2013 University of Oklahoma Men's and Women's Gymnastics

#2 OU and #5 UCLA Face Off in Norman

Feb 19, 2013 by Whiney Ewing

(c) GymShark

Two of the top NCAA teams in the nation will go head to head on Friday night and Gymnastike will be on-site for coverage! The UCLA Bruins come in to Norman ranked #5 in the nation, while the Oklahoma Sooners hold strong at #2.

So, what are some of the things to watch for from each team?

For OU, here are the 4 things to look out for:

1. Freshman Production. Both Haley Scaman and Keeley Kmieciak are putting up huge numbers for the Sooners. Scaman has scored at least 9.8 on 12 of 14 events she has competed in this season. Kmieciak has competed in the all-around at each meet of the season for the Sooners, with a high of 39.350. Watch for these girls to continue having a big impact.

2. Beam rotation. OU is the best in the nation on beam, and 3 Sooners are in the top 15 as individuals. Oklahoma is always known for its dominance on beam. And with Lauren Alexander back this year, its a good one to keep an eye on.

3. Redemption for OU? Last year, Oklahoma only lost 2 of their regular season meets. One of those two was on a trip to UCLA. So the Sooners are looking to beat the Bruins on their home turf.

4. Big team scores. Big individual scores add up to huge team scores for OU. In five of their last meets, the Sooners have gone over 197. Will they do it again this week?

On to UCLA.

1. Vanessa Zamarripa. Ranked #1 in the all-around. Ranked #1 on floor. Not much else needs to be said about the talent and impact of this gymnast.

2. Floor Rotation. UCLA is always known for its floor routines. This year will be no different. But how will a home Lloyd Noble crowd react to them? UCLA is 7th in the nation as a team on floor, with 3 girls ranked individually on the event.

3. Bounce back meet. UCLA is coming off a loss to Oregon State this week. And this will be another road trip for the team. How will the team pick up for another meet away from Los Angeles?

4. Lichelle Wong. After tearing her Achilles, her return, especially to vault and floor, has been long awaited. After a huge performance on both events last week, will she continue the streak?

Both teams have big things to be looking out for. So this matchup in Norman on Friday night could be a preivew of 2 teams that have a really good chance to make it to the Super Six this year and perhaps win it all!

Click here to jump to the UCLA at OU Coverage page. Stay tuned for video coverage on Friday night, February 22nd.