Gymnastics: Olivia Trautman Perfect as No. 1 Oklahoma Takes Down No. 2 Florida

By OU Media Relations

In front of 9,541 fans – the second-best crowd in program history and the largest for student attendance – super senior Olivia Trautman was perfect on vault as the No. 1 Oklahoma edged No. 2 Florida in a rematch of the 2022 NCAA Championships and one of the most anticipated meets of 2023.

OU prevailed 197.950 to 197.700 on Friday night inside Lloyd Noble Center.

“We definitely feed off the crowd and you can tell it elevates our performance,” head coach K.J. Kindler said. “We get that much more excited when the crowd gets involved. So I mean, if we could have that every single weekend, we would love that … They were electric and were loud when we needed them to be. It was a great night.”

The 10.0 was Trautman’s first since the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Final on April 3, 2021. It also marked Trautman’s fifth career perfect 10 and fourth on vault. She is now tied for second in program history for career perfect 10.0 scores with Haley Scaman and 2021 NCAA vault champion Anastasia Webb. Trautman also took home her first vault title this season and eighth overall, tied with teammate Allie Stern for the most career titles on the event.

Sophomore Jordan Bowers shared the beam title with Florida’s Sloane Blakely with matching 9.950s. It was her sixth straight score of 9.9-plus and eighth overall. In a close matchup, the Sooners and Gators tied on bars and beam with totals of 49.525 and 49.475, respectively. The Sooners captured the event titles on vault (49.600) and floor (49.350).

OU opened on vault with its second-highest score of the season with a 49.600. In her second showing on vault this season, Trautman earned her first perfect 10 of the season. Sophomore Danielle Sievers stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 to match a career-high 9.950 in the leadoff spot. Junior Katherine LeVasseur added her seventh score of 9.900 or higher this season with a 9.900. Bowers and Stern added a pair of 9.875s, while junior Audrey Davis anchored with a 9.850.

The Sooners posted a solid 49.525 on bars in the second rotation. With four scores of 9.9-plus, Davis added her sixth consecutive 9.950 or higher on the event with a 9.950. Bowers and Sievers added a pair of 9.950s, which matched a season-high for Sievers. In her second showing on bars this season, Trautman nailed her dismount for a 9.900. Danae Fletcher returned to the lineup with a 9.825, while senior Ragan Smith scored a 9.800.

With less than a tenth of a point lead going into the third rotation, the Sooners tallied a 49.475 on beam. Bowers led the way with her sixth-straight 9.9-plus on the event and eighth overall with a 9.950. Smith anchored the beam squad with a 9.925, while senior Jenna Dunn showcased her triple series in the leadoff position for a 9.900. Trautman added a 9.825 while Davis displayed artistry and unique skills for a 9.875.

The Sooners ended their night with a 49.350 on floor. For the sixth time this season and fourth in a row, freshman Faith Torrez matched a career-high 9.950. Sievers added her sixth 9.9-plus this season with a 9.925, while Davis came in as a late substitution and shined with a 9.900. Fletcher brought the sassy dance and choreography for a 9.850. Junior Bell Johnson added a 9.725 in the leadoff spot, while Bowers anchored with a 9.675.

In its last road challenge of the regular season, OU will make the journey to Ann Arbor, MI, to face the No. 4 Wolverines at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The programs will meet inside Crisler Arena for the first time since 2019 and the competition will be televised by ESPNU. Kindler and Michigan head coach Bev Plocki are the only two active head coaches to have won an NCAA championship.

“It's going to be the hardest week of our year,” Kindler noted. “No doubt about it for all the reasons mentioned: the travel, the back-to-back competitions and it’s Michigan’s senior night. I expect that they will probably get a sellout or an attendance record. It's going to be tough, and we’ll see how tough these guys are.”