Top-ranked Oklahoma sweeps all four events to win Big 12 women's gymnastics title
The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma women’s gymnastics team won all four events, posted its best beam score in program history (49.800) behind senior Ragan Smith’s perfect 10, and registered the best-ever Big 12 Championship score to claim its 10th conference title in the last 11 seasons with a 198.400 in a victory over No. 13 Denver (197.175), host West Virginia (196.225) and Iowa State (193.750) on Saturday night in Morgantown, W.Va.
OU scored a 198.500 on the night but was penalized one-tenth of a point for being out of order on bars. The 198.400 still represented the Sooners’ thirdbest score (tied) and the nation’s fourth-best score of the season, based on totals entering the weekend. OU now owns the nation’s best, third-best and fourth-best scores of 2023, and has topped the 198 mark a nation-leading seven times. The title is the 13th in the tenure of 17th-year OU head coach K.J. Kindler. It also marks the 14th Big 12 team championship in program history and 19th conference title overall. “The beam team was legitimately on fire,” Kindler said. “From Jenna (Dunn in the leadoff spot) and all the way through to Ragan, simply a magical performance. Team, that’s what it’s all about.”
The Sooners now await to learn their path to the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. The NCAA selection show is at 11 a.m. Monday. OU is one of four hosts for an NCAA Regional, with the Sooners hosting March 29-April 1.
OU softball tops Auburn
Jayda Coleman was on fire at the plate against Auburn on Sunday. From her first at-bat to her last, the OU center fielder could do no wrong. And with her leading the way, the Sooners capped an impressive three days at the Omni Hall of Fame Classic with another dominant victory.
Coleman went 4 for 4, scored three runs and drove in two as top-ranked OU defeated No. 19 Auburn 7-1 at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. Auburn had a great start as leadoff hitter Nelia Peralta launched a homer off OU’s Alex Storako to begin the game.
After the Sooners were held scoreless in the first two innings, Coleman hit a two-run homer off Maddie Penta in the third before OU blew things open with a four-run fifth.
Although Storako gave up the leadoff home run, she was nearly perfect after that.
Overall, she pitched five innings, struck out 11, walked one and allowed just two hits before Jordy Bahl entered and tossed the last two innings to seal the win.
The game was tight entering the fifth, but Tiare Jennings and Kinzie Hansen helped OU assert its dominance. Jennings and Hansen each launched a two-run homer, and OU cruised from there.
With the win, OU improved to 28-1 and earned its 19th straight victory. Storako earned the win in the circle and is now 10-0 on the season. She has a 0.94 ERA.
Cowgirls sweep weekend series
The Oklahoma State softball team completed its sweep of the OSU Mizuno Classic with a 9-4 victory against UCF on Sunday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium.
With the win, OSU improved to 25-2, while UCF fell to 18-16.
In the circle for the Cowgirl, All-American Kelly Maxwell was called upon for her second start of the weekend and her 10th of the season. The redshirtsenior lefty pitched five innings and tallied nine strikeouts in her eighth win of the season.
Extra points
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Braxton Douthit pitched 61⁄ shutout innings and John
3
Spikerman hit a two-run triple in the fifth inning to lead OU to a 3-1 win over No. 11 TCU Saturday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. ... Oklahoma State smacked four home runs in a 9-4 win at Texas Tech on Saturday as Tyler Wulfert homered twice and Nolan McLean and Roc Riggio also went deep.
NFL: The Dallas Cowboys have acquired receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Houston Texans. The deal adds a speedy veteran to play alongside CeeDee Lamb. Houston gets a fifth-round pick this year and a 2024 sixth-rounder. The trade is reminiscent of a year ago when Dallas sent No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper to Cleveland for two late-round picks. The difference is the Texans will pay $6 million of Cooks’ $18 million salary. The Browns absorbed the entire $20 million owed to Cooper. It’s the fifth time the 29-year-old Cooks has been traded.