OU Wins Inaugural Metroplex Challenge

Friday, January 25

Fort Worth, Texas

7:00 PM

University of Oklahoma

Metroplex Challenge

January 25, 2013 | Men's Gymnastics

By: Athletics Communications

(9-1, 2-1)

	FX	PH	SR	V	PB	HB	Total
Oklahoma	74.700	72.850	74.950	73.150	72.850	73.000	441.500
Ohio State	74.800	71.800	71.800	73.200	70.300	67.500	429.400
Illinois	71.900	69.200	75.250	70.900	69.650	71.400	428.300
Iowa	71.050	68.450	74.550	71.100	68.900	68.700	422.750
Texas A&M	62.100	57.100	61.850	63.800	58.400	55.050	358.300

Complete Results |

Photos

(6-2-1)

Event Leaders
Event	Gymnast	Score
Floor	Danny Steiner (OSU)	15.750
Pommel	John Laing (OSU)	15.200
Rings	Anton Gryshayev (Iowa)	15.800
Vault	Presten Ellsworth (OU)	15.100
P-Bars	Danny Berardini (OU)	15.250
H-Bar	Jordan Valdez (Ill.)	15.050

OU Team Highs
Event	Gymnast	Score
Floor	Raymond White	15.350
Pommel	Reid, Rubin	14.800
Rings	Troy Nitzky	15.450
Vault	Presten Ellsworth	15.100
P-Bars	Danny Berardini	15.250
H-Bar	Jacoby Rubin	15.000

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FORT WORTH, Texas -- The University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team captured the inaugural Metroplex Challenge men's title Friday with a score of 441.500 against four top-eight teams at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena.

No. 4 OU finished over 12 points ahead of No. 5 Ohio State, who posted a 429.400. No. 6 and defending national champion Illinois finished third with 428.300, followed by No. 8 Iowa with 422.750. Texas A&M's club team finished fifth, ahead of a group of Texas collegiate all-stars.

The Sooners won team event titles on the pommel horse (72.850), parallel bars (72.850) and high bar (73.000). Ohio State claimed victories on floor (74.800) and vault (73.200) while Illinois won the rings event (75.250) with the highest team score on any event.

Gymnasts from Oklahoma and Ohio State each won two individual event titles. Presten Ellsworth and Danny Berardini won vault and parallel bars, respectively, while the Buckeyes' Danny Steiner and John Laing won the floor and pommel horse. Iowa's Anton Gryshayev won the rings event and Illinois' Jordan Valdez claimed the top score on high bar.

"I was very happy, they competed very well," head coach Mark Williams said. "We had our highest hit percentage of the season, highest score of the season and there was a lot of energy throughout the competition. A lot of guys are from Texas, so it was fun for them to compete in their home state, and I think that helped them motivation-wise. We had some tough teams in Ohio State and Illinois, so it's nice to feel like we can put it together well and get some confidence going into the rest of the season."

OU opened the meet on floor, where it posted a 74.700. OU was led by Raymond White's season-high 15.350, followed by Presten Ellsworth's 15.050. Todd Dowdy scored a 14.700 in his collegiate debut.

On pommel horse, the Sooners scored a 72.850. Mike Reid and Jacoby Rubin were OU's highest-scoring gymnasts with a 14.800. Reid and Rubin posted a season high, while Rubin's score matched his career high.

Oklahoma recorded a 74.95 on rings, highlighted by career or season highs from every Sooner on the event. Troy Nitzky's season-high 15.450 paved the way for OU. In his season debut, Chris Stehl finished close behind with a 15.300, followed by Rubin's career-high 15.050. Ellsworth, (14.900), Will Clement (14.250) and Kanji Oyama (14.100) also posted career highs.

In first place after three events, OU scored a 73.150 on vault, its fourth event.Ellsworth led the Sooners with a season-high 15.100, followed by Dylan Akers' 14.850, which tied a career high.

On parallel bars, the Sooners posted a 72.850. Danny Berardini and Sergey Resnick scored career highs of 15.250 and 15.05, respectively.

OU capped the night with a 73.000 on high bar to secure the 2013 Metroplex Challenge championship. Rubin scored a 15.000 in his season debut on the event, followed by Alec Robin's career-high 14.650. Chris Stehl tied his career high with a 14.400.

The Sooners will compete in its first dual meet of the season at No. 8 Iowa on Feb. 2. After opening the season with three-straight invitationals, the dual meet marks the first of six-straight two-team events to close out the regular season. The rematch with the Hawkeyes will commence at 5 p.m. CT.

For complete news and behind-the-scenes updates on the Sooners, follow them on Twitter at @SoonerGymnasts and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SoonerGymnasts, the official Facebook page of OU Men's Gymnastics.