Oklahoma Athletics set new records for fundraising in 2021-2022 fiscal year

After a fantastic spring for Oklahoma Athletics, the Sooners set several fundraising records in the 2022 fiscal year.

There’s been a huge buy-in from the Oklahoma Sooners fan base since Brent Venables came on board as OU’s head coach in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure. Venables’ vision and enthusiasm to take the program good to great, along with his understanding of how to see OU compete alongside the SEC when they join their new conference in the next couple of seasons, has created a sense of urgency for Oklahoma to improve their facilities and resources before making the jump.

The spring game displayed the renewed enthusiasm to an Oklahoma program that had been good under Riley but never able to take the next step into greatness. Fans set an OU spring game record with more than 75,000 fans in attendance to witness a Venables-coached team for the first time. But football isn’t the only sport that saw a tremendous amount of success over the last year.

OU Football recorded a win in the Alamo Bowl. Women’s gymnastics won another national title, while the men finished second in the nation. In her first year, Jennie Baranczyk led the women’s basketball team to the second round of the NCAA tournament. OU Softball won its sixth national title, and baseball went on a historic run to the College World Series before falling short to Ole Miss in the championship series.

OU Athletics’ $109 million raised during the 2022 fiscal year ending June 30 is the first time in program history that they raised more than $100 million and nearly doubles the previous record set in 2021 at $58 million.

According to the official release on SoonerSports.com, “An OU-record 53% of all members invested in key initiatives above and beyond any seating donation requirements. Notable FY22 pledges for facility projects and initiatives included:”

  • $25.2 million towards the Women of Championship Excellence Fund and facility projects for female student-athletes
  • Nearly $25 million for football and special initiatives
  • $19.2 million for Love’s Field (OU Softball).
  • $10.6 million for the Inspiring Champions Fund
  • $3.2 million for L. Dale Mitchell Park and Baseball Performance Center
  • $1.4 million for the Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion at the Headington Family Tennis Center
  • $1.25 million for McCasland Field House
  • $1 million for G.R.I.T. (Growing Resilient, Innovative Thinkers)
  • $900,000 for the Viersen Gymnastics Center

“Providing world-class resources for our student-athletes, coaches and staff is our top priority, and we simply cannot pursue and accomplish this standard of excellence without support from our stakeholders, donors and fans,” said OU Vice President and Athletics Director Castiglione in the University’s release. “OU Athletics and our generous and passionate stakeholders have worked year after year in lockstep to endow scholarships, increase services and resources for student-athletes, as well as help fund state-of-the-art facilities. We’re grateful to receive this record-setting support. This inspires us even more in our ongoing pursuit that only continues to evolve in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.”

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Every Oklahoma Sooner to win Big 12 Athlete of the Year

From football to softball, basketball to gymnastics, here are the 15 athletes who have won Big 12 Athlete of the Year.

With Jocelyn Alo taking home the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year award, that makes 15 Sooners who’ve been recognized as the Big 12’s best.

Football leads the way with six awards, followed by softball with four. women’s gymnastics has recorded three Big 12 Athlete of the Year awards, while men’s and women’s basketball each has won the award once.

Josh Heupel got the ball rolling back in 2000-2001 after helping the Oklahoma Sooners win the 2000 national championship. Jocelyn Alo is the most recent recipient of the athlete of the year award after a dominating season at the plate for Oklahoma.

With Alo bringing home another Athlete of the Year award, let’s take a look at every Sooner to win the Big 12’s award.

Oklahoma Sooners hang on for 78-72 win over IUPUI in opening round of NCAA Tournament

In their first NCAA tournament game since 2018, the Oklahoma Sooners defeated IUPUI 78-72 behind 22 points from Taylor Robertson and 21 from Madi Williams.

In the opening round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament, the Oklahoma Sooners and the IUPUI Jaguars played down to the wire after OU jumped out to a big lead in the fourth quarter.

It was a tight game at halftime, as each team hit shots and battled for the first 20 minutes. The Sooners held just a four-point lead but were able to go on a run in the third quarter that saw them up by as many as 14 points at one point. IUPUI would cut the score late in the fourth quarter to keep things interesting, but the Sooners found a way to win despite being outrebounded on the offensive glass by six.

The duo of Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson was phenomenal on the night, each scoring 20 points. Robertson had 22 points on 5 of 11 shooting, including 4 of 10 from three. She was 8 of 9 from the free throw line, including three free throws in the final minute to help keep the Sooners in control in the face of the Jaguars’ late run.

Williams was the story of the game, scoring 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting with six rebounds and two assists. She played with great energy and poise, getting buckets for the Sooners to help stymie IUPUI runs late in the game.

On the defensive end, the Sooners had their hands full with IUPUI forward Maci Williams but held her to 17 points on 6 of 15 shooting.

It was the first time the Oklahoma Sooners appeared in the NCAA tournament since 2018 and the first time they’ve won a game since 2017. Jennie Baranczyk picks up the opening round win in her first season at the helm for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners now face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who defeated UMass 89-78 to advance to the round of 32. Their matchup will take place on Monday, March 21, with a time to be announced.

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