If this week’s matchup feels familiar to gymnastics fans, it’s because last year, No. 2 LSU and No. 1 Oklahoma were in the same place as they faced off during the regular season.
As Friday Night Heights rounds the corner, there are only a few differences between the two teams.
The Sooners are swinging into this competition undefeated, compared to LSU’s 6-1-1 record after losing its tiebreaker to Oklahoma in the Sprouts Collegiate Quad meet and later falling to Georgia, 196.850-197.200, in a dual meet.
In addition to their record differences, the Tigers will also be traveling to Norman, Oklahoma, for the first time since Oklahoma joined the SEC. The last time LSU competed in the Lloyd Noble Center was in 2014, marking over a decade since the Tigers touched ground in the Sooner’s territory.
This means that Oklahoma will have home advantage in this meet, given that Sooner fans will rally around the talent their program has. With that being said, let’s look at some of the leading gymnasts on Oklahoma’s side of the competition.
Addison Fatta
Nationally ranking as No. 2 in the all-around, behind UCLA’s Jordan Chiles, is Oklahoma all-around sophomore Addison Fatta.
The NCAA All-Around All-American has delivered standout performances on both the vault and floor exercise with a perfect score and a 9.975 on the individual events. When combining her efforts on each of the events with the rest of her team’s, Oklahoma has managed to secure the No. 1 spot on the vault and the No. 4 spot on the floor.
Fatta has also earned the No. 1 individual spot on the vault with an average score of 9.943, with LSU all-around sophomore Kailin Chio trailing in the No. 2 spot with an average of a 9.946 on the event.
Faith Torrez
Taking the No. 1 spot on the balance beam nationally is Oklahoma all-around senior Faith Torrez, who has scored nothing short of a 9.900 on the balance beam this season.
The 2024 NCAA Beam Champion’s lowest score of the event this season is a 9.925, sticking a high of 9.975 against both Alabama and Georgia.
Torrez’s beam average is sitting at 9.954 and is doing its part to place Oklahoma in the No. 1 spot for the balance beam. Chio is, once again, just behind Torrez in the No. 2 place for the balance beam.
Hannah Scheible
Factoring her work into Oklahoma’s No. 5 spot on the uneven bars is all-around junior Hannah Scheible.
Scheible has recorded a 9.925 on bars, with her lowest score being a 9.775 against Missouri. The WCGA Vault All-American has averaged a 9.786 on the event, making her a vital part of her team.
Ellie Mueller
While Fatta’s hard work has also established her as the Sooners’ highest-scoring gymnast on the floor, having stuck a 9.975, sophomore Ellie Mueller has recorded the highest average on the event this year.
Mueller’s average is sitting at a 9.904, after sticking a high of three 9.925s and one 9.950 in addition to her other three scores over 9.800.
The NCAA Vault All-American is ranked No. 11 on the floor and is surely to pack a punch in this week’s competition.
As the two heavyweights face off this week, fans can tune in on ESPN2 with Friday’s meet starting at 8 p.m. CT.
