Big 12 Championship

Recap

The Big Storyline: Denver handed Oklahoma its first Big 12 championship loss since 2011. The Pioneers took advantage of an off day from the Sooners to secure their first Big 12 title despite competing without contributions from top beam worker Alexis Vasquez, freshman Rylie Mundell and head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rhinehart. The Pioneers rallied after a lackluster opening rotation on beam and closed out the competition with a perfect 10 bar routine from senior Lynnzee Brown. This was an exceptionally close meet from start to finish, with less than three tenths ultimately separating Denver from second- and third-place finishers Oklahoma and Iowa State. 

Postseason Implications: Unexpectedly flat performances by both Oklahoma and Florida mean neither team was able to improve their NQS and break the first place tie. Denver’s 197.350 allowed it to squeak ahead of Arkansas for No. 9 overall. Iowa State enters regionals with its highest ranking in recent years and back-to-back season high scores. West Virginia’s overall strong performance (combined with lackluster performances from other bubble teams) elevated it to a tie for No. 35 with Western Michigan, securing the Mountaineers a regionals play-in berth for their home regional.

Records: This is Denver’s first Big 12 conference championship win and the Pioneers’ first conference title since winning the MRGC championship in 2014. Their 49.525 on bars and 49.450 on floor are also new postseason program records. Lynnzee Brown set a personal best 10.0 on bars and was only the second gymnast in program history to win the Big 12 all around title. Denver freshman Rosie Casali set two career highs, a 9.9 on bars and a 9.875 on floor, while senior Mia Sundstrom made her season debut on bars with a 9.850 to clinch the win for the Pioneers. Iowa State earned its first 197-plus score under head coach Jay Ronayne. Junior Addy De Jesus scored a program record 39.600 in the all around for the second meet in a row and set a career high 9.950 on floor. Cyclone freshman Emilie Hong set a career high of 9.875 on vault. West Virginia notched a season-best 49.000 on vault while Kianna Yancey scored a season high on bars and Kendra Combs matched career high on beam. 

Conference Awards

• Gymnast of the Year: Lynnzee Brown (Denver) and Anastasia Web (Oklahoma)
• Event Specialist of the Year: Karrie Thomas (Oklahoma)
• Newcomer of the Year: Addy De Jesus (Iowa State)
• Coach of the Year: KJ Kindler (Oklahoma)

Preview

• No. 1 Oklahoma | 197.944 NQS | 198.225 season high
• T-No. 9 Denver | 197.225 NQS | 197.650 season high
• No. 22 Iowa State | 196.475 NQS | 196.825 season high 
• No. 38 West Virginia | 195.688 NQS | 196.100 season high

If you can only watch one meet, here’s why it should be this one… Unlike most conferences championships—which will have multiple sessions or byes—the Big 12 will name its winner after a standard four-event competition. Don’t assume the outcome is a foregone conclusion: Iowa State and West Virginia have given Oklahoma and Denver a run for their money at several points this season, and they’re looking stronger than ever. Even if there are no surprises in the final team rankings, all of the individual event titles are up for grabs. 

If this is one of many meets you’ll be watching, don’t miss this… Oklahoma is ranked top five on all four events, but it really shines on vault where it boasts the country’s top two vaulters in seniors Anastasia Webb and Evy Schoepfer. Denver—led by Lynnzee Brown—is fantastic on bars, having earned the second highest score in the country on the event and a season low of 49.125. West Virginia has been making waves for its beam and floor, outscoring both the Pioneers and Sooners in head-to-head competition. Iowa State is a team of specialists and has must-see routines on each event, but its floor lineup—featuring Maddie Diab, Addy De Jesus and Andrea Maldonado—is pure fun to watch.     

What’s the bigger picture to keep an eye on? The Sooners and Pioneers are locks for regionals, and the Cyclones should advance barring disaster. The Mountaineers are firmly on the bubble but earned a season-high 196.100 last weekend. They will likely need a repeat performance (at least) to secure their postseason spot.  

By the Numbers

Past Champions

• Oklahoma: 12 titles, last won in 2019 
• Iowa State: 2 titles, last won in 2006
• West Virginia: 0 titles
• Denver: 0 titles (joined conference in 2016)

Records Watch

• Team: 198.050 (Oklahoma, 2016)
• Vault: 49.575 (Oklahoma, 2014)
• Bars: 49.725 (Oklahoma, 2016)
• Beam: 49.650 (Oklahoma, 2015)
• Floor: 49.650 (Nebraska, 2003)

Last Time Out

In 2019, the Sooners earned their eighth consecutive Big 12 title while Denver’s Maddie Karr became the first Denver gymnast to earn the all around title.  

*Special thanks to Drew Porche for all of the Records Watch data provided in this preview