Big 12 Gymnastics Week 8 Recap: Oklahoma earns program record 198.675 – fourth highest score in NCAA history

The Big 12 gymnastics season is heating up as we head into NQS rankings and the final month of the regular season, with eyes on the postseason and changes that need to be made before then.

West Virginia @ #1 Oklahoma

Final score: Oklahoma: 198.675 – West Virginia: 195.550

The Sooners now hold the fourth highest score in NCAA history after their performance this past weekend, winning against Oklahoma and earning a program record score (198.675) against conference foe West Virginia (195.550) on Friday night at home. 

Oklahoma

Oklahoma swept all the individual titles in their record-breaking win. They started the night off on vault, with Faith Torrez executing a stunning Yurchenko 1.5 that earned her a 9.925. Torrez also earned a career high (39.775) in the all-around.

Taking home the titles on bars, floor, and in the all-around, Jordan Bowers became the third Oklahoma gymnast to put up a 39.800+ in the all-around. Maggie Nichols and Anastasia Webb were the first two.

On beam in the third rotation, Ragan Smith scored a perfect ten for the second week in a row. She nailed the rest of her routine with unique combos and a perfect dismount that included a back handspring gainer full to achieve the marked perfection.

“We stuck six dismounts out of six; we had no wobbles. That beam rotation is something, as a coach, you would dream about having any time. It was near flawless, so 49.800 does reflect that. Ragan, two perfect scores in a row and [tying] the record on balance beam for the most 10s – that’s awesome. Everybody from the beginning all the way to the end was spot on and that was really nice to see,” head coach K.J. Kindler said.

The 49.800 on beam also ties OU’s program record, and the 198.675 is the highest score in the nation so far this season.

The Sooners will be back at home and hosting Michigan on Friday, March 1 at 7:15 p.m. ET. The meet will be nationally televised on ESPN 2.

West Virginia

Although the Mountaineers fell to the Sooners, they did record a season-high 195.550 team score. 

Starting the meet on bars, Amber Lowe put up a 9.825 to lead the team. On vault, Abbie Pierson scored a 9.825 and also scored a 39.125 in the all-around. The duo also put up 9.85s on floor. Closing out on beam, Emma Wehry led the way for the team with a 9.85. 

The Mountaineers will be taking on No. 22 Penn State, Towson, and No. 25 Ball State in State College on Friday, March 1 at 6 p.m. ET. They then host Pittsburgh, Towson, and Western Michigan on Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. ET.

Iowa State @ Utah State quad meet

Final score: Boise State: 197.025, Utah State: 196.275, Iowa State: 195.950, Texas Woman’s: 195.425  

Iowa State finished third in a quad meet at Utah State on Friday. Opening the meet on floor, Noelle Adams won the event title with a 9.950. The second rotation welcomed vault, where Josie Bergstrom was the team leader, putting up a 9.875. On bars, Loganne Basuel scored a 9.800. The meet concluded for the Cyclones on beam, where Hannah Loyim scored a team-leading 9.850. 

“This team, week-to-week, continues to show that they know how to handle adversity. There were a lot of wins that we can take from tonight. We really wanted to focus on providing the energy to help pull this team through. We had a lot of opportunities where we may have had some mistakes, but we had a lot of athletes who stepped up, and I am really proud of that. The fun thing is we get to do it again in a couple days at Southern Utah,” head coach Ashley Miles Greig said.

#7 Denver @ #24 BYU

Final score: Denver: 196.900 – BYU: 196.500

Denver

Jessica Hutchinson rested this week, but the Pioneers still pulled off a win against the Cougars with stellar performances.

“With having only one day of training this week and all of the shifts in the lineups, I’m proud of how they stepped up – including some people who had never been in lineups before,” head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said.

Rosie Casali fell in the leadoff spot on bars, but the rest of the lineup delivered, with Madison Ulrich tying for first with a 9.900. Ulrich also ultimately won the first all-around title of her college career (39.325).

Moving to vault, Casali redeemed herself, recording a 9.850 to tie for second place with teammate Rylie Mundell. With the strongest performances on floor, Casali and Ulrich earned 9.925s – yet another tie for the event title.

Concluding on beam, the Pioneers changed up two of their usual six competitors in the lineup. Junior Momoko Iwai tied for the event title with a score of 9.950, matching her career high.

The Pioneers will be taking on San Jose State, Lindenwood, and Air Force at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 3. 

BYU

Big 12 newcomer BYU fell to the Denver Pioneers but had some individual highlights, including Brynlee Andersen earning a 10 from one judge to tie for the beam title with a 9.950.

Starting on vault, Sydney Benson scored a 9.875. In the second rotation on bars, Anna Bramblett scored a solid 9.900 in the anchor spot to help the Cougars reach a 49.125 on the event – their highest event score of the night. In the last rotation on floor, Eliza Millar-Crossman went 9.900.

The Cougars will be taking on Southern Utah in two matchups this weekend: first on Friday, March 1 at 9 p.m. ET, with BYU hosting, and second on Monday, March 4 at 9 p.m. ET, when Southern Utah hosts.

Iowa State @ Southern Utah

Final score: Southern Utah: 196.500 – Iowa State: 195.700

Iowa State was in action again on Monday, falling to Southern Utah by nearly a point. Noelle Adams tied for the vault title with a 9.875. On bars, Ella Schell and Laura Cooke tied for the team’s top score with 9.825s. Adams continued her strong day on beam with an event-winning 9.925 and was the top Cyclone on floor with a 9.875.

Next up: Iowa State faces Temple, Northern Illinois, and NC State at NC State on Saturday, March 2 at 4 p.m. ET.