How is OU women's gymnast Olivia Trautman working her way back from injury — again?

NORMAN — Olivia Trautman has been unavailable at the start of any of the past three seasons for OU women’s gymnastics.

Trautman has made a habit of coming on strong at the end, including helping the Sooners win an NCAA title last season as she earned second-team All-American honors on the vault and beam.

Trautman made her return Sunday in Denver and figures to be back in the balance beam lineup when the top-ranked Sooners host Iowa State at 6:45 p.m. Friday at Lloyd Noble Center.

Trautman was initially supposed to ease back into the lineup, performing in an exhibition spot in Denver before making her return to the competitive lineup either against the Cyclones or next week in the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth.

“I have a fragile body so sort of taking it slow this year, kind of taking it one day at a time,” Trautman said. “I’ll be ready at the end when it matters most.”

More:How did Oklahoma gymnastics become a juggernaut? For Sooners, it starts on balance beam.

But Trautman definitely didn’t ease back into things.

Against Denver, she turned in a career-high tying 9.95 on the balance beam to help the Sooners to a 49.725 — the third-highest score in the event in program history.

Trautman returned well before she has each the past two seasons, when she made her season debut on Feb. 19 each time, gradually adding events.

While Trautman has learned to trust her coaches — and trust her body — that doesn’t mean she’s done anything close to taking it easy.

“She’s very cooperative, however, she pushed the envelope every day,” Sooners coach K.J. Kindler said. “Though she says she trusts us, she’s always pushing us to let her do more. We’re more conservative than she is.”

But Trautman has learned to be honest about how she’s feeling and to be able to differentiate normal soreness from something that could lead to injury.

“I only get one body in my lifetime, so just got to play it safe,” Trautman said.

More:Four things to know about OU women's gymnastics team

Trautman hopes to make her return on the uneven bars soon and at some point after that, return to the vault lineup.

She won’t return to the floor exercise, as the stress that event puts on her body is too much.

That reality is something Trautman might not have accepted before, but with her experiences each of the past two seasons, Trautman’s approach to returning from injuries has matured.

“The first time it happened was the hardest time because I didn’t know what to expect,” Trautman said. “But every year I just kind of became the person I am today. I wouldn’t be here without all the challenges that I’ve gone through. Definitely learned a new perspective on the sport of gymnastics, just being on the sideline and super thankful for any opportunity I do get and not to take any of those opportunities for granted.”

Trautman had decided to return for this season, even before the knee injury she suffered in the intersquad meet before last season.

That injury made her rethink things, but only briefly.

“I just feel like it’s another opportunity for me to grow,” Trautman said. “And to leave a legacy with the girls behind me and continue to be a leader and build those relationships and figure out what I want to do next.”

More:OU women's gymnastics: Takeaways from No. 1 Sooners' victory over No. 5 Utah

Trautman hopes to enter coaching, perhaps remaining with the Sooners as a graduate assistant after this season.

But for now, Trautman is trying to make the most of her final season as a gymnast.

And even though the storyline is a similar one for her this time around, she hopes she can experience an ending similar to her freshman season in 2019 and last season with the NCAA team championship.

It’s a story that Trautman is happy to share.

“I don’t get sick of it just because it is a part of my story,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here without those experiences.

“Everybody’s story is different. I just want to leave a legacy of ‘you can come back from anything if you never give up.’”

Big 12 home opener

OU VS. IOWA STATE: 6:45 p.m. Friday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman (ESPN+)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU women's gymnastics: Olivia Trautman on comeback trail once again