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Defending champion Oklahoma impresses at Super 16 meet

January 8, 2024
The season’s first big meet — this weekend’s four-session, Mean Girls–themed Super 16 — is officially in the (burn) books, and it served dominance…and disappointment.
CollegeGymnastics
Defending champion Oklahoma impresses at Super 16 meetDefending champion Oklahoma impresses at Super 16 meet
Source: Matthew Smith/Sooner Sports

The GIST: The season’s first big meet — this weekend’s four-session, Mean Girls–themed Super 16 — is officially in the (burn) books, and it served dominance…and disappointment. If the rest of the season brings similar vibes, we could be in for a new group of Plastics.

Who impressed: Oklahoma, obviously. The top-ranked reigning champs crushed the other three teams in Friday’s Session Two, racking up a jaw-dropping score of 197.85 (out of a possible 200). More surprising was new–No. 4 Alabama, who surged to an upset win in Saturday’s Session Four behind sophomore Gabby Gladieux’s near-perfect floor routine.

  • As for individual athletes, No. 14 Michigan State sophomore Sage Kellerman took the season’s second perfect 10 with her flawless vault on Friday. So fetch.

Who struggled: No. 12 UCLA and No. 20 Michigan, perennial national title contenders, raised eyebrows with last-place finishes that sent them plummeting seven and 14 ranking spots, respectively. Whether rustiness or roster shake-ups are to blame, these powerhouses better figure their sh!t out, and fast — especially UCLA, who faces Regina George Oklahoma next weekend.

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