Alabama at Oklahoma

Recap

The Big Storyline: Alabama was surprisingly shaky against an unflappable Oklahoma in the first top 10 matchup of the 2022 season. 

Implications: Even with a few hiccups along the way, the Sooner came out hot and secured the third highest score of the week. While the Crimson Tide showed flashes of brilliance, it never quite hit its stride and had to settle for a sub-196.  

Records: Oklahoma sophomore Katherine LeVasseur and senior Allie Stern both snagged career high 10.0s on vault, the fourth time in program history the Sooners posted back-to-back perfect scores. Sophomore Audrey Davis tied her career-best 9.950 on bars while senior Carly Woodard’s 9.950 on beam was the top mark of her career.   

Controversies: No surprise, there were some questionable scores: Sharp-eyed fans also noticed a slight foot readjustment on Stern’s landing, causing many to question the second perfect 10. Since the vaults caught ESPN’s attention, though, we’re willing to let it slide. Later on, the floor judges missed freshman Bowers’ foot going out of bounds.

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 6 Alabama at No. 3 Oklahoma

Why You Should Cancel Plans for It: Perennial championship contender Oklahoma is hosting future conference rival Alabama in what is arguably the most competitive matchup of week one. 

What We’re Watching: The Tide got off to a sluggish start in 2021 but closed out the season strong by winning a surprise SEC championship title and qualifying to nationals where it missed out on the team final by the narrowest of margins. Given that it’s only losing two routines from last season and have a trio of talented freshmen ready to contribute—not to mention the addition of Gina (Logan) Quinlan as assistant coach—there’s every reason to think that Alabama can improve on its results from 2021.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, has the unenviable task of replacing routines from Jordan Draper, Evy Schoepfer and reigning national all-around champion Anastasia Webb. On the plus side, the Sooners have an impressive freshman class of their own that includes level 10 standouts Moorea Linker and Danielle Sievers, as well as former elite Jordan Bowers. Bowers is poised to be an immediate star in college and even anchored the vault lineup at the team’s most recent intrasquad. However, this begs the question: Where is Olivia Trautman? The senior was conspicuously absent from not only that intrasquad but also preseason training footage, and it’s unclear if or when she’ll be competing this season. In any case, no one is better than K.J. Kindler at making diamonds under pressure, so expect this competition to be close even if Trautman isn’t in the mix.    

What Else You Should Know Before Tuning In: Understandably, elite fans are anxious for Bowers’s debut, but keep an eye out for the Alabama freshmen as well: Former elite Corinne Bunagen has a level 10 beam national title, as well as all around, bars, beam and floor titles from the the 2018 Filipino national championships; Lilly Hudson, also a former elite, earned a berth to the 2021 Nastia Liukin Cup while Jordyn Paradise won silver on vault and bars at this year’s level 10 nationals.