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OU Softball: Patty Gasso Adds Former Player as Assistant Coach

Patty Gasso is filling out the rest of her coaching staff, starting with a Sooner alum.
Ross Lovelace|
OU Softball: Patty Gasso Adds Former Player as Assistant Coach
OU Softball: Patty Gasso Adds Former Player as Assistant Coach

Former All-American Falepolima Aviu has been added to the Sooners' staff as an assistant coach, Patty Gasso announced Wednesday.

Aviu won two national championships in Norman and another on staff as a graduate assistant under Gasso in 2022. Before serving as a graduate assistant, she was a graduate manager at Ole Miss in 2021 and a student manager after graduating from OU in 2020.

After serving as a graduate assistant for Gasso in 2022, the former outfielder was an assistant coach at North Carolina for one season. The Tarheels finished the season with a 26-28 record and a 13-10 total throughout conference play.

"I'm very grateful we're able to welcome back Falepolima to our staff," said Gasso in Oklahoma’s press release. "She's a Sooner through and through, and she made an incredibly positive impact on our program as a player and leader for four years and as a graduate assistant during the 2021-22 school year, helping us win three national championships.

"But her success isn't limited to OU. I'm proud of the growth and development she exhibited as a member of North Carolina's staff this past year. She's extremely talented and has so much to offer our players. We're incredibly excited she's back home and I know she can't wait to get started."

She was a four-year starter for the Sooners, notching honors as a three-time All-Big 12 honoree and 2019 NFCA Second Team All-American in 255 total games. Aviu played a big part in Oklahoma’s first set of back-to-back national championships as a player in 2016 and 2017.

"I'm honored and blessed to be back at the University of Oklahoma," said Aviu in the press release. "I can't wait to learn and grow from the same coaches who helped mold me as a player and a coach. I'm grateful for this opportunity and excited to get to work. This program and these fans mean everything to me. Sooner Nation, it's good to be home."

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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Ross has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners since 2018. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and the Sooners On SI podcast. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross started with Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and worked for Sooners On SI and Thunder On SI. Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross and his wife live in New Orleans, where he is a Marketing and Volunteer Coordinator at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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