Maggie Nichols approached the balance beam on Saturday at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis with a singular goal in mind. Disappointed after uncharacteristically falling on the same apparatus just one day earlier during the semifinal round, and having her all-around title dreams dashed, the Oklahoma freshman wanted to make it up to her team, and perhaps prove something to herself as well.
She ultimately did that, and then some.
Her perfect 10 helped lift the Sooners to their second straight national championship and their third in four years.
"It was amazing, just because I had a mistake yesterday, so I really wanted to go out there and show everyone I could hit my routine for the team," she said just moments after the celebratory confetti had rained down on her and her team. "And that's what I wanted to do. So I went out there and hit everything, and helped Oklahoma win, so I'm really proud of myself."
The Super Six, when the six teams that advanced after Friday's qualifying round competed for the NCAA title, marked the perfect ending to a memorable year for the 19-year-old. After suffering a meniscus tear that required surgery in the spring of 2016, Nichols tried to recover in time to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, but despite returning in time for Olympic trials, she was not selected for the team or as an alternate. Devastated, she retired from elite gymnastics and turned her focus to competing for Oklahoma.
She quickly cemented her status as one of the best in the college level, winning the all-around title in her very first meet as a Sooner. She even became just the ninth gymnast in NCAA history to achieve the elusive "GymSlam," notching a perfect 10 on every apparatus. Entering the postseason, expectations for Nichols couldn't have been higher.
So when she struggled on an event in which she had achieved such success all season long, she was stunned. She fell to 29th in the all-around standings, although she did win a share of the uneven bars national title. Coach K.J. Kindler knew she needed to do something to help Nichols' confidence entering Super Saturday.
"Maggie's very sensitive, and I knew she was disappointed and mostly felt like she had disappointed us, because that's the kind of person she is," she said. "She has a huge heart. And I wanted to remove any doubt that was in her mind.
"She has a beam routine packed with difficulty and I knew if I pulled the plug on that one skill she had a problem with yesterday, it would probably put her in a different place. I feel like she had an agenda when she mounted the balance beam tonight. And I think she clearly killed it."
Kindler talked Nichols through the routine before she approached the beam, told her to strongly emphasize her dances moves -- something she occasionally neglects when she's nervous -- and said, simply, "Namaste," as she always does.
It worked.
Her restored confidence was clear throughout the evening, scoring a 9.9625 on vault, a 9.95 on bars and 9.95 on floor. Her teammates produced equally impressive scores all night long -- ultimately smashing the NCAA record for team score at the Super Six with an astounding 198.3875 and holding off a talented LSU team. Having spent the entire season ranked No. 1, they left little doubt as to why.
After an "average performance" by their standards on Friday, Kindler and her coaching staff struggled to find ways to motivate the team. Holding four meetings between Friday night and Saturday morning, she ultimately turned to a single number to light a fire.
Having focused on one specific (and different) number for every meet this season, they selected eight for Saturday, as Oklahoma has eight letters. Explaining the importance of always representing for your school, Kinsler also pointed out something else about the chosen number.
"Flip an eight on its side and it's infinity, with boundless potential," she revealed. "It's limitless. We gave just a little speech, and ultimately we had gotten them the shirts that read, 'End on Empty,' I got them made in September.
"Just thinking I wanted them to drain every single thing out of their body on this last night, and they totally did. Emotionally, physically, everything.... They walked out of that [meeting] room with swagger, and they were rejuvenated and they killed it."
Kindler admitted she had never witnessed a team put together as impressive of a collective performance from start to finish. Calling it a "special night," it's clear the program's third national title will have extra significance for the coach, thanks in part due to Nichols and her determination and passion for the sport.
But in typical Nichols fashion, she refused to take credit for the Sooners' victory. Instead, she praised the leadership of the team's senior class, and the atmosphere they have created.
"I'm so proud of these seniors, they got us this national championship," she said. "They led us every single day in the gym, and got us ready for this day and got us pumped up every day, and grew us even closer. We're a family and that's why we won."
Just seconds after lauding the seniors, she returned to the embracing arms of her cheering and screaming teammates to celebrate a mission accomplished. And in that moment it was clear, after all her struggles and disappointment with the national team last year, Nichols had finally found her place.