WOMEN S GYMNASTICS. gymnast to watch: KIARA REDMOND-STURMS. O K L A H O M A s o o n e r s. University of Oklahoma 2008 OU WOMEN S GYMNASTICS

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1 University of Oklahoma WOMEN S GYMNASTICS Phillip Rogers, OU Women s Gymnastics Media Relations Contact 180 W Brooks, Suite 2525, Norman, OK O: (405) C: (405) F: (405) philliprogers@ouedu wwwsoonersportscom Date Opponent time/results @ Cancun Classic $w (195175) @ Central Michigan W ( ) @ TWU W ( ) @ West Virginia =W ( ) NEBRASKA W ( ) @ Denver ~ W ( ) IOWA STATE +7:00 pm @ Missouri6:30 pm TEXAS WOMAN S UNIVERSITY 7:00 pm AUBURN! 7:00 pm @ Arkansas2:00 pm @ Minnesota6:00 pm BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS * 7:00 pm NCAA SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL * 6:00 pm NCAA Team Finals # TBA NCAA Individual Finals # TBA ALL TIMES ARE CENTRAL ALL HOME MEETS ARE AT THE LLOYD NOBLE CENTER $ Meet features: OU, Denver, Illinois, Iowa, LSU, Minnesota, TWU, West Virginia and Wisconsin-Whitewater = Also competing are William & Mary and George Washington ~ Meet includes Denver, Air Force and Utah State + Beauty and the Beast Night (Paired with Wrestling Dual)! Senior Night * Norman, Okla - Hosted by the University of Oklahoma # Athens, Ga - Hosted by the University of Georgia gymnast to watch: KIARA REDMOND-STURMS Redmond-Sturms won her fifth allaround title in six meets against No 13 Denver, Utah State and Air Force The senior All-American also took home event titles on bars (9875) and floor (99) Winner of three Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honors already this season, Redmond-Sturms has netted 22 individual titles through six events vs No 8 University of oklahoma (12-0) FRIDAY, FEB 15 7 pm (CST) Lloyd noble center norman, okla No 6 oklahoma HOSTS Big 12 rival Iowa state The OU women s gymnastics and wrestling programs join forces for inaugural Beauty and the Beast Night on Friday, Feb 15, at 7 pm inside the Lloyd Noble Center In what is becoming a popular craze at schools around the country, this unique event will showcase both teams competing side-by-side, giving fans of each sport the opportunity to see what the other is all about Currently undefeated on the season and ranked No 8 in the country, the women s gymnastics team meets Big 12 foe Iowa State, while the No 18 wrestling team squares off against Cal Poly Live scoring will be available at wwwsoonersportscom, with a webcast available through the all-access portion of the site as well ȯpponent preview: IOWA STATE The Cyclones enter Friday s meet ranked 30th in the latest GymInfo poll after four consecutive losses to start their 2008 campaign ISU is coming off of a season-high team score of against Stanford on Feb 10 Iowa State is led by the duo of Nikki Dilbert and Jasmine Thompson who have been all-around competitors in each meet of the 08 season Dilbert posted a season-high against the Cardinal last Sunday, which also marked a Cyclone all-around high for the year No 30 IOWA STATE university (0-4) The official site of OU Athletics supplies Sooner fans worldwide with the latest news and features on Oklahoma athletics direct from Norman The site provides the latest press releases, rosters, bios, schedules, statistics, notes, quotes, athlete blogs, photo galleries and audio and video available to both Sooner fans and the media

2 O K L A H O M A s oo n e r s Name Yr Ht Hometown (High School) (Club) Pronunciation Candace Cindell Fr 5-5 Frisco, Texas (Frisco HS) (Kurt Thomas Gymnastics) Haley DeProspero Jr 5-0 McKinney, Texas (Plano Christian Academy) (University of Gymnastics) Jacqueline Flanery So 5-5 Plattsburg, Mo (Plattsburg HS) (Eagles Gymnastics) Caitlin Hinkis Sr 5-1 Simsbury, Conn (Simsbury HS) (CATS Gymnastics) Ashley Jackson Jr 5-1 Hudsonville, Mich (East Kentwood HS) (Geddart s Twistars) Jessica Kinder Jr 5-2 Kansas City, Mo (Raytown HS) (Best Gymnastics) KIN-der Gina Lesko Jr 5-3 Allen, Texas (Allen HS) (University of Gymnastics) Stephanie LoPiccolo Sr 4-11 Melbourne, Australia (Melbourne Girls College) (Victorian High Performance Centre) Mary Mantle So 5-4 Bellvue, Colo (Rocky Mountain HS) (GK Gymnastics) Natalie Ratcliff Fr 5-5 Overland Park, Kan (Blue Valley Northwest HS) (GAGE) Kiara Redmond-Sturms Sr 5-1 Los Angeles, Calif (California HS) (SCATS) key-are-uh Melanie Root Fr 5-3 Cartersville, Ga (Cartersville HS) (Cartersville Twisters) Kristin Smith So 5-3 Oklahoma City, Okla (Putnam City HS) (Dynamo Gymnastics) Hollie Vise So 5-5 Dallas, Texas (Spring Creek Academy) (WOGA) VICE sin-dell dee-pross-per-oh Head Coach KJ Kindler Second Season KIN-dler Assistant Coach Lou Ball Second Season Assistant Coach Tom Haley Second Season low-pick-o-low CANDACE CINDELL haley deprospero JACQUELINE FLANERY CAITLIN HINKIS ASHLEY JACKSON JESSICA KINDER GINA LESKO STEPHANIE LOPICCOLO MARY MANTLE NATALIE RATCLIFF KIARA REDMOND-STURMS MELANIE ROOT KRISTIN SMITH HOLLIE VISE

3 General Information LocationNorman, Okla Enrollment29,721 Founded1890 PresidentDavid L Boren VP / Athletics Director Joe Castiglione NicknameSooners Colors Crimson & Cream ConferenceBig 12 ArenaLloyd Noble Center Capacity12,000 OU s All-Time Record (658) Team Information 2007 Overall Record21-7 (750) High Score Big 12 Finish Second NCAA Finish Eighth Letterwinners Returning/Lost 11/2 All-Americans Returning/Lost 2/1 Coaching Staff Head CoachKJ Kindler Year Second Season Alma MaterIowa State, 92 Record at OU 21-7 Career Record Assistant CoachLou Ball Year Second Season Assistant Coach Tom Haley Year Second Season Women s Gymnastics Office Phone (405) Women s Gymnastics Office Fax(405) Shipping Address OU Athletics Media Relations Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Suite 2525, 180 W Brooks St, Norman, OK MARCH-IN ORDER Name Class Hometown Pronunciation 1 Candace CindellFr Frisco, Texas sin-dell 2 Natalie RatcliffFr Overland Park, Kan 3 Melanie Root Fr Cartersville, Ga 4 Jacqueline FlanerySo Plattsburg, Mo 5 Mary Mantle So Bellvue, Colo 6 Kristin SmithSoOklahoma City, Okla 7 Hollie Vise SoDallas, Texas VICE 8 Haley DeProsperoJrMcKinney, Texas dee-pross-per-oh 9 Ashley JacksonJr Hudsonville, Mich 10 Jessica KinderJr Kansas City, Mo KIN-der 11 Gina Lesko JrAllen, Texas 12 Caitlin Hinkis SrSimsbury, Conn 13 Stephanie LoPiccolo Sr Melbourne, Australia low-pick-o-low 14 Kiara Redmond - Sturms Sr Los Angeles, Calif key-are-uh COACHING STAFF KJ Kindler Head Coach (Second Year) Lou Ball Assistant Coach (Second Year) Tom Haley Assistant Coach (Second Year) 2008 GYMINFO Poll (updated 21108) Rank Team Season Average Season High 1 Georgia Utah Florida Alabama Michigan LSU UCLA OKLAHOMA Stanford Arkansas Oregon State Nebraska Denver Missouri Southern Utah Auburn Arizona State Penn State North Carolina Arizona Boise State Michigan State Ohio State North Carolina State Kent State BEAUTY AND THE BEAST PROMOTIONS: The first 500 fans through the doors will receive FREE 1st Annual Beauty and the Beast Event T-shirts SENIOR ALL-AMERICAN Stephanie LoPiccolo One lucky fan will win two (2) round-trip tickets to Las Vegas, two (2) tickets to Le Reve at the Wynn Theater in Las Vegas, and a $300 check card Raffle prizes will be awarded throughout the evening Post-match autographs featuring both the OU wrestling and women s gymnastics teams

4 tentative oklahoma lineup VAULT SEASON high 1 Jackie Flanery Haley DeProspero Ashley Jackson Natalie Ratcliff Mary Mantle Kiara Redmond-Sturms 9900 BARS SEASON high 1 Ashley Jackson Mary Mantle Haley DeProspero Hollie Vise Stephanie LoPiccolo Kiara Redmond-Sturms 9925 Beam SEASON high 1 Kristin Smith Kiara Redmond-Sturms Ashley Jackson Stephanie LoPiccolo Hollie Vise Haley DeProspero 9925 floor SEASON high 1 Kristin Smith Jessica Kinder Haley DeProspero Jackie Flanery Ashley Jackson Kiara Redmond-Sturms 9950 all-around SEASON high 1 Kiara Redmond-Sturms Ashley Jackson Haley DeProspero ON THE road AGain By Haley Deprospero New for 2008, junior Haley DeProspero will give OU gymnastics fans a glimpse into life on the road for the Sooner squad through her blog that will be featured on SoonerSportscom during every road event Looking back: colorado quad meet - air force denver Utah state A capacity crowd of 2,195 witnessed the No 6 OU women s gymnastics squad remain undefeated on the year as the Sooners posted a team score of in outlasting No 13 Denver (195700), Utah State (192275) and Air Force (186400) Senior Kiara Redmond-Sturms won her fifth all-around title of the season as the All-American posted a The Sooners picked up event titles on bars (49050) and floor (49300), as Mary Mantle (vault-99), Redmond-Sturms (bars-9875, floor-99) and Haley DeProspero (beam-9850) swept the individual event titles ROLLER COASTER RANKING With no coaches poll in collegiate gymnastics (other than the initial preseason poll), rankings are based strictly on season average for the first seven weeks of the year Despite remaining undefeated in 08, including a road win at No 13 Denver over the weekend, the Sooners dropped from sixth to eighth in the latest rankings, released on Feb 11 NATIONALLY KNOWN NAMES Kiara Redmond-Sturms is currently ranked No 2 in the country on floor (9925 average), No 12 on bars (9862 average), No 14 in the all-around (39254) and No 17 on vault (9867) In addition, her season averages on floor, bars, vault and the all-around rank in the top-three in the South Central Region Teammate Haley DeProspero stands fourth in the country on beam with a season average of 9846, which also ranks second in the Big 12 Rouding out the national top-25 rankings for the Sooners is Ashley Jackson s 13th-place standing on floor (third in the Big 12) FLOOR FANATICS OU has quickly risen in the rankings on the floor exericise during the 2008 season, currently standing second in the country on the apparatus with a season average of The Sooners are the only Big 12 Conference squad that holds a top-five team ranking on any apparatus WEEKLY CONFERENCE HONORS AGAIN: After leading the OU women s gymnastics squad to its 12th consecutive win last Saturday, Sooner gymnasts Kiara Redmond-Sturms and Mary Mantle were honored as Big 12 Gymnast and Event Specialist of the Week, respectively, the conference office announced Tuesday It marked the fourth consecutive week that an OU gymnast has won conference gymnast of the week honors and the second time this season Oklahoma has swept the weekly awards MARY S MILESTONE: Mary Mantle, a sophomore, won the first event title of her career after she posted a 99 on vault in Denver, Colo, on Saturday, garnering her first Big 12 conference award The stuck routine was witnessed by 2,195 fans inside Hamilton Gymnasium, including many that were rooting on the Bellvue, Colo, native, after making the short drive to Denver Mantle was making her first appearance in a collegiate competition in her home state CALIFORNIA DREAMIN Through six events in 2008, Los Angeles, Calif, native Kiara Redmond-Sturms is having the kind of season any gymnast would dream about The five-time All-American won her fifth all-around title in six meets against No 13 Denver, Utah State and Air Force last Saturday Winner of three Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honors already this season, Redmond-Sturms has netted 21 individual titles through six events REGULAR SEASON SENSATIONS OU has won 25 of its last 26 regular-season matchup s dating back to Jan 19, 2007 Winners of all regular season meets on the year, the Sooners last regular season defeat was to Stanford on March 9, 2007 in Palo Alto, Calif

5 OU TEAM EVENT RANKINGS Event Rank (NCAA/Big 12) Average Vault 15/ Bars 8/ Beam 12/ Floor 2/ NCAA Top-25 SOONER INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS Gymnast Event Rank (NCAA/Big 12) Average Redmond-Sturms AA 14/ Redmond-Sturms FX 2/ Redmond-Sturms V 17/ Redmond-Sturms UB 12/ DeProspero BB 4/ Jackson FX 13/ OU IN THE RANKINGS Week Ranking Preseason 8 Jan 14 9 Jan 21 7 Jan 28 6 Feb 4 6 Feb 11 8 From January 14th to February 11th, rankings are calculated by total season average Starting February 18th, rankings are done by regional qualifying score The RQS is calculated by adding up a team s six highest scores -- three of which have to be road meets -- and subtracting the top score, then averaging the remaining five scores 2008 accolades Ashley Jackson Big 12 Gymnast of the Week (2508) Mary Mantle Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week (21208) Kiara Redmond-Sturms Big 12 Gymnast of the Week (12308) co-big 12 Gymnast of the Week (13008) co-big 12 Gymnast of the Week (21208) Hollie Vise Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week (12308) COMING UP NEXT After OU s home meet against the Cyclones, the Sooners travel to Columbia, Mo, for a Big 12 match-up with Missouri on Feb 22 at 6:30 pm (CST) DOMINATING THE COMPETITION The Sooners haven t been overly kind to their opponents early on this season Through six events, Oklahoma has either won the event outright or shared title honors in 20 of a possible 22 event competitions Winners of 17 outright titles, OU shared the floor title with Iowa at the Cancun Classic RACKING UP THE CONFERENCE HONORS: Fresh off her first career all-around title that propelled OU to a victory over conference rival Nebraska, OU junior Ashley Jackson was named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week by the league on Feb 5 The Big 12 honor was the first for the Hudsonville, Mich, native Competing in every event for just the fourth time in her career, Jackson posted career highs in the all-around (39275) and on floor (99) against the Cornhuskers, while also matching a career best on bars (9825) Jackson started the night off right by setting a season high on vault (9825) in OU s first rotation, unveiling a new vault for the first time In all, Jackson recorded three top-3 finishes (vault, bars and floor) in her career night NEW YEAr, SAME RESULTS: Following her all-around title against West Virginia that propelled OU to its highest score of the 2008 season, gymnast Kiara Redmond-Sturms was named co-big 12 Gymnast of the Week by the league, sharing the honor with Nebraska s Emily Parsons It marked the second consecutive week that the senior All-American had earned the accolade The all-around title was the fourth of the year for the Los Angeles, Calif, native, as the Sooners coasted to wins over West Virginia, GWU and William & Mary in Morgantown, W Va Champion on vault (9875), bars (99) and floor (9925), Redmond-Sturms finished second on beam to teammate Hollie Vise in the only event she didn t win THE BEAM QUEEN(S) OU junior Haley DeProspero won the beam title at the first three 2008 meets for the Sooners and added another title on the apparatus at Denver Her season average of 9846 on the beam ranks fourth in the nation The McKinney, Texas, native has company though Hollie Vise earned the first event title of her career after a 985 on beam at West Virginia, a week after being named the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week THROWN INTO THE MIX True freshmen Natalie Ratcliff and Melanie Root have already seen significant action early on during their collegiate campaigns Root has been in the floor line-up in three `08 events and made her debut on vault at the Cancun Classic Ratcliff made her first collegiate appearance against Central Michigan, scoring a 98 on vault against the Chippewas HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS Returning to her home state of Michigan for the first time in collegiate competition, Ashley Jackson recorded a 9775 on vault, 9875 on floor and a career-high 975 on bars to finish third in the all-around against CMU

6 AMONG THE BIG 12 s BEST Leading OU in its win over TWU, Sooner gymnasts Kiara Redmond- Sturms and Hollie Vise were honored as Big 12 Gymnast and Event Specialist of the Week, respectively, the conference office announced Jan 23 Redmond-Sturms won her third all-around title of the season with a career-high 3965, the second-highest mark in OU women s gymnastics history Highlighted by a career-high 995 in the win on the floor exercise, the Los Angeles, Calif, native also earned event titles on bars and vault against the Pioneers Capped off by career high s in both events, Vise finished second on beam (99) to teammate Redmond-Sturms and third on the uneven bars (9825) against TWU to earn her first weekly honor The Dallas, Texas, native s 99 on beam tied for the second-highest non-ou beam score this season in the Big 12 REST AND RELAXATION With the promising starts of Ratcliff and Root, the Sooners were able to rest senior Caitlin Hinkis and junior Jessica Kinder, who both were recovering from injuries Now back in competition, the two add a mature presence to numerous event line-up s for the Sooners In her first meet back, Kinder recorded a career high-tying 985 on floor against TWU Hinkis, a native of Simsbury, Conn, finished in the top five on bars four times last season THE BEAM DREAM TEAM Oklahoma posted a staggering score on beam at the season-opening Cancun Classic The mark tied the second-highest score in program history and was the highest by an OU beam team since April 3, 2004 KINDLER SIGNS THREE FOR 2008 The Oklahoma women s gymnastics team posted its best finish in NCAA history last spring and recruits are taking notice Head coach KJ Kindler announced one of the most decorated classes in OU history during the early announcement period, signing three gymnasts to National Letters of Intent Megan Ferguson, Natasha Kelley and Sara Stone will join the Sooners in the fall of 2008 Ferguson, a Level 10 from Blue Valley High School in Olathe, Kan, trains at Eagles Gymnastics, the former club of current OU gymnast Jacqueline Flanery Ferguson was two-time Junior Olympic Nationals beam champion and five-time JO Nationals qualifier She has dominated state competition, winning the level 10 all-around title in 2005, `06 and `07 while sweeping every individual event honor all three seasons as well Kelley enters the OU program as a four-time US National Team member The senior elite gymnast from Katy, Texas, has found success on both the international and national stage, finishing second in the all-around of the 2006 Visa Championships, after capturing the all-around title a year prior in the junior division of the Visa Championships In her `06 Visa Championships runner-up finish, Kelley finished second on the uneven bars and beam, and fourth on the floor exercise Kelley shared all-around honors at the 2006 US Classic, placing first on the uneven bars, second on vault and fourth on beam and floor At the 2007 Visa Championships, Kelley finished 10th in the allaround after placing sixth on the beam and ninth on the uneven bars On the International stage, Kelley won the all-around title at the 2007 Houston International Invitational, placing first on the beam, floor, uneven bars, and second on the vault The 17-year old placed second at the 2007 Tyson American Cup and fourth in the all-around of the `07 USA vs Great Britain International Competition in Lisburn, Ireland She also captured all-around titles at both the `05 Junior Gymnastics Competition in Yohohama, Japan, and the Olympiad Elite in Ensenada, Mexico, a year prior Kelley helped the US squad to a silver medal at the 2006 World Championships as a finalist on floor A native of Dallas, Texas, Stone is a member of Metroplex Gymnastics where she is coached by Bryan Streeter, Dave Marus, and Jana and Marcus Harlin The Spring Creek Academy senior and junior elite gymnast is a two-time qualifier for the US Classic She won the all-around title at the 2005 Metroplex Challenge and won the beam title at the 2006 level 10 Texas state competition SOONERS OPEN SEASON RANKED NO 8 The Oklahoma women s gymnastics team was ranked eighth in the preseason GymInfo coaches poll, the second-highest ranking of any Big 12 team The Sooners return All-Americans Kiara Redmond- Sturms and Stephanie LoPiccolo from a Sooner squad that finished eighth last season at the NCAA Championships under first-year head coach KJ Kindler, marking a program-best Jackie flanery So Plattsburg, Mo

7 VAULT Oklahoma must replace vault All-American Brittney Koncak- Schumann and Lori Winn, whom the Sooners relied on for solid scores all of last season The Sooners return a solid nucleus of five gymnasts who competed on vault last season, including first team All-American Redmond-Sturms who took home five event titles on the apparatus Her top mark was a 100 earned against TWU, George Washington and Centenary DeProspero, Flanery and Jackson have posted strong scores on the apparatus and look to provide veteran leadership throughout the season Mary Mantle, who saw limited action on vault last season, should be a staple in the OU lineup on this event Watch for freshmen Natalie Ratcliff and Melanie Root to immediately contribute in the lineup for the Sooners Junior Jessica Kinder has stepped up and secured a position in the lineup after a fruitful summer of training and senior Caitlin Hinkis is prepared to compete as well BARS If the Sooners are to reach their lofty goals for the 2008 season, bars could be the determining factor OU needs to replace two routines from last season (Brittney Koncak-Schumann and Lori Winn) while continuing to climb the ladder in the national rankings OU looks to improve on last season s 14th-place final event ranking, which should be bolstered thanks to the return of Hollie Vise, the 2003 World Champion on Bars, who did not compete on the event last season Oklahoma returns Stephanie LoPiccolo, who garnered All-America honors as the only OU NCAA finalist in 06 The Sooners will look to experienced veterans Caitlin Hinkis, Haley DeProspero, Mary Mantle and Kiara Redmond-Sturms for leadership All four saw action last season Adding depth to the squad will be Jackie Flanery, Ashley Jackson, Jessica Kinder and Vise BEAM Finishing the `07 season as the fourth best team in the nation on beam, a strong cast of talented gymnasts must replace Koncak-Scumann and Winn who combined for 11 titles last season Oklahoma is led by the trio of DeProspero, Redmond-Sturms and LoPiccolo, who all posted career-high scores last season DeProspero ended the `07 campaign as the 13th best gymnast in the country on beam last season with a regional qualifying average of 988 Redmond-Sturms turned in a top three finish on Beam at the Big 12 Championships while LoPiccolo boasts experience as an Australian national team member On the horizon are key contributors Vise, Jackson and Smith All three competed for the Sooners last season and gained valuable experience Vise was flawless, hitting 100 percent of all routines performed in 2007 Jackson turned in the top score on beam for OU at the National Championships while Smith provides an excellent repertoire of skills and an amazing presence Ratcliff, Kinder and Gina Lesko are prepared to step in and add depth to the squad FLOOR All-America honoree Redmond Sturms leads Oklahoma on the floor exercise after posting a career-best 9925 on the event last season She is expected to anchor the floor squad for the second consecutive season DeProspero and Jackson both posted 99s and provide veteran leadership to a promising line-up of supporting cast members Flanery, Smith and Kinder will undoubtedly round out the top six on this event All three have shown growth on this event during the off season and are expected to post big scores for the Sooners Hinkis, Ratcliff and Root look to break into the lineup and provide support in the alternate position KJ KINDLER HEAD COACH SECOND SEASON THREE-TIME Big 12 Coach of the year Education BA Communications/Spanish minor (Iowa State, 1992) Coaching Experience Head Coach (Oklahoma, 2006-Present) Head Coach (Iowa State, ) Assistant Coach (Iowa State, ) Career Coaching Highlights Led OU to program-best eighth place finish at 2007 NCAA s Oklahoma gymnasts earned four All-America honors in 2007 Led Iowa State to the program s first Super Six in 2006 Won 2006 Big 12 Championship with Iowa State Produced three All-Americans in three seasons (2000, 2005, 2006) Took Iowa State to NCAA Championships in and 2006 NCAA Regional Coach of the Year Three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (2004, 2005, 2006) 2005 NACGCW Coach of the Year Career Coaching HighlightS (CONTINUED) Coached eight NCAA Regional event champions Qualified 11 gymnasts for the NCAA individual championships Coached 18 Big 12 champions (including three all-arounders) Athletic Highlights (Iowa State) Three-time team MVP 1992 Big Eight all-around runner-up Qualified for three NCAA Regionals First individual regional qualifier in program history

8 DENVER RECAP Feb 9, 2008 DENVER, Colo -- A capacity crowd of 2,195 witnessed the No 6 OU women s gymnastics squad remain undefeated on the year as the Sooners posted a team score of in outlasting No 13 Denver (195700), Utah State (192275) and Air Force (186400) Senior Kiara Redmond-Sturms won her fifth all-around title of the season as the All-American posted a The Sooners picked up event titles on bars (49050) and floor (49300), as Mary Mantle (vault-99), Redmond-Sturms (bars-9875, floor-99) and Haley DeProspero (beam-9850) swept the individual event titles Opening the night on beam, Kristin Smith posted a 9325 after a fall midway through the sophomore s routine Following Smith and moving out of the anchor spot for the first time this season, Redmond-Sturms scored a 9725 In the third spot was reigning Big 12 Gymnast of the Week Ashley Jackson who scored a 9725 and was followed by Stephanie LoPiccolo s 9550 Rounding out the OU beam scoring were Hollie Vise and DeProspero who posted scores of 9725 and 9850, respectively After one rotation, the Sooners were second to host Denver, who posted a on vault Smith got back on track on floor, posting a season-high tying 98 out of the first spot and setting the tone for the rest of the Sooner floor lineup Junior Jessica Kinder, who entered Friday s competition ranked No 20 in the NCAA on floor, wasn t to be outdone as the Kansas City, Mo, native posted a 9825 DeProspero matched Kinder s score in marking a season high, before Jackie Flanery tallied a career-high tying 9875 Jackson equalled Flanery s 9875 as Redmond-Sturms posted a 99 in the anchor spot The on floor was Oklahoma s third straight score of 493 or higher on the apparatus, as OU took a lead over second-place DU after two rotations Moving to vault, an area that Kindler has stressed all season that the Sooners must stick to reach their team goals, OU opened with a season-high 9825 from Flanery DeProspero followed with a 97 as Jackson posted a 9775 in the third position Mantle, a native of Bellvue, Colo, stole the show in front of a strong contingent of fans that made the short drive, scoring a career-high 99 in her first collegiate competition in her home state Ratcliff followed with a 9725 before Redmond- Sturms closed with a 9775 in the anchor spot Nebraska RECAP Feb 1, 2008 NORMAN, Okla -- The No 6 OU women s gymnastics squad bested Big 12 rival and 12th-ranked Nebraska on Friday night in Oklahoma s home opener Leading the charge was Ashley Jackson who bested co-big 12 Gymnast of the Year Emily Parsons for the all-around title in front of 1,238 fans at the Lloyd Noble Center It was the first career all-around title for the Hudsonville, Mich, native as the junior bested her previous best all-around score by 4 Leading the night off on vault, Jackson posted a season-high 9825 in unveiling a new vault in the opening position Haley DeProspero scored a 9725, Jackie Flanery followed with a 965 and Mary Mantle posted a 9775 OU rounded out the event with scores of 98 and 99 from Natalie Ratcliff and Kiara Redmond- Sturms, respectively Ratcliff s score tied a career high for the freshman while Redmond-Sturms tied a season best Moving to bars, the Sooners were forced to count a fall in a team score of 48575, after OU got off to a promising start on the apparatus Jackson and Flanery posted matching 9825s in setting or tying career highs DeProspero scored a 98 before back-to-back falls by Stephanie LoPiccolo and Hollie Vise forced Oklahoma to count a 9275 Redmond-Sturms still clinched the event win for the Sooners, scoring a 985 in the anchor spot, which won the event title for the All-American from Los Angeles, Calif The Sooners led at the midway point of the contest, despite losing their first event of the year, as the Cornhuskers took the vault title On beam, Oklahoma was forced to count its second fall of the night as the Sooners posted an event total of 4835 After a Smith fall in the opening spot, the Sooners rebounded with scores of 9725 and a trio of 98s from Jackson, LoPiccolo, Vise and DeProspero, respectively In the anchor spot, Redmond-Sturms scored a 9225 after a fall Nebraska closed the gap, but Oklahoma still remained on top after three rotations Ending the night on floor, the Sooners closed with a 49325, led by Redmond- Sturms event-winning score of 9925 OU did not count a score lower than 98, as the Sooners stuck all six routines Jessica Kinder (985) and Jackson (99) both tied career highs With the score on vault, the Sooners increased their lead in the team standings to over the Pioneers through three events Opening on bars was junior Ashley Jackson who matched her career best with a 9825 After a Flanery fall (9075) in the second spot, DeProspero came through with a 975 Vise stuck a career-high tying 9825 in the fourth spot, followed by a 9775 from LoPiccolo Five-time All-American Redmond-Sturms sealed the win with a 9875 as OU clinched its 12th win of the year Mary MANTLE So Bellvue, Colo 8

9 WVU RECAP Jan 27, 2008 MORGANTOWN, W Va -- The seventh-ranked Oklahoma women s gymnastics squad won all four event titles for the fourth consecutive meet en route to a season-high team score of as the Sooners bested No 33 West Virginia (1927), GWU (19205) and William & Mary (18745) in Morgantown, W Va, on Sunday afternoon The Sooners posted a season-high team score of on floor while tying season bests on vault (49075) and bars (492) Senior All-American Kiara Redmond-Sturms won her fourth consecutive all-around title with a score of 39525, that included wins on vault (9875), uneven bars (99) and floor (9925) On the uneven bars, the Sooners had four scores in the top five as Stephanie LoPiccolo (9875) finished runner up to teammate Redmond-Sturms while Ashley Jackson and Hollie Vise both finished fourth with a score of 9825 Jackson s mark set a career high while Vise also tied her career best Oklahoma remained solid on beam, with Vise, the reigning Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week, earning the first event title of her career after a 985 on the apparatus Redmond-Sturms (9825) finished second on beam in the only event she didn t win as Kristin Smith and Haley DeProspero tied for third at 9750 Moving to floor, Jackie Flanery and Jackson placed second behind Redmond-Sturms after tallying scores of 9875 Flanery s score tied a career best while Jackson s mark equaled a season best Kristin Smith and Kinder tied for sixth with scores of 985, both tying career highs The Sooners closed the afternoon in grand fashion, placing first through fifth on vault, an event that Kindler s squad placed added emphasis on during this week s practice DeProspero and Mary Mantle both scored 9825s, placing second to Redmond- Sturms Mantle s mark equaled her career high while DeProspero set a season best Flanery finished fourth at 98, equaling a season high, while Natalie Ratcliff s 975 put the freshman in a three-way tie for fifth Kristin SMITH So Oklahoma City, Okla TWU RECAP Jan 19, 2008 Haley DEPROSPERO Jr McKinney, Texas DENTON, Texas -- Sweeping all four event titles for the third consecutive meet, the No 9 OU women s gymnastics squad coasted to a victory over Texas Woman s University in Denton, Texas, on Saturday night Senior All-American Kiara Redmond-Sturms won her third all-around title of the season with a career high 3965 in front of the second-largest crowd in TWU history as the Sooners posted season high s on bars (492) and floor (49275) The Sooners improved to 5-0 on the year while TWU slipped to 0-4 OU has won 18 of its last 19 regular-season matchup s dating back to Jan 19, 2007 OU burst out of the gates to a commanding lead after a first rotation that saw the Sooners hit all six bar routines en route to a season-high bars score of 492 In the anchor spot, five-time All-American Kiara Redmond-Sturms posted a career-high 9925 to lead the Sooners Ashley Jackson s 985 also marked a career best while Haley DeProspero, Stephanie LoPiccolo and Hollie Vise followed with a trio of 9825s to clinch the event title Vise s score marked the third career high set during the event, besting her previous best of 9675 After a slow start on vault that included a fall in the second spot, Oklahoma closed with four solid routines for a score of on the apparatus Jackie Flanery got the Sooners back on track with her score of 975 and was followed by Mary Mantle and Natalie Ratcliff who posted scores of 98 and 975, respectively Anchoring the lineup, Redmond-Sturms won her second event title of the night with a score of 9925 The Sooners led after a season-high floor score of that was highlighted by Redmond-Sturms career-high 995 from the anchor position The Los Angeles, Calif, native entered tonight s competition tied for the NCAA lead on floor with a 9925 season average Kristin Smith tied her season-best score of 98 while DeProspero notched a season-high 98 Flanery followed with a career-high 9875 in the fourth position, with Jackson posting a 985 from the fifth spot Finishing the night on beam, OU posted its third 4900-or better score on the night with a team total of 4925 DeProspero tied a career high in winning the event title with a 9925 mark The McKinney, Texas, junior entered the night ranked No 2 in the nation on beam It was also a career night for Vise who posted a 99 to best her previous best of 9875 The Sooners also counted a 97 from Jackson, a 985 from LoPiccolo and a 9875 from all-around winner Redmond-Sturms

10 O K L A H O M A s oo n e r s CMU RECAP CANCUN CLASSIC RECAP Jan 11, 2008 Jan 4, 2008 MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich -- The No 8 OU women s gymnastics team bested Central Michigan University Friday night in front of 1,023 fans inside Rose Arena on the Mount Pleasant, Mich, campus Highlighted by six individual career high s, the Sooners won all four event titles as Kiara Redmond-Sturms recorded her second-straight all-around title with a finish CANCUN, Mexico -- The No 8 OU women s gymnastics team rang in the new year in style with a season-opening win Friday night over Iowa, West Virginia and Wisconsin Whitewater at the Cancun Classic, held at the Hilton Golf and Beach Resort in Cancun, Mexico With the win, OU improved to 14-1 in its last 15 regular-season matchups, dating back to Jan 19, 2006 Nine of Oklahoma s victories during the streak have come on the road for the Sooners Starting the night on the uneven bars, the Sooners (4-0) stuck their final five routines, recording a team score of that propelled Oklahoma to a full one point-plus cushion after the first rotation Returning to her home state for the first time in collegiate competition, Hudsonville, Mich, native Ashley Jackson got the Sooners started on the right track on bars, recording a career-high 975 Haley DeProspero matched Jackson s score while Sophomore Hollie Vise followed with a 9675 in the fourth position in her first collegiate bars competition All-American s Stephanie LoPiccolo and Kiara Redmond-Sturms capped of the event title for OU with respective scores of 9825 and 9850 With bars as an early indication, the Sooners backed up why they were the team to beat on the night during the second rotation OU increased its lead after a vault score of in which the Sooners threw out a score (9775) that was higher than any of the Central Michigan gymnasts on the apparatus OU received 9775s from Jackson and freshman Melanie Root which marked a career high for Root Mary Mantle, Jackie Flanery and Natalie Ratcliff (who was making her collegiate debut) followed suit with a trio of 98s The Sooners capped off the rotation with Redmond-Sturms recording a season-best 99 On the floor, Root carded a 96 and Flanery s 985 set a career high while RedmondSturms (9925) tied matched her career best The Sooners received a 98 from Kristin Smith and a 97 from DeProspero to clinch the event title for OU The Sooners swept all four event titles to best second-place Iowa to No 22 West Virginia finished third with a team total of while Wisconsin-Whitewater rounded out the competition at Senior All-American Kiara Redmond-Sturms took home all-around honors after winning three-of-four individual event titles, highlighted by a career-best-tying 9925 on the floor Junior Ashley Jackson tied for third in the first all-around competition of her career Along with the colder-than-normal temperatures that have welcomed the Sooners during their stay in Cancun, OU took some time to heat up for the capacity crowd, finding themselves in second place after their first rotation on vault The Sooners pulled away on the uneven bars, winning the title with a mark, and never trailed again In all, the Sooners won three event titles outright (vault, bars, beam) and tied for top floor honors to complete the sweep Oklahoma swept the beam standings after a team total of 49425, tying its highest score since April 3, 2004 and marking the second-best beam score in OU history Junior Haley DeProspero stood atop the podium after tying her career best at 9925 Senior All-American Stephanie LoPiccolo was second at 9900 Sophomore Hollie Vise and Redmond-Sturms capped off the sweep with a pair of 9875s to tie for third Ending the night on floor, the Sooners finished with a to clinch the win Oklahoma moved to the beam in its final rotation with a lead The Sooners were led by DeProspero and Smith who posted respective scores of 9825 and 98 Hollie Vise posted a 97 in the fourth spot The Sooners have bested the Chippewas in the last two head-to-head meetings and lead the all-time series match-up 2-1 Hollie VISE So Dallas, Texas 10

11 2008 INDIVIDUAL TITLES (27) 2008 TEAM EVENT TITLES (20) haley deprospero (4) Beam Denver - TWU - Central Michigan - Cancun Classic JACKIE FLANERY (1) Bars Cancun Classic (Tied with Redmond-Sturms) ASHLEY JACKSON (1) ALL-AROUND (1): Nebraska mary mantle (1) vault (1): Denver - 99 kiara redmond-sturms (21) Bars Denver Nebraska - WVU - TWU - Central Michigan - Cancun Classic (Tied with Flanery) VAULT WVU - TWU - Central Michigan - Cancun Classic VAULT Virginia (12708) - (11908) - Michigan (11108) - Classic (10408) BARS (20908) Nebraska (20108) - Virginia (12708) - (11908) - Michigan (11108) - Classic (10408) BEAM Virginia (12708) - (11908) - Michigan (11108) - Classic (10408) FLOOR (20908) Nebraska (20108) - Virginia (12708) - (11908) FLOOR Denver - 99 Nebraska - WVU - TWU - Central Michigan - Cancun Classic ALL-AROUND Denver - WVU - TWU - Central Michigan - Cancun Classic HOLLIE VISE (1) BEAM West Virginia Kiara REDMOND-STURMS Sr Los Angeles, Calif 11

12 OU INDIVIDUAL SEASON AND CAREER HIGHS O K L A H O M A s o o n e r s SEASON HIGHS CAREER HIGHS NAME VAULT BARS BEAM FLOOR All-AROUND VAULT BARS BEAM FLOOR All-AROUND Candace Cindell Haley DeProspero Jackie Flanery Caitlin Hinkis ashley Jackson Jessica Kinder Gina Lesko Stephanie LoPiccolo Mary Mantle Natalie Ratcliff Kiara Redmond-Sturms Melanie Root Kristin Smith Hollie Vise The OU women s gymnastics squad welcomed the Special Spectators in its meet against Nebraska The group joined the Sooners in the locker room before the meet, during warm-up s and got an up-close view of all the action as Oklahoma defeated Big 12 rival Nebraska Pictured is freshman Candace Cindell during the National Anthem 12

13 OVERALL RECORD: 12-0 BIG 12 RECORD 1-0 HOME: 1-0 AWAY: 8-0 NEUTRAL SITES: 3-0 POSTSEASON COMPETITION 0-0 DATE Meet team TEAM SCORE VAULT BARS BEAM FLOOR ATTENDANCE RANKING 1/4 Cancun Classic OU I iowa NR WVU Wisc-Whitewater NR 1/11 at Central Michigan ou CMU NR 1/18 at Texas Woman s ou twu NR 1/27 at West Virginia ou WVU NR GWU NR William & Mary NR 2/1 Nebraska ou NU /9 at Denver ou DU Utah State NR air Force NR 2008 INDIVIDUAL EVENT HIGHS Event score Gymnast Date All-Around Kiara Redmond-Sturms Vault 9900 Mary Mantle / Redmond-Sturms Bars 9925 Redmond-Sturms Beam 9925 Haley DeProspero Floor 9950 Redmond-Sturms Note: The date listed is the last time the score was reached in the event of a tie OU PROGRAM HIGHS Event score Gymnast Date All-Around kasie Tamayo 2004 Vault 1000 Kiara Redmond-Sturms 2007 Leah Mueller 2002 Amber McCraken 2000 Bars 1000 Allison Landis 2003 Erin LaBarr 2005 Beam 1000 kasie Tamayo 2002 kelly Garrison 1988 Floor 1000 Patricia Aoki 2003 OU TEAM RECORDS Event score Date Total Vault Bars Beam Floor Five-time All-American Kiara Redmond-Sturms is one of eight Sooners in program history to record a perfect 10 The Los Angeles, Calif, native scored her perfect mark on vault last season against TWU 13

14 CANDACE CINDELL Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP JACKIE FLANERY Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP ASHLEY JACKSON Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP HALEY DEPROSPERO Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP CAITLIN HINKIS Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP JESSICA KINDER Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP

15 GINA LESKO Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP MARY MANTLE Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP KIARA REDMOND-STURMS Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP STEPHANIE LOPICCOLO Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP NATALIE RATCLIFF Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP MELANIE ROOT Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP

16 KRISTIN SMITH Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP HOLLIE VISE Cancun Classic Central Michigan Texas Woman s West Virginia NEBRASKA IOWA STATE TEXAS WOMAN S AUBURN BIG 12 CHAMP BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS NORMAN, OK LLOYD NOBLE CENTER MARCH 29 7 PM NCAA SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL NORMAN, OK LLOYD NOBLE CENTER APRIL 12 6 PM 16

17 IN THE KNOW: a spectator s guide to women s gymnastics 4Team Competition Collegiate team competition involves the totaling of the five best individual scores on each event to arrive at a team score Each team can put up a maximum of six competitors on each event Two judges per event evaluate each athlete s performance The judges scores are then averaged to arrive at a final mark A perfect team score is 200 In a dual meet, the host team begins on vault, followed by the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise The visitor flip-flops with the host, starting on bars, and moving onto the vault, floor exercise and finishing on the balance beam If there are more than two teams competing, each team will start on a different event, following the home order: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise 4Vault The object is to get as high as possible off the horse, to stay up in the air long enough to flip and/or twist and to land far from the horse in perfect control A proper, motionless landing is called sticking the vault The vault is judged in the areas of pre-flight (board to horse), repulsion (push off the horse), after-flight (distance and height), and landing Gymnasts may only perform one vault At the individual event finals at the NCAA Championships, gymnasts must perform two different vaults, which will be averaged for a final score Max value: 100 mary mantle VAULT 4Uneven Bars This event requires tremendous upper body strength A smooth routine with circling moves, steady handstands, flips, release and re-grasp moves, and flight from bar to bar will usually score well Ten or more skills are required Special requirements include two bar changes, two different flight elements and a high level dismount Max value: 100 KIARA REDMOND-STURMS bars 4Balance Beam The balance beam is 16 feet long, four feet high and a mere four inches wide Beam routines combine dance elements such as turns, leaps and jumps with acrobatic skills such as cartwheels, somersaults in the air, handsprings and rolls Performing on the beam requires precise movement and intense concentration throughout the entire routine, which lasts from 70 to 90 seconds Special requirements on beam include a dance or acro/dance combination, a full turn, a large leap or jump requiring a split, an element close to the beam and an acrobatic series with two or more flight elements Max value: 100 4Floor Exercise Floor exercise is an artistic event that combines powerful tumbling with beautiful dance The selection of music and choreography showcase each gymnast s individual style Two tumbling passes are required, with three different flips required within the exercise The combination of creative dance and daring acrobatics makes floor exercise one of the most enjoyable events Max value: 100 hollie vise beam 4Point Deductions The following deductions will be made from a gymnast s event score: 1 Missing a requirement Fall Out of bounds (floor exercise only) Hop or step Small step Large step or hop Handstand not vertical (uneven bars only) 005 JESSICA KINDER FLOOR 17

18 O K L A H O M A s oo n e r s 18