Gymnastics: OU women sweep Big 12 honors

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.

Redmond-Sturms won her fifth all-around title in six meets against No. 13 Denver, Utah State and Air Force. The senior All-American also took home event titles on bars (9.875) and floor (9.9).

Winner of three Big 12 Gymnast of the Week honors already this season, Redmond-Sturms has netted 22 individual titles through six events. She is currently ranked No. 2 in the country on floor (9.925 average), No. 12 on bars (9.862 average), No. 14 in the all-around (39.254) and No. 17 on vault (9.867). In addition, her season averages on floor, bars, vault and the all-around rank in the top-three in the South Central Region.

Mantle, a sophomore, won the first event title of her career after she posted a 9.9 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.