Big 12 Gymnastics Week 3 Preview: Oklahoma travels to Denver; BYU, Iowa State go head-to-head

This weekend, the five Big 12 gymnastics teams have some interesting matchups, with four competing in conference matchups. A fun weekend is ahead as each team makes improvements and adjustments to hone in on consistent lineups and individual scoring goals.

Oklahoma @ Denver quad

Week 3 Matchup: Sunday, January 21, @ 4:00 p.m. ET | Oklahoma, Stanford, UCLA @ Denver – Live Stats | Video ($)

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is on fire, starting off the season beating six teams at two quad meets and notching the highest score in the nation so far with a 197.900. With a first-place ranking on bars (49.538) and beam (49.500), the Sooners are likely to once again dominate another quad meet.

Routines to Watch:

• Sophomore Faith Torrez is ranked in the top 25 on all four events and in the all-around. Torrez has the potential to climb even higher than her No. 4 all-around ranking. While all her events are impressive, beam is the masterpiece.
• Senior Audrey Davis has been on the cusp of perfection on bars for seasons (yes, seasons), and she almost achieved it last week with a 9.975. At this point, Davis is on perfect 10 watch permanently.

Denver

Ranked at No. 10, the Denver Pioneers will be facing UCLA, Oklahoma, and Stanford this weekend, with the Bruins being their most evenly-matched opponent. This Denver team has pushed the 197 mark in each of its last two outings, and with impressive showings from senior Jessica Hutchinson and freshman Madison Ulrich, they could easily surpass that mark and potentially challenge the reigning champs.

Routines to Watch:

• Senior Jessica Hutchinson has earned 9.925s on bars and floor this season but is capable of pushing even higher. Look for the veteran to thrive under pressure and deliver for her team when they need her most.
• Freshman Madison Ulrich is no longer a stranger to collegiate-level competition after she held her own in the all-around the past two meets. So far, she has top scores of 9.9 on vault and floor, but she’s just two meets in to what is expected to be a decorated college career – those marks are only going to improve.

BYU @ Iowa State

Week 3 Matchup: Friday, January 19 @ 7:30 p.m. ET | BYU @ Iowa State – Live Stats | Video (ESPN+)

It’s always exciting to watch two Big 12 teams competing head-to-head, and this matchup is sure to be a must-see with BYU having peaked at a 196.100 last weekend and Iowa State just ahead with a 196.150.

BYU

Vault and floor will be key for BYU. With such an evenly-matched competition, every tenth counts, and these are the events that the Cougars need to be locked in on to leave Iowa State with the W. While not much further ahead in scoring, BYU has a small advantage on bars and beam.

Routines to Watch:

• Senior Elease Rollins is a key contributor for this team when she’s on. Last weekend, at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, she had the top score for the Cougars on beam with a 9.900, but major errors resulted in a 9.350 just two days later. This meet could come down to the wire, and this could be a routine that determines the final result.
• The Cougars have made it over the 49 mark on vault two times (in three meets) this season. The entire vault lineup will be a key performance indicator this weekend.

Iowa State

Coming off a loss, the Cyclones are looking to rebound and get their first conference win. Iowa State has a leg up on vault and floor, with the vault lineup have improved over the last two meets, most recently scoring a collective 49.250. Finishing on floor, the Cyclones will need to tap into the home atmosphere to surpass the 49 mark for the second time this season.

Routines to Watch:

• Freshman Noelle Adams scored 9.900 on vault last week and had a great performance on floor as well (9.825).
• Junior Hannah Loyim earned a career high on bars last weekend with a 9.825.

Pennsylvania @ West Virginia

Week 3 Matchup: Sunday, January 21 @ 2:00 p.m. ET | Pennsylvania @ West Virginia – Live Stats | Video (ESPN+)

West Virginia

The Mountaineers placed third in their quad meet last week and also earning a season-high 195.000. Now they head to Penn, who most recently won the Lindsey Ferris Invitational with a 195.375 after a lights-out floor rotation that scored a collective 49.300.

Routines to Watch:

• Sophomore Emma Wehry currently leads the team on bars and beam with highs of 9.875 on each this season.
• Senior Abbie Pierson has been the Mountaineers’ only all-arounder this season and earned 9.8s or higher on vault, beam, and floor.