Maggie Nichols leads Oklahoma to NCAA gymnastics title

Top-seeded Oklahoma, led by junior Maggie Nichols of Little Canada, won its fourth women's gymnastics title at the NCAA championships on Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas.

Nichols, who won her second all-around title the night before, had the highest score in two events during the team finals, beam (9.9625) and floor exercise (9.95), and her score on bars (9.9375) was a team high. In the vault another Minnesotan, freshman Olivia Trautman of Champlin, had Sooners' second best score (9.95), and Trautman tied Nichols for the night's top score in floor exercise.

Oklahoma (198.3375), which tied for the title in 2014 and won it outright in 2016 and 2017, overcame three other opponents in the team finals: LSU (197.825), defending champion UCLA (197.5375) and Denver (197).

The Sooners, who scored 49.6 or higher on three of four rotations, finished the season 32-0, and their team score was the second highest at a national meet.

U's Wiskus second

For the second year in a row, sophomore Shane Wiskus of the Gophers was the runner-up in the all-around (84.199) in the NCAA men's gymnastics meet in Champaign, Ill. Brody Malone of Stanford took first (85.832).

Wiskus, of Spring Park, won the national championship on parallel bars and placed sixth in vault (14.7). Ben Eyles of Minnesota was fifth in vault (14.8) and Justin Karstadt sixth on pommel horse (13.833).

U falls at Target Field

The Gophers baseball team, needing a win to reach .500 for this season, lost 2-1 to Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon in nonconference college baseball at Target Field.

The Sooners scored one run in the third on a bases-loaded walk and another in the fifth on two doubles. Easton Bertrand hit a homer for Minnesota (17-19) in the fifth.

Max Meyer pitched the first five innings for the Gophers, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks. He struck out two. His record fell to 3-3.

Four Oklahoma pitchers allowed just three hits and struck out 12. First baseman Tyler Hardman of the Sooners (26-14) had both RBI.

U softball wins

Maddie Houlihan had a three-run triple, Ali Lindner hit a two-run homer and Natalie DenHartog hit a solo shot as the Gophers beat Nebraska 8-3 in Lincoln in Big Ten softball.

Sydney Smith, who had a no-hitter into the sixth, pitched a complete game for the win.

No. 18 Minnesota (31-10, 12-1 Big Ten) has won five in a row.

U golfers in sixth

The Gophers men's golf team was in sixth place after two rounds of the Hawkeye Invitational with a 7-under 561. Angus Flanagan and Tom Longella were tied for 11th at 4-under 138.

U sweeps shot put

The Gophers swept the shot put titles in the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. Jonathan Tharaldsen won the men's event (61 feet, 9 inches) while Kiley Sabin won the women's event (53-3).

Kaleb Siekmeier won the discus (180-10).

Three other women's champions were Lorean Murray in the triple jump (42-8¼), Amira Young in the 200 meters (23.84) and Megan Hasz in the 5,000 (15:58.85).

Etc.

• Led by medalist Ben Jasper and three of the other top five scorers, Winona State won the NSIC men's golf tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The Warriors finished with an 18-over 870, 26 shots ahead of Concordia (St. Paul). Jasper closed with a 69 for a 54-hole total of 1-over 214 and he won by four shots..

• Heavy rain forced the cancellation of the second round at the Big Ten women's golf tournament in Maineville, Ohio. The tournament will continue at 7 a.m. Sunday, shortened to 36 holes. The Gophers sit seventh with three top-15 players.

• The Gophers women's tennis team beat visiting Nebraska 4-3. Tiffany Huber beat Vasanti Shinde 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 for the winning point. … The host men's tennis team lost 5-2 to Illinois. Minnesota won doubles and got a point from Vlad Lobak at No. 5 singles.

• The Gophers rowing team traveled to the Clemson Invitational Regatta, but it was canceled by bad weather.

• Bowling Green men's hockey assistant Ty Eigner, a Rosemount native, was named the Falcons head coach.