nation’s history. While everyone knows July 1 marked our entry into the Southeastern Conference, there’s so much more that’s been going on quietly in the background – not only to get us ready to compete in our new home conference, but to keep OU Athletics on our ever-upward trajectory. It’s thanks to so many that we have enjoyed the successes we have, and at the University of Oklahoma, that begins with the vision put forth by President Joseph Harroz Jr. and our Board of Regents. We’re so fortunate for their leadership and commitment to our student-athletes and programs. I encourage you to look through this report. We have a powerful story to tell and all of you play a major role.
We continue to be astounded by the generous OU supporters responsible for the university’s biggest fundraising year ever. Within Athletics, we had a record year, cresting $110 million raised. The university’s Lead On campaign passed the $1 billion mark, with Athletics making up more than $348 million of that amount over the past few years. It’s fitting that we broke our fundraising record, because the need to invest in Athletics is greater than ever before. We have grand goals and our supporters’ firm commitment is the only way we will be able to achieve our highest aspirations. Thankfully, we’ve seen more people invest in OU Athletics than ever before, so we know our fans, alumni, donors, and partners understand the importance of continuing to support our programs for our sustained success. This year, we introduced the 1895 Trust to reward and recognize our strongest backers. This unprecedented investment in the life-altering education and athletics OU offers underscores precisely how meaningful the legacy of Sooner Magic is to everyone in Norman and across Oklahoma and the nation.
JOE CASTIGLIONE Vice President & Director of Athletics
To be among the best, we have to play the best. In the SEC we will show off our Magic on one of the largest stages in college athletics and shine a spotlight on all Oklahoma has to offer.
“ “
As ever, our athletics programs remain tightly tethered to our mission to provide students with a premier education and to prepare them for life beyond competition. Overall, our student-athletes earned a
record-shattering 3.27 cumulative GPA this past spring, making it the 25th consecutive semester of a 3.0 mark or higher. Academic achievement is as much a part of our DNA as winning championships.
With more than 500 student-athletes competing in the Crimson and Cream every year, along with thousands of alumni making a difference in and out of the field of competition, we are blessed with many amazing stories to share. The pages of this report only scratch the surface of all the tremendous achievements to which our Sooners can lay claim. Under the leadership of Coach Patty Gasso, OU Softball won the Big 12 postseason championship before capturing its fourth straight national title, and three of our other programs –women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, and baseball – brought home conference championships.
On campus, we saw the memorable opening of our softball field of dreams, Love’s Field. It delivers an unrivaled fan experience and is truly a game changer for our program and all of college softball. It was built on the shoulders of those who imagined something special for our program and then worked hard to make it happen. It stands as a testament to what softball and women’s sports as a whole mean to OU.
Over the past three years, we’ve meticulously planned our arrival to the SEC. Our aspirations are bold and we’re excited to compete at the highest level of college sports. To be among the best, we have to play the best. In the SEC we will show off our Magic on one of the largest stages in college athletics and shine a spotlight on all Oklahoma has to offer.
While unique in many ways, this year – like all those that came before – was marked by the same determination to achieve excellence that Sooner Nation expects and deserves. On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff, thank you for all you’ve done to help us reach such great heights. It’s because of you and your support that we can fill these pages with success after success. I hope you enjoy this account of the extraordinary stories, people, and achievements that continue to make Oklahoma the special place that it is. Boomer!
$110.3M Raised in FY2024 All-time Athletics fundraising record in a single fiscal year
17,171 Sooner Club Members Largest number in Sooner Club history.
1,935
17 Most $1M + gifts in OU History
FY25 GOALS
Grow membership to 20K in year one as an SEC member
$336M
given collectively by this group to OU Athletics in their lifetime
Grow 1895 Trust beyond 300 members
TSurpass 50% of members making a philanthropic gift
he 1895 Trust was created this year, representing a new membership within the Sooner Club that recognizes those who have made philanthropic commitments aimed at enhancing the OU student-athlete experience. This new model adds to the Sooner Club’s existing annual membership levels. Serving as the engine of OU Athletics, the 1895 Trust builds upon the foundation of OU’s carefully constructed tradition of excellence.
91
members have committed over $1 million in their lifetime
15
different states represented by 1895 Trust members
Kimreys Make the Largest Single Commitment in Oklahoma Athletics History
“
The Kimrey’s generosity
isn’t limited to what they’ve given monetarily to
OU;
they have a
deep
generosity of spirit which has resonated immensely with our student-athletes and staff.
- Joe Castiglione
(From L to R) Head Baseball Coach Skip Johnson, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director Greg Tipton, Brian Kimrey, Kim Kimrey, Kristen Castiglione and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione
Opened on March 1, 2024, with a 9-7 victory over Miami (OH) in front of a record crowd of 4,450, sparkling Love’s Field is the crown jewel of college softball stadiums. It boasts a fan capacity of 4,200, the highest for an on-campus softball facility in the country, and features a 10,669-square-foot indoor training center. The facility also features several team spaces, including a locker room, training room, meeting room, equipment room and lounge, as well as a recognition area to showcase national championships, All-Americans and other outstanding accomplishments.
Love’s Field was made possible by Love’s Travel Stops, who provided the lead naming gift of $12 million, along with over 1,000 other donors who in total contributed over $37 million in support of the $48 million project.
4,200 SEATING CAPACITY
$37M
INVESTED IN THE PROJECT AVERAGE GIFT OF $33,000
1,100 OVERALL DONORS FROM 38 STATES
337 DONORS GAVE $10,000 AND ABOVE
FACILITY PROJECTS
BASKETBALL TEAM SPACES
First approved in May 2022 and opened in the spring of 2024, the Lloyd Noble Center team suites renovation features the update and modernization of approximately 13,400 square feet of team spaces, locker rooms and other areas necessary to support the men’s and women’s basketball programs. This $9.5 million project also included updating approximately 8,400 square feet of office, meeting and support spaces.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
• Enhanced player development areas to maximize the student-athlete experience
• Expanded current recovery spaces for both men’s and women’s basketball programs
• Modernized and expanded existing locker room and team spaces for both programs
• Created new recognition area for former Oklahoma greats
PROJECTS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
GYMNASTICS
Originally opened in 1982, the Sam Viersen Center has been the home to 17 national championship teams. Over time, more dedicated team space has become an undeniable need for both the men’s and women’s gymnastics programs. Addressing this need will create a world-class facility for our student-athletes to train and develop their skills. The approved expansion and renovation will create an unmatched recruiting advantage for which will allow for the continued pursuit of conference and national championships that both programs have become known. Construction on the project commenced in December 2023.
TENNIS
Made possible by a transformational $5 million gift from longtime OU golf supporter Jerry Ransom, the Jerry J. Ransom Golf Performance Center will set the standard in golf performance facilities by maximizing the student-athlete potential and experience and equipping OU’s coaches with state-of-the-art technology to recruit and train. The complete facility features the Ransom Short Course, the Ransom House and the creation of a new indoor golf performance center. Construction on the project commenced in November 2023.
The Headington Family Tennis Center and Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion are home to the Oklahoma men’s and women’s tennis programs as well as the OU Tennis Club. The growth of the OU Tennis Club has created a critical need for spaces exclusive to both the men’s and women’s tennis programs. Addressing this need adds features that will drastically improve the student-athlete and fan experiences and will solidify the facility as a world-class training center. Both programs will enjoy a recruiting edge because of these updates that will allow for continued success and the pursuit of championships.
With over 4,300 square feet of new space, these will include expanded suites and recovery spaces as well as areas enhancing the fan experience. Construction on the project commenced in December 2023.
GOLF
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
We’ve been married for 23 incredible years.
We raised three beautiful children together.
We have built a life that we’ve always dreamed of.
But make no mistake about it, we fell in love with Oklahoma before we fell in love with each other.
There’s a reason we’ve had season tickets to OU football games since 1996. What started as a tradition that ultimately helped us become closer together and fall in love, has become something that brings our whole family together.
Raising three die-hard Sooners fans is one of our proudest achievements as parents — not that they had any other choice in the process.
All kidding aside, as loud as we cheer for the Sooners to win every game and compete for national championships, it’s always been what OU has done off the field that’s impacted our lives the most.
Neither of us would be in the position we’re in as parents, medical professionals, and members of our community if it weren’t for the experiences we had as students at OU.
When we were kids sitting in the nosebleeds at “The Palace On The Prairie,” we always said if we were ever in a position to give back to this university one day, we would jump at that opportunity.
Now that we are, it’s been the privilege of both of our lives to give back to a university that changed our journey forever.
Experiencing it Together
The turning point in our relationship came right around the end of our junior year. We both realized that not only were we best friends, but we were probably going to spend the rest of our lives together.
The joke around campus was that we were practically married anyway!
It’s surreal to think about our 23 years of marriage and how it never would have happened without the amazing experiences we had inside and outside the classroom at OU.
That’s why it’s such a treat that our three kids are Sooner fanatics like us.
We often talk about how hard life is and how divided the world — and even our own country — has become. But to escape all of that for a few hours at a football game in Norman as a family, how does it get any better than that?
Seeing the high-fives, the hugs, and our daughter standing up in her seat to yell at the referee to make better calls (chip off the old block) is so wholesome. It touches us deeply, knowing we can share our love for OU as a family.
With all three of our kids in high school this year, and our oldest being a senior, she’s dead-set on OU.
We just want her to have the same college experience that we did, and at OU, we know she’ll have that sense of fulfillment with a tremendous education that she will always be proud of.
Inspiring Championships
On and Off the Field
When we both reached a point where we felt established with our family and our careers, neither one of us hesitated at the thought of giving back to OU, just like we always discussed.
To contribute to the Inspiring Champions Fund was a chance to help student-athletes of today and in the future. We both felt if we could do our part to improve their experience and inspire them to be champions, both on and off the field, that was worth the weight in gold.
Not to mention, the stronger our athletics programs are, the better educational experience it is overall for both the university and the Health Sciences Center, which is so near and dear to our hearts.
So to play a part in helping improve some of these
“
“ We firmly believe that OU invested in us, which is why it’s so important for us to repay the favor because we know that an investment to OU is an investment to the Norman community in both the present and future.
facilities, which are state-of-the-art and drastically improved from when we were in school, is such a rewarding feeling.
In relation to that, everyone understands that football is the big draw in collegiate sports, especially in Norman, but how about that softball team we have at OU?
Four national titles in a row, are you kidding?!
The support that the program has received and how Love’s Field has set the standard for softball complexes across the country has been an absolute joy to watch unfold.
These young women are revolutionizing the sport, so to see their success and the accomplishments of all
these other programs like gymnastics, baseball, or basketball, it warms our hearts to see.
And we’re so thrilled to be able to support these student-athletes in any way we can through the Inspiring Champions Fund and beyond.
There’s Only One OU!
We’ve always been of the notion that you can gain a great experience and education from many different schools around the country, but we’re also of the belief that there’s only one OU.
OU set a foundation for our personal and professional lives that has impacted us forever. You always get out of an educational experience what you put in, of course, but the opportunities and community are second to none.
We had approachable teachers who were not only fantastic educators, but they truly wanted to see us succeed and live out our dreams.
And we wouldn’t be living out those dreams today had it not been for those instructors who provided us with a fantastic education.
We firmly believe that OU invested in us, which is why it’s so important for us to repay the favor because we know that an investment to OU is an investment to the Norman community in both the present and future.
That’s why we like to talk to as many young people as we can because what an exciting time it is right now to be a Sooner! Without question, they have some of the best opportunities, education, and facilities in the country right now.
We recently went on a campus tour with our daughter and couldn’t help but laugh when we compared the dorms we stayed in as undergrads to what these kids have now. They’re light years ahead of what we had!
We may live in Texas, but we are fully invested in the OU community. We’re willing to do whatever it takes — for our kids and anyone else’s kids — to invest in the community and work with OU to provide every student with the same experiences that changed our lives all those years ago.
The Best Days Lie Ahead
Like we said, it’s an exciting time right now to be a Sooner.
Being in the SEC for the first time this year, the opportunities and potential are endless, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to play a small role in helping athletics and academics grow exponentially in this new conference.
With one of our children enrolling at OU next year, and the other two likely following suit in the next few years, we have a goal to visit every SEC stadium that’s on our bucket list.
LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, you name it — we plan to be there!
And we couldn’t be happier to be proud alums and donors to this great university because we emphatically believe, despite everything OU’s achieved in the past, that the best days lie ahead.
We’ve been involved with OU Athletics for more than 20 years, and plan to be involved for 20 years beyond that, and just keep doing our part so that every student has the chance to succeed and live out their dreams in whatever they want to do.
We can describe OU in so many different ways, but when it comes down to it, OU is home.
And no matter if we’re living in Texas or any other corner of the map, that’s never going to change.
STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT
BY SAHARA WILLIAMS
To say that I’ve been through a lot would be an understatement. My parents split up when I was eight years old. My mom was incarcerated right before I started high school. On top of starting high school without my mom, my grandpa, who was instrumental in my upbringing, passed away. Then, we were evicted from our home.
Life was hard, and if I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure what to do next with my life. Now, I’m not telling you all of this so that you feel sorry for me. This isn’t a sad story. My life isn’t some heartbreaking story. It’s a story about perseverance. I’m telling you all this to show how far I’ve come. And how much being a Sooner means to me.
Why does it mean so much to me? Oklahoma, Coach Jennie and the OU family have always had my back. My relationship with Jennie goes back to when I was in the seventh grade over six years ago. She was one of the first college coaches ever to contact me. She saw something in me that other people didn’t back then. I was just a kid from Waterloo, Iowa.
The definition of a blue-collar recruit, and while other schools backed off me because of circumstances out of my control, Oklahoma took me for who I was.
I fit perfectly into Coach Jennie’s style of basketball, and after going through the entire recruiting process, I knew that OU was the best fit for me in
both basketball and life. It was clear that I needed to be a Sooner.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Because of everything going on in my life, we didn’t always have a stable place to live. Through all of the adversity, my relationship with my mom has grown, and today, she is an active role model in my life. But as a teenager, balancing the real world with school and sports was hard.
I know that, unfortunately, I wasn’t the only kid that was having to go through some of the things that I went through, but it was still a unique situation. But going through that struggle taught me to appreciate the little things coaches would do. Jennie and her staff told me they would come to see me no matter what, and they didn’t care what I had going on. They were there for me from the jump.
For those of you who don’t know what the recruiting process looks like, know that when I tell you that it’s special, it is special. Oklahoma was the only school that offered me that kind of love and support on and off the court. I’ll never forget that.
LOVE AND BASKETBALL
At first, I only started playing basketball to hang out with my friends. But it all started in the fourth grade when a group of my friends were playing basketball, and they begged me to come and play with them. I reluctantly agreed.
When I got to the gym where they were playing, I was terrible. Talk about a humbling moment. But I wasn’t playing then to be good; I was just there to hang out with my friends. So I kept showing up. I think that’s kind of what makes me who I am — I always just keep showing up.
It wasn’t until I had a coach named Zach O’Brien, who really poured into and believed in me, that I started to take hoops seriously. He was the first person to tell me that I could play college basketball if I wanted to, and that’s when it clicked for me. I knew that this was what I wanted to do. I was going to make it happen, no matter what got in my way.
Coach O’Brien made me realize that basketball was
“ “ This isn’t a sad story. My life isn’t some heartbreaking story. It’s a story about perseverance. I’m telling you all this to show how far I’ve come. And how much being a Sooner means to me.
more than just a way for me to hang out with my friends…it was a way to get to something better. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to believe you – and for me, that someone was Coach O’Brien.
A COACH LIKE NO OTHER
In the seventh grade, I started to get interest from a few different colleges. As I said earlier, I had a really good relationship with Jennie from the start. When I was that age, she was coaching at Drake in Des Moines, and she was one of the first coaches to reach out to me.
She was committed to guiding me through the entire recruiting process. I just felt like she wanted what was best for me and my family. Back then, when things were unstable for me and my family, her interest and support meant the world.
I was working so hard, and she validated that I was working toward something bigger than myself. I always knew that if I played in college, I wanted to play for a loyal and loving coach. If you know who Jennie Baranczyk is, you know that loyal and loving epitomize her. It was a no-brainer once she got to Oklahoma and offered me a scholarship. I knew what I wanted to do. I was going to be a Sooner. Finally.
A SEASON TO REMEMBER
When I made the 10-hour drive from Waterloo, Iowa, to Norman last summer, I was just a kid trying to find her way in the world. I didn’t really know what to expect, and I was just excited to be here.
Now, don’t get me wrong. When you come to Oklahoma, you know that you’ll have awesome fans backing you, top-notch facilities and everything that comes with being a student-athlete. But I didn’t know what to expect on the floor. How would I fit into the team? How would I play? How do I balance school and ball?
So now, looking back on my first full season at OU, I would say that my first year was a season of growth
for me. I learned a lot about myself, and because of it, I became a better basketball player and, more importantly, a better person. It was special to get the opportunity to connect genuinely with our fans and the OU family. It was so important to come here and be part of a family, and that’s exactly what I’ve got.
Our fans and the community of Norman are so special to us as student-athletes at Oklahoma.
It’s a privilege to wear the Crimson and Cream and to represent the interlocking OU. For us to be able to give back is honestly just a blessing. Getting to soak everything in and build relationships throughout the year was incredibly rewarding. I love Oklahoma and Oklahoma Women’s Basketball so much.
We are a national brand. We take second to nobody. I want to do whatever it takes to help our program grow and improve. College sports have changed so much just in the last couple of years. You feel it as a recruit. You feel it as a student-athlete. It’s such an exciting time to be a Sooner. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) plays a huge role in what being a student-athlete means now. NIL has allowed me to
connect with our fans, local businesses and create meaningful partnerships to benefit me off the court. Through NIL, I get to represent OU Basketball on and off the floor.
A PROMISE
So why, when everything was falling apart, why did I keep playing basketball? It would’ve been easy to quit. To give up. I had all the excuses in the world. I made a promise to my family. When I was young and we were going through struggles, I told them that when I made it to the league, I’d take care of them.
They didn’t believe me. Like every kid, I was just a kid who said they would make it to the league and take care of their friends and family. But I was serious. I’m still serious. I made a promise that I don’t intend to break.
When you’re at a place like Oklahoma, there’s no excuses. I have everything I need to keep my promise. Oklahoma has been shaping and molding me into the best version of myself since I was in the seventh grade. Years of pouring into me. Now, I get to give back.
It’s because I’m a Sooner that I have a winner’s mentality. It’s because I’m a Sooner that I know it takes everyone on our team to win.
More importantly, it’s because I’m a Sooner that I know how to love. To love the game. To love to compete. To love Oklahoma. OU means everything to me. Because of that, I intend to make Jennie, the staff, Sooner Nation, Norman, Waterloo, my family and everyone in between proud of who I am and who I will become.
“We are no longer 14 waiting for two. We are at 16 and it’s a personal point of pride to be here today to officially welcome the University of Oklahoma into the Southeastern Conference.”
– SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey
“The celebration to mark our entry to the SEC didn’t disappoint. Thankfully, the celebrating doesn’t have to end. We’re headed for more – more competition, more pageantry, more tradition and more Sooner Magic.”
– Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione
“Our inaugural day in the SEC was one we’ll always remember, with the unity and enthusiasm of the OU Family on full display. Joining the SEC is more than just a milestone in our university’s history; it’s a bold step into a future full of potential and a testament to our dedication to excellence in all endeavors.”
JULY 1, 2024
– President Joseph Harroz Jr.
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
FOOTBALL
• The Sooners posted a 10-win season and went undefeated at home (6-0).
• OU beat Texas 34-30 after Dillon Gabriel threw a touchdown pass to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds left. It was OU’s 11th win in its last 15 meetings against the Longhorns.
• Defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. set single-season school records and led the nation by registering three interception returns for a touchdown and 238 interception return yards.
• The Sooners led the country with their 1.5 interceptions per game and ranked third nationally in total offense (507.0 ypg) and fourth in scoring offense (41.7 ppg).
• Gabriel, Bowman Jr., wide receiver Drake Stoops and linebacker Danny Stutsman were first-team All-Big 12 selections, while defensive lineman Ethan Downs and center Andrew Raym were second-team honorees.
Billy Bowman, Jr.
Danny Stutsman
SOCCER
• OU reached the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals with a first-round win over Oklahoma State, marking the sixth time the Sooners advanced past the Big 12 first round. The Big 12 tournament victory was OU’s first over OSU since the 2018 season.
• OU defeated Texas in regulation for the first time since 2005.
• Emma Hawkins was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 23, becoming the first Sooner to earn a weekly league soccer honor since 2021.
• A program-record six student-athletes were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honorees while 13 student-athletes earned Academic All-Big 12 honors, tied for the second-highest total in program history.
CROSS COUNTRY
• The men’s team placed eighth overall at the Big 12 Championship, while the women finished 12th.
• At the NCAA Midwest Regionals, the men placed 19th overall and the women finished 31st.
VOLLEYBALL
• Payton Chamberlain reached a milestone of 2,000 career assists.
• Callie Kemohah eclipsed the 1,000 career digs benchmark.
• Alexis Shelton recorded a career-high 30 kills at Notre Dame on Sept. 9.
• The team set program records with 73 kills and 64 assists against Boise State.
Emma Hawkins
Payton Chamberlain
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
• The Sooners claimed their second straight Big 12 championship with a 15-3 league record and a 9-0 conference mark at home.
• Lexy Keys hit a clutch 3-pointer to beat No. 3 Texas and give OU the outright Big 12 title.
• OU defeated No. 2 Kansas State 66-63 in Norman on back-to-back Skylar Vann baskets in the final seconds.
• Vann was named Co-Big 12 Player of the Year and Jennie Baranczyk was named Big 12 Coach of the Year.
• The Sooners advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
• OU beat Iowa and USC to win the Rady Children’s Invitational.
• The Sooners won the Bedlam trophy, sweeping Oklahoma State in the two-game season series.
• OU defeated Arkansas in the Crimson & Cardinal Classic, improving to 2-1 against the Razorbacks in the Tulsa series.
• The Sooners tallied 20 wins on the year and finished 14-4 at home.
• Jalon Moore and Javian McCollum earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades.
Lexy Keys Skylar Vann
2024 Big 12 Champions
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
• OU reached its 24th consecutive NCAA finals and finished in the top three for the 22nd time in the last 23 NCAA Championships.
• Fuzzy Benas was named the National Gymnast of the Year and Emre Dodanli was named the National Specialist of the Year by the College Gymnastics Association.
• Dodanli won the most individual event titles by a Sooner since 2019 and notched the six highest floor exercise scores of any gymnast nationally this season.
• OU posted team scores on horizontal bar (70.950 on Feb. 10), vault (73.532 in NCAA Finals) and in the all-around (420.350 on Jan. 20) that were its highest since the 2019 season.
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
• The Sooners posted an NCAA-record score of 198.950 in the Big 12 Championship, breaking the previous record of 198.875 set in 2004 by UCLA and Stanford.
• Ragan Smith scored six perfect 10s on the balance beam to set a single-season program record.
• Jordan Bowers earned a program-record three perfect 10s in one meet and tied the program standard with a 39.925 all-around score at the Big 12 Championship.
• OU went undefeated in the regular season (29-0) for the eighth time in program history.
• Audrey Davis and Faith Torrez claimed individual national titles, sharing the balance beam crown, while Davis earned a national title on bars.
2024 Big 12 Champions
Jordan Bowers Ragan Smith
Audrey Davis Faith Torrez
Emre Dondanli
Fuzzy Benas
WRESTLING
• Stephen Buchanan placed third at the NCAA Championships with a 9-4 win over Cornell’s Jason Cardenas. Buchanan became OU’s highest NCAA finisher since 2016 and OU’s 278th All-American.
• Oklahoma claimed two individual titles and placed second overall at the 2024 Southern Scuffle. The event is widely considered one of the toughest regular season tournaments in collegiate wrestling. The duo of Buchanan and Josh Heindselman went a combined 8-0 with six bonus-point wins to claim tournament titles.
MEN’S GOLF
• Oklahoma advanced to its 50th NCAA Championships and 13th straight (the second-longest active streak nationally).
• The Sooners won the NCAA Rancho Santa Fe Regional, the seventh regional championship in program history.
• Ryder Cowan was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team.
• OU defeated both Texas and Texas Tech at the Big 12 Match Play Championship.
WOMEN’S GOLF
• OU was selected to compete at the NCAA Las Vegas Regional, its third postseason regional appearance in the last four seasons and 11th under head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell
• The Sooners won The Match Play at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, claiming their first tournament victory since 2018.
• Reagan Chaney earned All-Big 12 Tournament Team accolades.
Stephen Buchanan
Reagan Chaney
TRACK AND FIELD
• BJ Green swept the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Conference triple jump titles and secured a third-place finish in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn first-team All-America honors.
• Olivia Lueking placed fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships and eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning her third and fourth consecutive first-team All-America honors in pole vault.
• Freshman Kyren Washington enjoyed a breakout postseason, clearing a personal best high jump of 2.20m (7’2.50”) to place fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. It was the third-best jump in OU history.
• Angel Richmore placed seventh in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships and fifth in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning two first-team All-America honors.
ROWING
• Oklahoma secured majority victories vs. Wisconsin with the 1V8+ winning in a photo finish.
• The Sooners clinched seven top-three finishes at the Big Ten Invite and the 3V8+ (all walk-on athletes) placed second in all three sessions at the invitational.
• OU placed fifth at the 2024 Big 12 Championship in Sarasota, Fla.
• Senior Emma Lazenby was named to the All-Big 12 Rowing Team.
BJ Green Olivia Lueking
Stephen Buchanan
Angel Richmore
Kinzie Hansen
Tiare Jennings
Coach Patty Gasso and Kelly Maxwell
Jayda Coleman
SOFTBALL
• OU became the first NCAA softball program to win four consecutive national championships. The national title was its sixth in the last eight seasons and eighth overall.
• The Sooners posted a 59-7 overall record and swept top-seeded Texas in thge best-of-three WCWS Championship Series.
• Kinzie Hansen was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and a conference-leading nine Sooners earned All-Big 12 honors.
• Patty Gasso won her eighth NCAA championship (tied for most all-time), recorded her 1,500th NCAA Division I victory and became the first Big 12 coach in any sport to win her 400th Big 12 conference game.
MEN’S TENNIS
• The Sooners hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and ended the season ranked No. 11 nationally, the program’s highest end-of-year ranking since 2016.
• OU registered a season-high team ranking of No. 9.
• Alex Martinez was named an All-American after earning a top-16 NCAA Tournament seed.
• The Sooners beat No. 3 TCU in front of a record home crowd. Martinez won his singles match to clinch the 4-3 team victory.
2024 National Champions
Alex Martinez
BASEBALL
WOMEN’S TENNIS
• The Sooners posted a 19-7 overall record and reached their fifth straight NCAA tournament under head coach Audra Cohen.
• Julia Garcia Ruiz earned All-America honors after advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships.
• Dana Guzman and Alina Shcherbinina earned All-America status after receiving a top-eight NCAA Championships seed.
• The Sooners claimed the Big 12 regular season championship for the first time in program history, posting a program-record 23 conference wins.
• OU swept a program-record six conference series, good for a tie for the most in Big 12 history.
• Head coach Skip Johnson earned Oklahoma’s first Big 12 Coach of the Year honor.
• Eleven Sooners were named all-conference, including three All-Big 12 First Team honorees. Sophomore Easton Carmichael was named an All-American by the National College Baseball Writers Association.
• OU hosted an NCAA Regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park for the first time since 2010.
• OU set program attendance records for a single game (4,812 vs. Texas), series (12,335 vs. Texas) and season (60,962).
Julia Garcia Ruiz
2024 Big 12 Conference Champions
SEASON
HONORS
BASEBALL
Skip Johnson – Big 12 Coach of the Year
Easton Carmichael – Third-Team All-American (NCBWA)
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Jennie Baranczyk – Big 12 Coach of the Year
Skylar Vann – Big 12 Co-Player of the Year; Honorable Mention All-American (AP, WBCA)
Payton Verhulst – Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
FOOTBALL
Nic Anderson – Freshman All-American (The Athletic)
Billy Bowman – First-Team All-American (CBS Sports/247Sports)
Danny Stutsman – Second-Team All-American (Walter Camp, CBS Sports/247Sports); Third-Team All-American (AP)
MEN’S GOLF
Ryder Cowan – First-Team Freshman All-American (PING)
Ben Lorenz – Honorable Mention All-American (GCAA)
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
Fuzzy Benas – CGA Gymnast of the Year
Emre Dodanli – CGA Specialist of the Year
Ignacio Yockers – MPSF Specialist of the Year
Nico Hamilton – MPSF Freshman of the Year
Mark Williams – MPSF Coach of the Year
Fuzzy Benas – All-American (AA, VT, PB); CGA Regular Season All-American (AA, PB)
Max Bereznev – All-American (VT)
Kelton Christiansen – CGA Regular Season All-American (HB)
Emre Dodanli – All-American (FX, PB); CGA Regular Season All-American (FX, VT, PB)
Jack Freeman – CGA Regular Season All-American (FX, HB)
Tas Hajdu – CGA Regular Season All-American (SR)
Nico Hamilton – All-American (FX); CGA Regular Season All-American (FX)
Zach Nunez – CGA Regular Season All-American (PH)
Ignacio Yockers – CGA Regular Season All-American (PH)
WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
K.J. Kindler – Big 12 Coach of the Year; WCGA National Coach of the Year
Lou Ball, Tom Haley, Ashley Kerr –WCGA National Assistant Coaches of the Year
Jordan Bowers – Big 12 Gymnast of the Year
Audrey Davis – First-Team All-American (UB, BB); Second-Team All-American (AA); WCGA First-Team All-American (UB); WCGA Second-Team All-American (AA, BB)
Jordan Bowers – First-Team All-American (UB, FX); WCGA First-Team All-American (AA, VT, UB, FX); WCGA Second-Team All-American (BB)
Katherine LeVasseur – First-Team
All-American (UB); WCGA First-Team
All-American (VT); WCGA Second Team
All-American (AA)
Faith Torrez – First-Team All-American (BB, FX); WCGA First-Team All-American (BB); WCGA Second-Team All-American (AA, FX)
Ragan Smith – First-Team All-American (BB); WCGA First-Team All-American (BB)
Hannah Scheible – WCGA First-Team
All-American (VT)
Keira Wells – Second-Team
All-American (VT)
SOFTBALL
Coaching Staff – NFCA National
Coaching Staff of the Year
Alyssa Brito – CSC Softball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year
Kinzie Hansen – Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
Tiare Jennings – First-Team
All-American (NFCA, D1Softball, Softball America)
Rylie Boone – Second-Team CSC
Academic All-America
Alyssa Brito – First-Team All-American (NFCA), Second-Team All-American (D1Softball, Softball America); First-Team
CSC Softball Academic All-America
Jayda Coleman – Second-Team All-American (NFCA), First-Team
All-American (D1Softball, Softball America)
Kinzie Hansen – Second-Team
All-American (NFCA, D1Softball)
Kelly Maxwell – Second-Team All-American (D1Softball); Second-Team
CSC Academic All-America
Ella Parker – Third-Team All-American (NFCA), Freshman All-American (Softball America)
Kasidi Pickering – Freshman
All-American (Softball America)
MEN’S TENNIS
Alex Martinez – ITA All-American (S)
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Julia Garcia Ruiz – ITA All-American (S)
Dana Guzman – ITA All-American (D)
Alina Shcherbinina – ITA All-American (D)
TRACK & FIELD
Angel Richmore – NCAA Indoor
First-Team All-American (Heptathlon)
Brandon Green Jr. – NCAA Indoor
First-Team All-American (Triple Jump)
Pippi Lotta Enok – NCAA Indoor
Second-Team All-American (Heptathlon)
Paige Low – NCAA Indoor Second-Team
All-American (Shot Put)
Angel Richmore – NCAA Outdoor
First-Team All-American (Heptathlon)
Brandon Green Jr. – NCAA Outdoor
First-Team All-American (Triple Jump)
Nikaoli Williams – NCAA Outdoor
First-Team All-American (Long Jump)
Kyren Washington – NCAA Outdoor
First-Team All-American (High Jump)
Olivia Lueking – NCAA Outdoor
First-Team All-American (Pole Vault)
Bayley Campbell – NCAA Outdoor
Second-Team All-American (Hammer Throw)
Anthony Riley – NCAA Outdoor
Second-Team All-American (Long Jump)
Tuane Silver – NCAA Outdoor
Second-Team All-American (Shot Put)
Jasmine Akins – NCAA Outdoor
Honorable Mention (Long Jump)
Diego Trevino – NCAA Outdoor
Honorable Mention (Shot Put)
WRESTLING
Stephen Buchanan – All-American (197 pounds)
ACADEMICS
School record 25th straight semester with a 3.0 or higher GPA Winter 2023 Spring 2024
3.25 | 3.27
Cumulative GPA
Of the 537 student-athletes at Oklahoma, 377 (70%) earned a 3.00 or higher semester GPA.
A total of 101 student-athletes (19%) registered a perfect 4.0 GPA during the spring 2024 semester.
GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT
Student-athletes have collectively earned a cumulative GPA of 3.10 or higher in 12 of the last 13 semesters and a 3.20 or higher each of the last five semesters.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
The Sooners for Life Scholarship Program was created to assist former student-athletes in completing their undergraduate degree and/or pursuing a graduate degree. The program offers a variety of opportunities in which we reinforce our athletics department’s mission to develop leaders and inspire champions.
168 Letterwinners Awarded Since 2014
$4,434.95
Average Award Per Recipient: $1,562,568
Overall Amount Given in Lifetime of Program
Erin Weigel Track and Field Land Analysis Professional, Devon Energy
Lale Edil Rowing OU Law, Early Entry
Kailey Carnine Track and Field News Reporter, Fox23 (Tulsa)
Pierce Hudgens Football Business Technology Solutions Analyst, Deloitte Consulting
Jacob Lacey Football Norman Chick-Fil-A (Main St.) Operations and Development
GRADUATION - SPRING 2024
Founded in 2022, GRIT (Growing Resilient Innovative Thinkers) provides high-dosage, explicit strategies to empower student-athletes to find success while addressing academic deficiencies.
When arriving on campus, student-athletes take a standardized assessment. Those demonstrating academic gaps in reading and/or math are offered GRIT sessions with a goal to develop and empower student-athletes to see education as a lifelong journey full of growth, resilience, innovation and thinking.
The 2023-24 academic year marked the program’s second full year providing services to 148 student-athletes through eight GRIT mentors.
The academic growth of our student-athletes continues to exceed the average normalized raw growth after interventions spanning four weeks in the summer and 11 weeks in the fall and spring semesters.
At the end of each program, student-athletes take a standardized assessment to measure academic growth. For reading, our student-athletes accomplished an average academic growth of 2.51 points from summer 2023 through spring 2024. For math, an average academic growth of 2.93 points was achieved. Data demonstrates that students are moving closer to goals that prove college readiness and success.
THE RESULTS
53%
increase in believing they belong in an academic setting.
46.4%
increase in believing their voice was heard while learning.
20%
increase in believing their reading strategies are enhanced.
Following the 2023 season, Oklahoma Football
of Gaylord Family–Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Over 175 EVENTS HOSTED With Over 970,000 FANS
Record Season and Single-Game Attendance for NINE SPORTS
COACH SPOTLIGHT
I worked my way up to being the first base coach for the New York Yankees. As a baseball lifer, I can’t tell you what a privilege it was to wear the pinstripes and work for such a first-class organization. I’ll always be grateful to Coach Boone for offering me a position on his staff, and as much as I enjoyed my time with the Yankees, it wasn’t home.
When I left for Spring Training in February, I wouldn’t return home to my family until October. That 162-game MLB schedule is a grind, and that’s not counting the playoffs, which we were fortunate enough to make each of the four years I was in New York. What really caused me to stop and reflect on my coaching career was during Covid in 2020. MLB more or less had us in a bubble that prevented us from seeing our families.
I saw my kids twice in a span of 6 ½ months. That’s not the kind of life I wanted for myself as a father and husband. In 2022, I made the decision to put my family first and my career second, and it’s been the best thing to ever happen to me. I was going back to
the place where it all started for me in Norman, Oklahoma.
LIVING OUT MY DREAM
I remember being in the second grade when my teacher asked me what I wanted to do someday for a career. Without hesitation, I said I wanted to be a major league baseball player. At that age, people kind of chuckle and think that’ll never happen because the odds of making it to the professional level are so slim, but that was my dream.
After starting my collegiate career at Seminole State College and transferring to OU where I had two great seasons, my big-league dreams were realized in April of 2006. I played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2006 to 2011 and had the time of my life doing so. Not every person is fortunate enough to live out their dreams, so I had endless gratitude to the Angels for giving me that opportunity.
Unfortunately, my career came to a halt in 2011. I hurt my ankle and achilles and was never quite the same
after. It was clear my playing days were finished, so now what the heck was I going to do? That was a question that began to weigh on me.
During my playing days, I bought some land for a cattle ranch in Fort Cobb, Oklahoma. With no other plan in place, I tried my hand at ranching to see where life would take me from there. One day, kind of out of the blue, the local high school superintendent showed up to my house and asked me a question about a profession I never saw myself doing in a million years. Coaching.
MY SECOND CALLING
When I was approached about coaching high school baseball, my immediate response was, you’ve got to be kidding, right? But the more I thought about it, the more I began to see how this could be a tremendous gift for my family and me.
When the superintendent told me they’d be willing to find my wife a job at the school, I was pretty much all-in at that point. She and I would be working at the same place, and my kids would be going to the same school as well. In my playing days, these are the times I used to fantasize about when I was traveling all over the country spending countless nights in hotels missing my family.
I took the job so I could spend more time with them, but I was also committed to the school and the baseball program. I coached the team for two-and-a-half years, and I beam with immense pride to say we won two state tournaments in my tenure.
It was the pleasure of my life to teach these young men about life and share my faith with them in the hopes that they would move on and graduate to become dedicated husbands and fathers and stewards in their community. When I was forced to retire from playing baseball, I was terrified I’d never find something I felt so passionately about again, but I had found my second calling in coaching.
LEARNING FROM THE BEST
After the 2021 MLB season with the Yankees, the opportunity to come home and be with my family was made possible by Joe Castiglione, Greg Tipton, and Coach Skip Johnson. When they offered me
“ “ When I was forced to retire from playing baseball, I was terrified I’d never find something I felt so passionately about again, but I had found my second calling in coaching.
a position to come back to my alma mater to help coach the Sooners, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried.
I consider myself the luckiest person on earth because I’m able to do what I love, which is coach baseball at a high level. And better yet, I’m surrounded by great people who are the best at what they do. Our preparation in regard to the information we have and getting our players ready to face top–tier opponents is second to none, and that’s a testament to our head coach.
Whether it’s me or the rest of the coaches, Skip’s always willing to hear our thoughts and ideas that we bring to the table, and trust me, I’ve been in the game long enough to know it’s not like that everywhere. Skip talks all the time about servant leadership. What can
we do, day in and day out, to serve these players and put them in positions to be successful?
And it’s not something Skip just talks about; it’s the way he lives his life and the freedom and trust he puts in the rest of us coaches to help take OU Baseball to the very top.
Working for a coach like that and a program with such high integrity and wanting to do right by the players is not something I take for granted. OU baseball made me a better player, and now all these years later, OU Baseball has undoubtedly made me a better coach.
OU IS FAMILY
Since the first day I stepped on campus as a student-athlete, OU has always taken care of me. More than ever, this was evident when they offered to help me finish my degree when I was coaching high school baseball and ranching. I had quite a few
credit hours that didn’t transfer when I got to OU from Seminole, so that left me about 16 hours short of graduating during my senior year.
While I had my sights set on MLB at the time, I always promised my mom I’d come back and finish. When I was coaching high school baseball and taking care of my ranch, that’s when I started to kick the tires on finishing my degree.
I was in the process of figuring out how I was going to manage that when OU stepped in. They awarded me the Sooners For Life scholarship, which allowed me to finish my degree online with my busy schedule and officially become a college graduate.
I wanted to graduate for myself, as well as the promise I made to my mom, but even more so, I was determined to set an example for my three boys. It was important for me to show them that if you start something, you finish it. No matter how long it takes
or how tough things get, if you keep fighting and have the right mentality, there isn’t anything you can’t accomplish in this life.
My son, Jaxon, is on the team at OU with me. Being able to help coach him and watch him grow and develop the same passion for the game that I have is another blessing that wouldn’t have been possible without my degree.
Anyone who knows me best knows there’s nothing more important in my life than family, and I couldn’t be prouder to work for a university in OU that feels the exact same way. OU has proven that no matter where you go or how many years pass, you’ll always have a place to call home in Norman. Once you’re a Sooner, you’re a Sooner for life.
