“Florida will always be where my roots are, but Oklahoma is where I found my wings,” were the words that came out of the mouth of one fifth-year returnee for the Sooners. And if there is anything but truth in her words. After all, 4x All-Big 12 selections and a sensational 7-time WGCA All-American selection tell you just what kind of blistering career they had. But there’s more to it than just wins. No, with her being the sole fifth-year senior, her last dance at the NCAA was about a legacy that extends beyond her.
The woman in question is none other than Audrey Davis. And this season meant something very personal to her. But she was not alone, as with her stood her teammates from last year. With such a powerhouse squad, she wanted nothing but the NCAA title in her final run. But while the outsiders saw her return as obvious, for Davis, it meant choosing one final flight with the Sooners.
And when Audrey Davis took the mat to lead off Oklahoma’s beam rotation at the 2025 NCAA Semifinals, the moment wasn’t lost on her. For the fifth-year senior, this wasn’t just another routine; it was part of a journey she never initially imagined taking. “Gymnastics is such a small part of my life,” Davis reflected earlier this season. “It feels like such a long time, but in general, it’s just a small part of my life.”
This perspective, rare among elite athletes who’ve devoted most of their waking hours to their sport since childhood,d is precisely what makes Davis’s fifth-year return so fascinating. The COVID-19 eligibility waiver gave her an opportunity, but not the obligation, to extend her already decorated career. Even her coach, K.J. Kindler, needed confirmation that the seven-time All-American would fully commit to the demands of one final campaign.
And she did! Her steady 9.825 beam routine that helped propel Oklahoma to a Thursday afternoon session-leading 197.550 and their 11th appearance in the NCAA Finals in the past 12 years tells part of the story. So does her opening 9.8625 on floor that set the tone for a dominant 49.525 rotation and a shot at the program’s seventh overall NCAA crown.
Audrey Davis is carrying her father’s legacy
“I do the sport because of him, because of his love for gymnastics.” Simple words that carry the weight of a lifetime for Oklahoma’s Audrey Davis. Before she helped the Sooners to back-to-back national championships, Audrey was just a little girl trying to keep up with her brothers on bikes. But her path changed forever when her father, Peter, stepped in, a man who initially knew nothing about gymnastics despite his wife Katherine’s involvement in the sport.
What makes this story remarkable isn’t just that Peter learned gymnastics for his daughter, but it’s how thoroughly he embraced it. “He knew the sport inside and out. As a parent, I think that’s crazy. He knew all the skills. He knew everything that you were doing and he wanted to learn,” Audrey remembers, her voice warm with the memory. Then 2018 arrived like a storm no one saw coming.
A battle with Cancer took Peter from his family, leaving a void that seemed impossible to fill. Yet somehow, in ways both visible and invisible, he never truly left. “He was so passionate about us and about me and my brothers’ careers in what we were doing,” Audrey says, crediting her father for building the character that defines her today. Every time she competes, Peter is there.
Not just in spirit, but in ritual. Before each meeting, Audrey places a specific photo of them together in her locker. She speaks to him quietly, grounding herself in his memory. Then comes that subtle gesture many might miss—she rubs her stomach before each event, a private signal between father and daughter. “It calms me down and grounds me,” she revealed. “I do it for my dad, always.”
While her brother Matthew, a gymnast at West Point, fuels her competitive spirit with his athletic journey, it’s her father’s invisible presence that truly guides her. And as she prepares to face Utah, UCLA, and Missouri at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, Audrey carries more than just championship hopes. She carries a legacy, a promise, and a love that transcends time.
The post Carrying Late Father’s Legacy Forward, 22-Year-Old Gymnastics Star Returned for Fifth Year With a Surprising Perspective for the Oklahoma Sooners appeared first on EssentiallySports.
