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OU Gymnastics: No. 1 Oklahoma Toppled in Showdown at No. 2 LSU

In their first season in the SEC, the Sooners were deadlocked at the midway point and leading going into the final rotation before falling to the Tigers.
John Hoover|
Oklahoma gymnast Addison Fatta
Oklahoma gymnast Addison Fatta | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BY OU Media Relations

BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 1 Oklahoma gymnastics team suffered its first loss of the season in 198.050-197.675 defeat to No. 2 LSU Friday night inside the Pete Maravich Center.

A trio of Sooners won event titles with Faith Torrez winning vault with a near-perfect 9.975 and floor with a 9.95. Jordan Bowers shared the floor title with Torrez and Lily Pederson took home the bars title with a 9.925.

The Sooners trailed after the first rotation, 49.600-49.425. Starting on bars, Dani Sievers led off with a stuck dismount for a 9.85, followed by a strong routine from Fatta for a 9.875. Pederson was the high score of the rotation as the freshman nailed her double layout dismount for a 9.925. Torrez added a 9.85 in the No. 4 spot, while Audrey Davis added a 9.875. In the anchor spot, Bowers notched a 9.90.

At the halfway point, the meet was tied at 98.850-98.850 as the Sooners went 49.425 on vault to LSU’s 49.250 on bars. Pederson started off vault with a strong Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.8. In the No. 2 spot, Torrez was lights-out, nailing her vault for the fourth week in a row to tie her 9.975 career high. Fatta notched a 9.75 in the No. 3 spot and Keira Wells added a 9.875 on a big 1.5. Bowers tallied a 9.875 of her own and Elle Mueller anchored with a career-high 9.85.

OU used its second-highest score of the year on floor (49.575) to take a 198.425-148.350 lead with one rotation to go. Davis’s high energy was on display as she led off the third rotation with a 9.9. Fatta added a 9.825 in the No. 2 spot, followed by a 9.875 from Pederson. Mueller’s intensity shone through as she added a career-high 9.9 in the No. 4 spot. Opening with a stick on her first pass and ending with a sky-high double pike, Bowers earned a 9.95 in the No. 5 spot. Closing things out with a gorgeous double layout was Torrez for a 9.95 of her own to push the Sooners into the lead.

On beam, OU notched a 49.250 as LSU scored a 49.700 on floor to claim the victory. Davis started off the final rotation with a 9.825, followed by a 9.575 from Wells. In the No. 3 spot, Fatta tied her career best with a 9.9. Bowers tallied a 9.85 in the No. 4 spot and Pederson recorded a 9.775. Torrez anchored with a 9.9 to close out the meet for the Sooners.

Up next for Oklahoma is a Friday night showdown on ESPN2 with No. 3 Florida. The two teams will meet on Feb. 21 at 7:45 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center.

Published | Modified
John E. Hoover
JOHN 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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