Sooners Post Strong Day One at P&G

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Oklahoma men's gymnastics program was well represented on the national stage Friday night as 12 total current, former and future Sooners competed in the first round of the P&G Championships in Indianapolis on Friday.

Friday was a big day for head coach Mark Williams for more than one reason. Williams was officially inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame as part of the 2015 class in a ceremony Friday morning.

“I had a great day at the Hall of Fame induction,” Williams said. “It was great to have my family and Joe Castiglione there. It was quite an honor and I am humbled by that experience.”

To read Williams' acceptance speech, click here.

The Sooner gymnasts started the day on the right foot as well, with dominant performances in the junior division. Incoming freshmen Yul Moldauer and Peter Daggett finished first and second in the all-around respectively on day one.

“The junior session went really well,” head coach Mark Williams said. “Yul is in the lead and he did really well overall. Peter Daggett is in second place and had a very good day.”

Moldauer posted two of his best scores on parallel bars (14.850) and floor (14.450), both of which were the best of the day among the 17-18 age group. The freshman-to-be heads to Sunday's final with an all-around score of 86.100.

Daggett was sharp as well on Friday, leading the 17-18 age group in scoring on high bar (14.100) and rings (14.400). Daggett finished 2.050 points behind Moldauer with an all-around score of 84.050 heading to the final day.

The other junior in competition for Oklahoma on Friday was Levi Anderson. Anderson sits in 6th after day one with an all-around score of 80.950. The incoming freshman posted his best scores on floor (14.050) and vault (14.200).

The Sooners were well represented in the evening session as well, as the senior competition got underway. OU had nine current or former gymnasts in competition, and after the first round four sit in the top ten.

Jonathan Horton led the way for OU. The former Nissen-Emery Award winner sits in fourth with an overall score of 88.300. Horton's best performance of the day came on high bar, with a mark of 15.500.

Rounding out the top ten for the Sooners are Chris Brooks in sixth (87.750), Alex Naddour in eighth (87.350) and new Oklahoma assistant coach Steven Legendre in 10^th (86.950). Legendre's best performance of the night came on floor where he posted the highest score of the night with a 15.650.

“The senior session wasn't exactly what we were hoping for,” Williams said. “We had some rushed performances. We have some work to do to get those guys where I am happier with where they finish on Sunday. It's not a bad start; we're looking forward to Sunday. I am very happy with the representation of Oklahoma.”

Also in competition Friday evening were four current Sooners. Sophomore Hunter Justus finished the highest of the four with an 86.700, good for 12^th place.

“That was a really good day for Hunter,” Williams said. “He showed a lot of determination and he competed well. He put himself in a good spot. I hope he has another good day on Sunday.”

Junior Allan Bower sits in a tie for 13^th after the first day of competition, having posted an 86.050. Bower's best score came on vault where he notched a 14.850.

“Allan was pretty steady,” Williams said. “He struggled a bit on floor, but all around he was pretty consistent and he's right there for the top ten. He will have to get through floor on Sunday, and then do a little better pommel horse routine to move up.”

Missing from the competition for Oklahoma was four-time NCAA individual champion Jake Dalton. Dalton missed the competition due to a shoulder procedure and plans to petition the selection committee for a place on the U.S. Senior National Team.

“We had to announce the withdrawal of Jake Dalton from the competition,” Williams said. “He had a shoulder surgery two weeks ago to remove a cyst. The prognosis is very good and we are hoping to petition him to the national team and maybe the world team.”

The Sooners are back in action on Sunday with the senior competition beginning at 12:30 p.m. CT, and the junior competition at 6:30 p.m. Sunday's senior competition will be broadcast live on NBC Sports from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. As always live streaming will be available for both the senior and junior competitions.

Get inside looks at the Sooners in Indianapolis by liking the OU Men's Gymnastics Facebook page and by following the team on Twitter and Instagram using the handle @OU_MGymnastics.