For the first time in its 60-year history, the Sooner Schooner, the University of Oklahoma’s iconic covered wagon mascot, is being driven by a Native American woman.

Brianna Howard, a junior at OU and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, first drove the Schooner onto the field during the football team’s season opener against Illinois State.

“I only had a minute to get on the Schooner, get the reins and go,” Howard said Saturday before the Sooners’ game against Missouri in Norman. “I didn’t have enough time to get too nervous. When I went out there, it was amazing. I could not even hear the audience I was so zoned into driving.”

Members of the RUF/NEKS and the all-female spirit group Lil’ Sis take care of the Schooner and its ponies, and they take turns driving it during the game.

First introduced in 1964, the Sooner Schooner is pulled across the field before the game and after Oklahoma scores by matching white ponies named “Boomer” and “Sooner.”

Because the scaled-down Conestoga wagon is reminiscent of those pioneers used while settling Oklahoma Territory in the late 1800s, Howard acknowledged that some see the Schooner mascot as a symbol of oppression against Native people. But she said to her, driving the wagon represents taking ownership of that symbol.

“I know that for me, it’s a representation of taking back something that was used to oppress my people and my culture, and now that I’m in charge, it’s giving us the power,” she said. “Not everyone’s going to see it that way, and that’s OK.”

Jack Roehm, a senior at OU and president of the RUF/NEKS, drove the Schooner during Saturday’s game against Missouri and described the Sooner Schooner tradition as one of college football’s most unusual.

“It’s a historic tradition after every score having the ponies run across the field,” Roehm said. “There’s nothing like it in college football.”

The tests immediately started for Roger Kish’s Oklahoma squad. 

The Sooners saw what no other team did for its opening dual — four-time defending national champion Penn State. 

Then the injuries. Several starters out.  

Eight freshmen or sophomores thrown into a hostile Bryce Jordan Center resulted in a 45-0 Nittany Lions win last Friday. Only for the then-#20 Sooners to scoot over to Bucknell less than 24 hours later and beat the Bison, 18-12. 

“I would say the most disappointing piece of that was not being able to get the matchups we were really hoping to see and allow some other guys the opportunity to go in an arena like that and compete,” Kish said. “However, the guys that did go out and compete, I thought they competed hard, and we just got outwrestled in a lot of areas. I think it was a great learning moment for them.” 

The third-year Oklahoma coach hopes early-season hurdles will soon dissolve as the Sooners seek a second consecutive winning season and their next batch of All-Americans since 2024.  

The Sooners host Indiana at 2 p.m. CT Sunday. 

“I would suggest that once all of these guys are back and going, you can see the strongest version of Oklahoma wrestling,” Kish said. “I believe there will be a lot of excitement.” 

A lineup with just three returning starters but packed with impact transfers and multiple Big Board recruits fill out the lineup for the Sooners. 

“I was really happy with the group to be able to bounce back off a hard night and then go back 24 hours later with Bucknell,” Kish said. “It was kinda nice to see the growth between Friday night and Saturday night then being able to come back here on Monday and sit down with the team and discuss some of the highlights and lowlights and things we did well.” 

Holdovers

Kish didn’t arrive in Norman alone when the Sooners plucked him from North Dakota State in May 2023. 

He brought several Bison, with seniors Juan Mora (heavyweight), DJ Parker (197) and Mannix Morgan (174) as the remaining bunch.  

Their final season brings the biggest goals.  

Mora seeks his first NCAA Championships qualification after he finished sixth at the 2025 Big 12 Championships. He tallied four ranked wins across a 12-9 mark a season ago. 

Parker and Anthony started their senior campaigns with titles at the Tiger Style Invite. 

Mora, ranked #24, then dropped a 5-2 decision against Penn State’s #10 Cole Mirasola on Friday then stopped Bucknell’s #27 Lucas Lawler via the same score.  

“(Mora and Parker) are two guys that are just part of our family,” Kish said. “That relationship piece is very, very nice. I am really proud of those two guys. What they do well is I think they bring a lot of leadership abilities. They have a great way of helping guys come together as a team and keeping guys built up and holding guys accountable.” 

Parker, a two-time NCAA qualifier at 184, reached the blood round in Philadelphia in 2025, thanks to two consecutive bonus-point wins on the backside.  

Parker, ranked 14th, took a 13-3 loss to Connor Mirasola on Friday, then beat Bucknell’s #13 Dillon Bechtold, 6-5.  

“I think when they made the transition to Oklahoma, they had the ability to kinda navigate and learn their way around this program and here they are a couple years in and really developed into some great young men,” Kish said. “Really, really proud of them.” 

Big Brand

OU’s history and tradition speaks for itself.  

Seven team national championships, 67 individual national champions and 278 All-Americans.  

That pedigree and status in a wrestling-rich state consistently attracts top talent.  

“The thought of what their future looks like here at Oklahoma, they understand that they are going to be taken care of and treated very well as athletes but also in doing so, building a strong network and preparing these guys for life after college sports,” Kish said. “Making sure that they have access to success following.” 

Kish’s roster features 11 transfers, including 149-pounder Jack Gioffre (an NCAA qualifier at Virginia), heavyweight Bradley Hill (an NCAA qualifier at Iowa), 165-pounder Peyten Kellar (a 157-pound All-American with Ohio in 2024), 184-pounder Brian Soldano (a two-time NCAA qualifier at Rutgers), 141-pounder Tyler Wells (a two-time NCAA qualifier at Minnesota) and 157-pounder Rafael Hipolito Jr. (an ACC champion and NCAA qualifier at Virginia Tech).  

The Sooners also boast three consecutive ranked recruiting classes (#8 in 2024, #17 in 2025 and 2026). 

“Really excited about where we are headed and the direction of this program, it has been a lot of fun to see,” Kish said. “I think that has been a really impactful idea for us as coaches. And as we get into year three, you are able to build a core of young guys here that are motivated and excited to be here. 

Steady Building 

One of Kish’s splashy additions wasn’t a recruit.  

Kish hired 2017 Penn State national champion Mark Hall as OU’s director of operations in May of 2024. 

Hall enters his second season in Norman, and offers more than travel planning, budgeting and team organizational skills. 

“I say this about all the coaches, I just think the level of care that, not only Mark, but all the coaches have for the athletes is tremendous,” Kish said. “The knowledge of the sport is through the roof and the ability to get out and work through the positions with all these guys and being on the mats every day with them.” 

The Sooners finished 8-4 overall a season ago, including a 4-4 mark in Big 12. 

Hall’s hire became the freshest after former NDSU assistants Cam Sykora and Austin Marsden followed Kish from Fargo. 

“Having these guys on the mats every day, wrestling drilling and sparring with these guys and allowing them to just be mentors and pick their brains consistently has been really a great advantage,” Kish said.