2025 Season Rank: 1st
Who they’re losing: Audrey Davis, Jordan Bowers, Dani Sievers, Caitlin Kirkpatrick, Danae Fletcher
Who they’re gaining: Mackenzie Estep, Kamilia Pawlak, Ella Murphy, Nicole Desmond, Blakely Roten
The New Faces:
There’s no doubt that the Sooners are losing some of their most impactful athletes from last season’s lineups (and really the last four years), but they are never short on talent. They bring in Mackenzie Estep, the top recruit in the Class of 2025. Estep has done it all at the club level — she’s a seven-time national champion, five-time Nastia Cup qualifier, and the 2025 Nastia Cup all-around and vault champion. Estep is someone head coach KJ Kindler has said she has her eye on as a future all-around star for the program.
Kamilia Pawlak is another top athlete in the Class of 2025 and has her own list of impressive accolades. She’s a three-time Level 10 national champion, five-time Nastia Cup qualifier, and three-time Nastia Cup champion. Pawlak missed most of her senior season due to a wrist injury, but she’s ready to go on floor for her freshman season. She’s also making great progress on vault and has a no-hands beam routine in the works if she’s needed on that event.
Ella Murphy is a former elite gymnast and the beam champion from the 2025 Nastia Cup. Her lines and execution on every event will be among the best in the NCAA. Nicole Desmond, also a former elite gymnast, joins this Oklahoma team a year early. Desmond excels on the power events but also has a strong beam routine that should be in the mix.
Rounding out the newcomers, Blakely Roten is working her way back from an Achilles tear suffered a year ago and may not see lineup time as a freshman. However, she has the potential to become an all-arounder in the future.
Vault Breakdown:
Losing from postseason lineup: Jordan Bowers
New faces to watch for: Mackenzie Estep, Elizabeth Blessey, Nicole Desmond
Outlook: The Sooners are losing only one postseason routine from last season’s lineups but have several new faces eager to step in. What’s impressive is that nearly every returner averaged around a 9.875 last season, which is practically unheard of. Faith Torrez (9.885) sprained her ankle at the beginning of December but is already back working vault, according to KJ. She may not start the season on vault, but she should absolutely return to the event. Lily Pederson (9.879) was the epitome of consistency on vault last season, as was Keira Wells (9.875), who is capable of perfection.
Hannah Scheible was injured last season but was a reliable contributor on vault during her freshman year, averaging a 9.873. She has looked amazing in the preseason, and the Sooners are very excited to have her back at full strength. There’s also Addison Fatta (9.775) and Elle Mueller (9.875), who gained confidence and consistency on vault as the season went on last year and both are in a good position to pick up right where they left off.
In terms of new faces, Mackenzie Estep is going to be a staple in this lineup. She has a career-high of a perfect 10 on this event from her club career and didn’t score below a 9.625 on vault between her junior and senior seasons. Not only will she be in this lineup, she’ll likely be towards the back half. Nicole Desmond also has a strong Yurchenko 1.5 that will contend for a spot in the lineup. The possible addition we’re most excited about, however, is sophomore Elizabeth Blessey, who has a gorgeous front handspring front pike half. It hasn’t cracked the lineup yet, but it’s capable of scoring big. With someone like Faith Torrez likely easing into the pounding events early in the season, there’s room for someone like Blessey to step up and prove why she deserves a spot in this lineup. But it’ll be tough, as this is the event with the most depth in our opinion.
Uneven Bar Breakdown:
Losing from postseason lineup: Audrey Davis, Jordan Bowers, Dani Sievers
New faces to watch for: Hannah Scheible, Mackenzie Estep, Ella Murphy, Kelsey Slade
Outlook: The Sooners are losing three huge scores on this event from last season, but the good news is that they have some fairly clear replacement options, in our opinion. Returning to the lineup are Addison Fatta, who has the highest returning average on the entire team at 9.885; Faith Torrez (9.871), who, despite injuring her ankle at the start of the month, is already back on bars and expected to contribute right away; and Lily Pederson (9.846), who was extremely consistent as a freshman.
Mackenzie Estep is a new face we anticipate will make the lineup, as is fellow freshman Ella Murphy, who in many ways feels like the second coming of Audrey Davis with her clean lines and extended toe point. Hannah Scheible is also someone KJ has noted as one to watch, potentially as the leadoff replacement for Dani Sievers. Kelsey Slade and Elle Mueller both made the lineup once last season and are hoping to earn more consistent spots in 2026 — right now, we have them both on the brink.
Beam Breakdown:
Losing from postseason lineup: Audrey Davis, Jordan Bowers
New faces to watch for: Hannah Scheible, Ella Murphy, Kelsey Slade, Mackenzie Estep, Nicole Desmond
Outlook: Beam was a strength for Oklahoma last season, and they lost only two routines from the 2025 postseason. They return Faith Torrez, who averaged a 9.917 and finished the regular season ranked third on this event. Addison Fatta (9.871) and Lily Pederson (9.850) were both reliable beamers last season. Then there’s Keira Wells (9.803), who KJ has mentioned as a possible leadoff replacement for Audrey Davis.
For the newcomers, Ella Murphy has to be in the beam conversation. It’s her best event in terms of past accomplishments, and it’s also an event where she’s capable of scoring a perfect 10 in college. Hannah Scheible has looked amazing in the preseason and is expected to make her collegiate debut on this event. We also think Kelsey Slade, Nicole Desmond and Mackenzie Estep are real possibilities, but they’re just on the outskirts at the moment.
Floor Breakdown:
Losing from postseason lineup: Audrey Davis, Jordan Bowers, Dani Sievers
New faces to watch for: Mackenzie Estep, Kamilia Pawlak, Keira Wells, Nicole Desmond
Outlook: Along with bars, this is the event where the Sooners are losing the most, with half of the lineup needing to be replaced. However, they have some strong options in Mackenzie Estep and Kamilia Pawlak, who were both consistent on this event in club — Pawlak has even scored a perfect 10. Nicole Desmond is all power and opens with a huge double layout that we’d love to see in the lineup. Keep an eye on Keira Wells as well; we haven’t seen her compete on floor yet in college, but she’s someone who has really stepped it up in the offseason and has added her name to the mix on floor, according to KJ.
In terms of returners, you can expect SEC floor champion Faith Torrez to appear in lineups at some point this season, once her ankle is fully healed. She averaged an outrageous 9.950 last year. Addison Fatta (9.837) and Elle Mueller (9.873) were both staples in the lineup last year, and we expect that to remain the case in 2026. Lily Pederson was in the floor lineup for most of her freshman season, averaged a 9.862, and should make the lineup again in her sophomore campaign.
Final Outlook:
The Oklahoma Sooners are in a great position to defend their national title in 2026, with so many new faces stepping up to fill the holes left by a spectacular senior class. The Sooners know what it takes to reach the top and have proven to be fazed by very little in the past. There’s no reason to doubt they’ll be in the Final Four in April, vying for another national title.
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