OU travels to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers, William & Mary and Western Michigan.
Jan. 31, 2013
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Senior Lauren Smith |
THE SERIES
Oklahoma competes in its first Big 12 meet of 2013 when the Sooners travel to Morgantown, W.Va., to take
on West Virginia. Joining the Big 12 showdown will be William & Mary and Western Michigan. OU has an
all-time record of 5-1 against the Mountaineers and defeated WVU in its only other trip to Morgantown in
2008. The last time the two teams met, the Sooners defeated WVU, 196.375-195.250 in 2009 in Norman.
OU holds a 3-0 series advantage over Western Michigan and is competing against William & Mary for the first time in program history.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
West Virginia (2-3)
WVU's season-best score of 195.15, earned in a loss at then-No. 24 NC State (195.2) on Jan. 25, put its
season average at 193.983, good for No. 35 in the country. The Mountaineers rank No. 18 on floor (48.808)
and No. 22 on vault (48.933). In region rankings, Kaylyn Millick ranks No. 10 (9.8) on floor, No. 19 (38.363)
in the all-around and No. 25 (9.775) on vault.
William & Mary (1-2)
The Tribe placed second at a tri-meet hosted by North Carolina in its last competiton on Jan. 20, with
UNC claiming top honors with a team score of 194.500, while W&M posted a 192.925 to defeat George
Washington (192.475). Larson Lasek placed third in the all-around with a career-high 38.700, earning ECAC Gymnast of the Week honors last week.
Western Michigan (3-1)
Western Michigan was defeated by Kent State last week, 194.675 to 194.125. The Broncos recorded its second-highest vault score in program history at the meet with a 48.950
LAST WEEKEND - Metroplex Challenge
The No. 2 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team won the Metroplex Challenge with a score of 197.275 against some of the top competition in the country. Needing higher than a 49.100 with one rotation
remaining to pass LSU for the title, OU scored a 49.275 on floor for the victory. Junior Lara Albright started
things off for the Sooners by tying her career high with a 9.9. Erica Brewer and Brie Olson added identical
9.875 scores. No. 7 LSU (197.100) finished second, followed by No. 16 Oregon State (196.825), No. 9
Georgia (196.775) and Washington (194.875).
DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Sophomore Lauren Alexander is the highest scorer on beam in the nation this year despite not having not
participated in competitive gymnastics since her junior year of high school in 2010. Last week at the
Metroplex Challenge, Alexander scored a 9.975 (including a perfect 10.0 from one judge) to earn the
beam title. The sophomore missed her senior year of high school due to an ACL injury that then kept her
from competing for the Sooners last season and led to her decision to retire. But wanting to compete
again, Alexander rejoined the team in time for fall and cracked the rotation, becoming one of the top
gymnasts on beam in the nation and helping OU to a No. 1 team ranking in the event.
SOONERS AND GATORS
With the latest release of the GymInfo Top 25, Oklahoma is ranked No. 2 for the second-straight week
with an average team score of 196.938. The Sooners' high average comes despite being the only team in
the Top 10 to compete on the road in three meets this season. OU and Florida are the only two teams in
the country to have two team scores above 197.000 in 2013, with the Gators holding a slight edge over
the Sooners with a 197.025 team average.
BEST ON BEAM
Oklahoma retains its No. 1 ranking nationally on beam with a 49.288 average, almost a full tenth above
second place Michigan's average of 49.194. The Sooners's score of 49.350 on the event against No. 11 Denver is still the highest score any team in the country has totaled on beam.
ALL-AROUND SUCCESS
An OU gymnast has won the all-around in all four of the Sooners' meets this season, with junior Taylor
Spears finishing on top against No. 11 Georgia, No. 11 Denver and at the Metroplex Challenge while
sophomore Erica Brewer took the title at Arizona State. For their efforts, Spears and Brewer have earned
Big 12 Gymnast of the Week after each all-around title.
Spears, a junior from Plano, Texas, scored a career-high 39.550 vs. Denver, including scores of 9.925 on
beam and 9.9 on vault. After sitting out week one, Brewer won the all-around title at ASU after scoring a
39.350, tying for the bars title and winning the beam title.
Spears and Brewer are currently ranked No. 7 and 10, respectively, in the all-around among all national
competitors.
TITLEISTS
In just four meets this season, seven different Sooners have won individual event titles compared to eight
over the course of the entire year in 2012. OU has claimed 18 titles overall, including seven alone from
junior Taylor Spears. OU has excelled across all events, winning five bar, four all-around, three vault, three
beam and three floor titles.
SPECIALIST STREAK
Four different Sooners (Madison Mooring, Brie Olson, Haley Scaman, Lara Albright) have earned both
Big 12 Specialist of the Week honors this season, extending the Sooners' streak of winning the award to
15-straight weeks, including all 11 weeks in 2012. Last season, current OU graduate assistants Megan
Ferguson and Sara Stone combined to win the award eight times, while current Sooners Brie Olson and
Taylor Spears won the award twice and once, respectively.
