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Oklahoma Wins Another Regional; Now Prepares for NCAA Championships

It's coach K.J. Kindler's 12th regional title in a row and OU's 18th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships.
John E. Hoover|
Oklahoma Wins Another Regional; Now Prepares for NCAA Championships
Oklahoma Wins Another Regional; Now Prepares for NCAA Championships

Oklahoma is in familiar territory: on the verge of a national championship.

The Sooners dominated NCAA Regional action Saturday night at Lloyd Noble Center, posting a 198.250 team score to win the Norman Regional over Minnesota (197.725) and a trip to the NCAA Championships in two weeks in Fort Worth.

It’s OU’s 18th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship and coach K.J. Kindler’s 12th straight regional title.

“This was an awesome meet; I don't even know what to say,” Kindler said. “I think it all started with the floor team. They were 10 times better than they were on Thursday (in the opening round). All those small errors we had Thursday were not there. They were super dialed in; I think that (made) the gigantic difference for us just starting off on that high.”

California was third with a 197.300, while Arkansas finished fourth with a 196.675.

Olivia Trautman posted the highest score of the night on vault with a 9.975. On bars, Danielle Sievers earned the title with a 9.925. Ragan Smith took home the crown on beam with a near-perfect 9.975. Minnesota's Mya Hooten won floor with a 9.975 while teammate Ona Loper won the all-around with a 39.700.

“(I’m) really excited (because) if you look at where this team has come on vault from the first meet of the year when we were like scratching and clawing for a 49.1, to tonight, what a metamorphosis of this lineup,” Kindler said. “just hugely proud. There's three freshmen in that lineup; I mean, that is a lot of youth in that lineup and (I'm) just really proud of that whole group.”

“(I’m) really excited about the whole meet,” Kindler said. “That's a phenomenal score (and I'm) really excited about the crowd and (the) support we had in the stands.”

OU will be in Semifinal I on April 14 at noon with Minnesota and the winners of the NCAA Seattle Regional.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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