OU women's gymnastics beats Iowa State, but Sooners 'probably could've been sharper'

NORMAN — The score was impressive.

OU women's gymnastics coach K.J. Kindler was not impressed.

That reflects the sky-high expectations surrounding a Sooners team that has won four of the last six NCAA titles.

Friday, the top-ranked Sooners posted a season-high 49.675 on the uneven bars — tied for the sixth-best score in the event in program history — en route to a 198.225-195.875 victory over Iowa State at Lloyd Noble Center.

"I think probably could've been sharper on bars overall," Kindler said. "I know it's a very high score but we just are holding ourselves to a pretty high standard right now."

One gymnast that continues to draw praise from Kindler, though, is junior Audrey Davis.

Davis posted a 9.975, once again coming up just shy of what would be her first career perfect 10.

"Every time she goes it's like watching the same routine," Kindler said. "It's been a long time coming and I hope officials see how much she stands out, so we'll patiently wait."

Davis has five career 9.975s, also reaching the mark in Sunday's win over Denver.

"Tragic," Kindler said.

More:How did Oklahoma gymnastics become a juggernaut? For Sooners, it starts on balance beam.

Katherine LeVasseur posted a 9.95, Danielle Sievers and Jordan Bowers each scored 9.925 and Ragan Smith posted a 9.9 on the bars.

The event wasn’t without adversity for the Sooners, as freshman Faith Torrez fell in the No. 2 spot and scored a 9.3.

Kindler said she felt like her team was a bit overly cautious after Torrez's slip.

The Sooners’ bars score is the highest bars score in the nation this season.

OU entered the meet second nationally in the event, behind Florida.

After the Sooners posted a 198.425 in Sunday's victory over Denver, Kindler said perhaps her view of the win over the Cyclones might've been clouded by that performance.

"I think there's tons of room to grow," Kindler said. "I guess those little things are just standing out to me because I know that what I see in the gym is even better than what I saw today."

Here are two other takeaways from the Sooners’ win:

More:How is OU women's gymnast Olivia Trautman working her way back from injury — again?

Beam lineup shuffled again

Olivia Trautman let out a bit of a sigh of relief when her balance beam score of 9.9 was posted.

Trautman slipped a bit on her dismount, but was able to cover it with a quick — and confident — transition to keep from being deducted.

"The goal is to fake it until you make it," Sooners coach K.J. Kindler said.

Trautman said the landing — a bit of camouflage for a landing that's not quite stuck — was something that was practiced often.

For the second consecutive meet, Kindler tweaked the beam lineup.

Trautman led off with a 9.9, followed by the same score from LeVasseur. Jordan Bowers turned in the highlight of the event with a 9.95.

Torrez, who had been experimenting this week with a change in her dismount in the event, posted a 9.875.

Senior beam specialist Jenna Dunn didn’t compete on the beam for the first time since her sophomore season, 2021. Dunn had posted a season-high 9.925 at Denver.

Kindler said the decision came down to Trautman vs. Dunn for the leadoff spot, calling the decision to pull Dunn out of the lineup "tortuous." Both are most comfortable starting off.

"She's so classy," Kindler said of Dunn. "She handled it with total class and grace. I'm sure she's disappointed because she wants to compete."

More:Four things to know about OU women's gymnastics team ahead of Super 16 meet in Las Vegas

Danae Fletcher highlights Sooners' floor rotation

Danae Fletcher brought what was probably the biggest reaction from the Lloyd Noble Center crowd Friday, with her new-look floor routine.

Fletcher's whip double back helped her post a season-high 9.95 on the floor exercise.

Sooners coach K.J. Kindler said Fletcher approached assistant Tom Haley with the idea to switch the routine up.

"As a coach, you have to trust your athletes," Kindler said.

That trust paid off.

"Her floor routine is super exciting," sophomore Danielle Sievers said of Fletcher. "The crowd's energy, we really feed off that."

Even with Fletcher's score, the Sooners finished with a season-low 49.425 in the floor.

Still, the Sooners finished with a score of 198 or better for the second consecutive meet.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU women's gymnastics beats Iowa State, but 'could've been sharper'