Gotta Have Faith

GOTTA HAVE Faith

BY: CHRIS PLANK

The University of Oklahoma Women’s Gymnastics team is on a mission for back-to-back National Championships. The Sooners have won four of the last six national titles.

In the pursuit of the sixth title in program history, a solid group of veterans has helped keep the Sooners in the top spot the entire season. But within that mix of talented veterans like Olivia Trautman, Ragan Smith and Katherine LeVasseur is a freshman that has made an immediate impact and might just be the future of the program.

Faith Torrez, the standout freshman from Bristol, Wisconsin, has stepped right into the mix as a consistent performer in the Sooner lineup.

“I’ve been so impressed with her,” KJ Kindler said, the Sooners’ head coach. “Her demeanor overall, she’s very joyful when she’s out there, super confident for a freshman.”

Torrez has become a regular part of the Sooner lineup, earning All-Big 12 on the floor. She has also been recognized as the Big 12 Newcomer of The Week in seven of the 10 weeks the award was given and was also named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Not bad for a freshman trying to crack an already stacked National Championship lineup.

“I didn’t realize how much of an impact I could make my first season,” Torrez said. “But going out there and seeing that I could contribute in almost any event was an amazing feeling.”

THE PATH TO OU

Torrez arrived in Norman as a decorated prospect. She competed with the Senior National Team and the 2022 USA Development Program National Team and competed at the 2020 Gymnix International in Montreal, Canada. But she had already caught the attention of KJ Kindler at a very young age.

“I saw her when she was 9. She was from a small gym in Wisconsin and was the regional champion on the balance beam at a young age and doing very difficult skills,” Kindler said.

Her family saw it too. Her mother, Carrie, was a gymnast and could see something special in her daughter. So, they decided to make the jump to elite gymnastics and move gyms which paid off.

“When they moved gyms, that’s when she blossomed on all her other events,” Kindler said. “You could see her power was coming out in her floor tumbling and vault and all those things started getting better and better and better.”

Torrez excelled qualifying for the J.O. National Championship four times and three times as a Nastia Liukin Cup participant. She tied for first in the all-around, finished second on floor and third on vault at the 2022 Development Program National Championships. At her international debut at the 2020 Gymnix International, she won a gold medal on beam and in the team competition, along with a bronze on bars.

But the move to elite did have its challenges. The gym that Torrez trained in was over an hour from her home and she transitioned to a home school education to allow the necessary time to train. It was a challenge, but one her family embraced.

“At first it was a big change, having my mom and dad to drive me was a big help,” Torrez said. “I would do school on the way to practice and school on the way back. It was a huge commitment from everybody. They helped me get here. It was an incredibly special sacrifice.”

When times get tough, Torrez always had her mom to turn to.

“She really understood my struggles and I was able to talk to her,” Torrez said of her mom. “I hope she understands how much that means to me.”

The hard work and sacrifice paid off as Torrez has starred as a true freshman at the highest level of women’s college gymnastics and is a major piece in the Sooners push for a National Championship. As challenging as college can be, in some ways it has been refreshing.

“She’s not driving an hour and a half to practice and probably has a better schedule overall,” Kindler said. “Working out 36 hours plus the drive and the homeschooling, it can be really challenging for these young gymnasts before they come to college. College can be a breath of fresh air.”

ADJUSTMENT TO THE NCAA LEVEL

As the 2023 season kicked off, Kindler not only had the Sooners competing against a challenging schedule but also had the freshman in the lineup from the start. Torrez played a big role in the Sooners’ victory in the season opener in Las Vegas, as the team posted a score of 197.925. She posted a 9.875 on bars, a 9.9 on beam and a team-high 9.95 on floor.

“Throw them into the fire. They’ve got to learn eventually,” Kindler said of her approach with freshmen. “If you postpone that, they’re learning as sophomores. If you wait, you’re postponing all of that learning.”

Torrez has competed in every meet this season and has even worked in the all-around. Her commitment and excellence have caught the attention of her teammates.

“She’s amazing,” Olivia Trautman said. “She grasped the team chemistry right out of the gate. She’s fit in super well. To see her shine the way she has her freshman year is amazing.”

“She came in like a rock,” Teammate Kat LeVasseur said. “She’s just been confident, and that’s something that stands out to me, her confidence and her calmness in her routines. She’s got a lot of amazing stuff coming up for her.”

The future is bright for Torrez. Not only is she already a foundational piece for Oklahoma and its future success in the move to the SEC, but she is an essential part of the Sooners’ quest for National Championship No. 6.– BSM