Four things to know about OU women's gymnastics team ahead of Super 16 meet in Las Vegas
OU’s women’s gymnastics team will open its national-championship defense Saturday night (8 p.m., Big Ten Network) in the inaugural Super 16 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The top-ranked Sooners headline a field which also features No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Auburn and No. 10 UCLA.
Here are four things to know about the Sooners entering the 2023 season:
Depth in spades
The Sooners return most of their squad from last season’s championship run intact.
With the decisions of Olivia Trautman and Allie Stern to use their additional season of eligibility granted by the COVID-19 pandemic, OU will be forced to replace just two of its 24 routines from the 2022 NCAA Finals — Carly Woodard’s balance beam and floor exercise routines.
The Sooners seemed better poised for a quick start this season, appearing to enter this season relatively healthy after injuries to Trautman and others limited them early in the year.
One returner to watch in particular is junior Audrey Davis, who four times posted a 9.975 on the uneven bars last season.
Davis has shown offseason improvement in her dismount, which figures to help her break through for her first career perfect 10 in the event this season.
Youth movement
Just because the Sooners return the majority of their lineup from last season’s title run doesn’t mean the rotations will look the same as they did a year ago.
OU coach K.J. Kindler brought in another strong class of freshmen who figure to compete to get into the lineup quickly.
The most exciting might be Faith Torrez of Bristol, Wisconsin.
Torrez hit five beam routines of 9.900 or better in her final season of elite competition, including a pair of perfect 10s — a mark that is even more difficult to attain at that level than it is in the NCAA level.
The beam is an event that is special for Kindler, and Torrez looks like she could be the next great Sooners’ beam gymnast, though she’ll be far from a one-event specialist.
Ava Siegfeldt of Williamsburg, Virginia, finished 14th in the all-around at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials and tied for 11th on bars, finished 12th on beam and 15th in the all-around at the 2021 U.S. Championships.
Siegfeldt also figures to work her way into multiple events as a freshman.
More:How does the Sooners' 2022 NCAA title team compare to OU's other women's gymnastics champions?
Trautman returns
Olivia Trautman has had an injury-plagued career with the Sooners, but she’s come up big in the postseason when they needed her most.
After suffering an injury at the intersquad meet a year ago that limited her throughout the season, Trautman enters this season relatively healthy.
Her injury history will keep her from competing in the floor exercise, but she still will make a major impact.
She was an NCAA second-team All-American in the vault and beam last season after being an NCAA first-team All-American in the all-around and a second-team All-American on vault, bars and floor in 2021.
Another loaded schedule
The Sooners' schedule features matchups with seven of the other nine teams in the top 10 of the coaches poll, including each of the others in the top seven.
OU’s home schedule features a pair of the premier meetings — Jan. 22 in the home opener against No. 3 Utah and March 3 against second-ranked Florida.
The Sooners stunned Florida with a 198.200 in the NCAA finals to edge the Gators for the program’s fifth national title.
Utah finished third and Auburn, one of the teams the Sooners match up with this weekend, finished fourth.
The Utes are led by Kara Eaker, an alternate on the 2020 Olympic team.
Florida features Trinity Thomas, one of the top all-arounders in the country who is ranked in the top three in all four events in the preseason by College Gym News. Thomas is top-ranked in both the vault and floor exercise.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU women's gymnastics: What to know about Super 16 opener in Las Vegas
