National Champions

SPORTS

BY: CHRIS PLANK

30 | May 2019

National Champions

Sooner Women win 4th Title in Last 6 Years

The Oklahoma Sooners women’s gymnastics team had just won the national championship, as head coach K.J. Kindler entered the press conference room with three athletes who took seats marked with their name. The rest of the Sooners filed in after them, 13 other student athletes.

“They asked me who should come in here, and I said everybody,” she said. “And the reason I said that is because it has been quite a journey this year, and there’s not one person who was not working their butt off contributing in every single way.”

Team effort helped the Sooners overcome injury and life changing tragedy to win its fourth national championship in women’s gymnastics.

“We were faced with adversity from beginning to end, and I know it looks like it might’ve looked easy from the outside—we were undefeated, we were ranked No. 1—but we were battling

the entire time and every week was a gigantic challenge,” Sooners coach K.J. Kindler said.

The Sooners posted a 198.3375 in the Four on the Floor to claim the national title in Fort Worth. The Sooners set a solid tone on Friday night during the national semi-finals. With the new post season format, only four teams advance to compete for the national championship. Oklahoma was able to advance as a team, but also garnered some incredible individual accomplishments.

Despite having not competed in the all-around since on Jan. 11, junior Maggie Nichols won the all-around title for the second straight season.

“It was kind of disappointing not to do all-around every meet this year,” Nichols said. “I was really confident in myself and I knew I could hit my routines. I just wanted to go out there and help my team advance tonight, too.”

Six Sooners placed in the top-eight in their events to claim All-American status. Brenna Dowell clinched her second career NCAA title by scoring 9.950 on floor, tying Alicia Boren (Florida), Lynnzee Brown (Denver) and Kyla Ross (UCLA).

As a team, OU totaled 197.8500 to beat second-place Denver (197.0375). The Sooners’ score was the highest among teams that advanced to the finals. But the Sooners knew they could be better and they were. OU took a lead in the first rotation with a 49.450 on bars and never looked back, recording three straight scores of 49.600 or better with a 49.6125 on beam, a 49.6500 on floor and a 49.625 on vault to cap the victory.

The Sooners’ 198.3375 is the second-highest total in NCAA history. The Sooners now hold the top two scores with a 198.3875 set in 2017.

“At regionals, we were lights out both nights. It’s what we do every single

night in the gym,” Senior Alex Marks said. “We should have expected nothing less and we went out there and just did what we do. We had a lot of nerves on the first night, I know I was a bit uptight. Knowing tonight was the last night, we had to just leave it on the floor.”

“I know it is difficult what we went through as a team,” junior Maggie Nichols said. “We are a family. This season we have grown so close. After losing Dave, we did it all for him. Every routine tonight was for him. He was there with us and helped us win this national championship.”

Do it for Dave, or DIFD, the Sooners dedicated their season to Dave Richardson, the late husband of their athletic trainer Jenn. The tributes were everywhere, from the blue ribbons in their hair to DIFD written on their hands at every meet this season.

“We have had moments of sadness, and we have had moments of triumph,” Kindler said. “That is what families do; they go through all of

those emotions together. This year has been a miracle.

“To tell you a little bit of how we themed this year, we selected a song for every meet. Each song had a certain meaning. Yesterday, we picked the song 24k by Bruno Mars. When we pick that song, I noticed Jenn started bawling in the back of the room. When she did, I thought, ‘Oh shoot, did I say something?’ After everyone left, she said, ‘that’s Dave’s song,’ and when it comes on their daughter says, ‘That’s daddy’s song.’ I had no idea when we picked it.”

Senior Brenna Dowell was dominant in her final performance of her career. In addition to the challenges of 2019, Dowell competed in the all-around for the first time in her career. The final rotation for the Sooners was the vault, and Oklahoma dominated as Dowell scored a 9.9875 and receiving four 10.0s from the six judges to close out her OU career.

“I was in awe,” Dowell said. “That was the first vault I had really stuck all season.

To do it in the very last night and really clinch that victory and to look at Lou’s face. K.J. was already crying and I ran to my team and got a big group hug. It was awesome.”

The national title is the culmination of an incredible season in which OU posted a 32-0 record, its second undefeated season in program history. The Sooners also secured an eighth consecutive Big 12 Championship and won an NCAA Regional Title for the 10th straight year.

“Tonight, we picked that Champion song by Carrie Underwood that came on the very end (of the trophy presentation),” Kindler said. “It is unbelievable. It has been coincidences or blessing or whatever you call it, every single week, all the time. I can’t put it into words. That was the culmination of what our season was and tonight Dave was absolutely lifting us up. I know Jenn just lost her cookies at the end of the meet and so did we, because she said to me ‘All I can say is there must be a greater purpose for it’. This must be it.” – BSM