Don’t freak out, but Oklahoma 2017 probably should be better than Oklahoma 2016. Let’s find out why.
| Returning Routines – Oklahoma | |
| VAULT Jackson – 9.940 Jones – 9.880 Capps – 9.875 Marks – 9.835 Lehrmann – 9.800 |
BARS Wofford – 9.950 Catour – 9.925 Capps – 9.920 Lehrmann – 9.915 Jackson – 9.875 |
| BEAM Capps – 9.955 Brown – 9.910 Lehrmann – 9.875 Jones – 9.860 Catour – 9.850 Jackson – 9.800 Lovan – 9.665 |
FLOOR Jackson – 9.920 Capps – 9.915 Jones – 9.910 Brown – 9.890 Marks – 9.700 Lovan – 9.413 |
Oops, you’re already set. Congratulations.
But wait. There are also freshman (WHAT?!?!) and the return of Brenna Dowell. Dowell was late-lineup on three events during her freshman year and will be expected to return to those positions in 2017. Memories of her NCAA floor tend to be shadowed by that high-profile OOB in Super Six, but she got 9.9s all year long.
The question is beam. We’ll get into this more in the December team previews, but Dowell did not make Oklahoma’s beam lineup in 2015 because of Brenna, and beam, and terrifying, and they didn’t need her. The Sooners probably won’t need her once again in 2017, but we’ll see if Dowell can manage that personal triumph or if we’ll have to wait for one of those irresistible “she finally figured out beam in her senior year” storylines. She did hit beam both days of Olympic Trials. I don’t think you guys saw any of those routines on TV, but Brenna casually had the best competition of her life by a thousand percent that second day of trials. We were all like, “WHO IS THIS???”
Oh, and there’s a little nobody named Maggie Nichols. Continue reading 2017 Freshman Preview: Oklahoma