OU closes the 2012 regular season Saturday in Columbus, Ohio as the Sooners face Ohio State.
March 15, 2012
NORMAN, Okla. -- The second-ranked Oklahoma women’s gymnastics team closes the 2012 regular season Saturday, March 17 against No. 13 Ohio State at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio at 3 p.m. CT for the Buckeyes’ Senior Night.
Oklahoma (16-3, 2-0 Big 12) is coming off its loss to No. 3 UCLA in Los Angeles on March 11. The Sooners posted their second-lowest score of the season while UCLA scored its third-highest team total on Senior Night.
Ohio State (11-2, 5-2 Big 10) enters Saturday’s meet following its 195.750-194.475 win over North Carolina.
OU leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 5-2, and won the last meeting between the two programs, 197.025-196.100, last season.
ON THE WEB
A live webcast of Friday's meet as well as live scoring can be found at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
GYMNAST TO WATCH - SARA STONE
Stone was named Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for the third time this season after finishing second on vault with a 9.9 behind UCLA's Tauny Frattone who scored a perfect 10.0. Stone has posted a 9.9 or higher in 10 of her 11 vaults this season and is ranked No. 1 in the country on vault.
NEXT UP
The Sooners eye their 10th conference title as OU plays host to the 2012 Big 12 Championship on Saturday, March 24 at the Lloyd Noble Center at 4 p.m. Saturday is the first Big 12 Championship OU has hosted since 2008 when the Sooners won their first of three straight conference championships.
LAST TIME OUT
The second-ranked Oklahoma women’s gymnastics team lost to No. 3 UCLA Sunday in Los Angeles at the John Wooden Center, 197.525-196.475. The Bruins won all four individual event titles including the all-around. UCLA won three of the four team event titles while the Sooners won beam with a 49.225. Sunday was the first time this season that OU did not win a single individual event title.
197 AND COUNTING
OU is the only team in the NCAA this season to break the 197-mark six times this season, four of which have come away from Norman. With the 197.450 at TWU on Jan. 21, OU became the first program in the country to break the 197-mark on the road this year. The 197.450 was the fourth-highest team score in school history and was the second-highest score in the Kindler era. OU’s program-best team score of 197.950 came on March 5, 2010 against then-No. 1 Alabama at the Lloyd Noble Center.
COMEBACK KIDS
The Sooners’ upset over No. 2 Arkansas came just 48-hours after OU’s first regular season home loss since 2009. The Sooners fell to No. 9 Nebraska at the Lloyd Noble Center on Friday, Feb. 3 after counting a fall on floor in the final rotation. Two days later, OU upset No. 2 Arkansas on the road with its second-best score of the season. OU’s season-high score came one week after the Sooners regular-season win streak was snapped at No. 7 Oregon State on Jan. 13. OU posted a 197.450 at TWU to finish first at the Pioneers’ quad meet.
ROAD WARRIORS
Seniors Megan Ferguson and Sara Stone have provided consistency and stability for the Sooners in 2012. Combined, Ferguson and Stone won or shared 23 of the 32 event titles, set or tied 11 career-highs and scored a 9.9 or higher in 31 routines. Ferguson has posted a 9.9 or higher in 18 of her last 24 routines while Stone has scored a 9.9 or higher 13 times this year. Ferguson is ranked in the top three nationally on all three events she competes, while Stone leads the country on vault.
SENIOR STANDOUTS
Seniors Megan Ferguson and Sara Stone have provided consistency and stability for the Sooners in 2012. Combined, Ferguson and Stone won or shared 23 of the 32 event titles, set or tied 11 career-highs and scored a 9.9 or higher in 31 routines. Ferguson has posted a 9.9 or higher in 18 of her last 24 routines while Stone has scored a 9.9 or higher 13 times this year. Ferguson is ranked in the top three nationally on all three events she competes, while Stone leads the country on vault.
TO BE THE BEST...
You have to beat the best. OU is no stranger to tough schedules and 2012 is no exception. The Sooners have seen five of the current top 10 teams on its 2012 slate, then-ranked No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 UCLA, No. 5 Alabama, No. 7 Oregon State, and No. 9 Nebraska. OU’s matchup with Ohio State will be its 10th meet against a top 25 team.
BIG 12’S BEST
The Sooners hold the top spot in the Big 12 rankings in all five team categories and the four individual event categories. The Sooner gymnasts hold the two of the top three individual spots on all four events, while OU holds five of the top six spots in Big 12 individual beam rankings and four of the top five floor spots. OU has won 15 Big 12 weekly awards in 2012 and has won all 10 Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week honors, a conference record. Brie Olson was named Big 12 Event Specialist of the week on Jan. 10, Taylor Spears was Event Specialist of the Week on Jan. 17, Gymnast of the Week on Jan. 24 and Feb. 14, Sara Stone was named Event Specialist of the Week on Jan. 24 , Jan. 31 and March 14, Megan Ferguson was named Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week for Feb. 7, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, Feb. 28 and March 6, Rebecca Clark was Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 14, Erica Brewer was Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 21 and Kayla Nowak was Gymnast of the Week for March 6.
RANKINGS RUNDOWN
The first Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) rankings were released Monday, Feb. 27. RQS is determined by averaging each team’s three highest road scores and three next-best scores (with the highest score eliminated). This week, OU remained at No. 2 in the overall team rankings, just .020 behind No. 1 Florida. In event rankings, OU moved to No. 1 on floor and No. 2 on beam. Megan Ferguson is the top-ranked gymnast on floor and No. 2 on both bars and beam, while Sara Stone is No. 1 on vault. The Sooners have a total of eight individuals ranked in the top 25 over the four events.
CLOSER LOOK AT OKLAHOMA IN 2012
OU starts the 2012 season ranked No. 4 in the GymInfo preseason coaches poll, behind No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Florida. The Sooners received two first place votes in the poll and tied OU’s program-best preseason ranking. The Sooners add five newcomers for 2012 and return an impressive 18 of 24 routines from the 2011 lineup, including nine All-American performances. Headlining OU’s returners are five-time All-American Megan Ferguson, two-time All-American Kayla Nowak and All-Americans Brie Olson and Sara Stone. Ferguson, Nowak Olson and Stone provide veteran leadership and experience that will be vital for the young Sooners. OU will be tested in 2012 with the loss of All-American Natasha Kelley and a challenging schedule. Kelley, who consistently scored in the 9.9s on vault, bars and beam, suffered a season-ending injury during preseason practice. The loss of Kelley’s talent and experience will challenge OU’s depth throughout the 2012 schedule, which includes 10 teams ranked in the preseason top 25 and five top 10 teams.
FOLLOW THE SOONERS
The OU gymnastics program maintains its own Facebook, YouTube and Twitter accounts, which are updated frequently with all of the latest news about the squad. Links to each of these pages as well as a behind-the-scenes blog can be found at www. SoonerSports.com.
