Home Opener Set for Saturday

No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Iowa, No. 8 California
Jan. 30 | 5 p.m. CT | Norman, Okla. | McCasland Field House

Notes

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
	Oklahoma	Iowa	Cal
2016 Record	5-0	2-4	1-4
2016 Ranking	No. 1	No.6	No. 7
2016 Scoring Average	446.375	427.433	425.383
2016 Team High	448.350	431.800	426.950

NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR WEEK THREE

THE MATCHUP

The No. 1 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team welcomes Iowa and California for its home opener at McCasland Field House. The Hawkeyes began the season ranked No. 9 in the coaches poll and have jumped three spots in the polls with their 427.33 scoring average. Cal enters the meet ranked No. 8 with a scoring average of 425.383 after starting the season ranked No. 7.

LAST TIME VS. THE FIELD

Oklahoma last saw Iowa on Feb. 1 of last season in a tri-meet in Iowa City. The Sooners got the best of both the Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes, notching a team score of 440.850 and sweeping the event titles. The Sooners topped Cal in the teams' last meeting. OU traveled to Berkeley in 2015 and topped the sixth-ranked Bears 443.300-430.800.

STRONG START

Oklahoma has started the 2016 season in dominant fashion. The Sooners boast a 5-0 record after winning the Rocky Mountain Open and taking down No. 10 Michigan on the road. OU currently sits atop the team standings and coaches poll and ranks first in scoring on every apparatus with marks of 76.900 on floor, 72.325 on pommel horse, 74.225 on rings, 75.025 on vault, 75.175 on parallel bars and 72.725 on high bar. Oklahoma has swept the event titles in each of its first two meets.

STANDOUT FRESHMAN

Arvada, Colo., native Yul Moldauer has made quite an impression in his first two collegiate meets. At the Rocky Mountain Open in week one, Moldauer took the all-around title with a tournament-record of 90.150. The freshman also won the event title on parallel bars. After his impressive debut, Moldauer was named NCAA Gymnast of the Week. In the Sooners' second meet, Moldauer continued his winning ways. Moldauer grabbed the all-around title at No. 10 Michigan with a mark of 88.550 and also won the parallel bars (a 2016 team-high 16.000) and high bar (14.950).

ALL-AROUNDERS

Yul Moldauer isn't the only Sooner making a named for himself in the all-around. Oklahoma currently boasts five of the nation's top six all-around competitors. Moldauer, who is second nationally, ranks highest for OU with a scoring averge of 89.350, he is followed by Hunter Justus in third (88.000), Colin Van Wicklen in fourth (87.450) and Allan Bower and Kanji Oyama tied for fifth nationally with an average of 86.950.

ROAD TESTED

Oklahoma picked up a top-10 road win last weekend as it traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., to beat the 10th-ranked Wolverines 444.400-427.850. For the second consecutive meet the Sooners swept the individual titles with Colin Van Wicklen winning floor (15.400), rings (14.850) and vault (15.500), Allan Bower taking the pommel horse (15.000) and Yul Moldauer claiming parallel bars (16.000), high bar (14.950) and the all-around (88.550).

SWEET 17

The Sooners opened the 2016 season in familiar fashion, posting an impressive team total of 448.350 to claim their 17th consecutive Rocky Mountain Open title. Oklahoma's first score of the year came on the back of particularly high marks on floor (77.900) and vault (76.100). Freshman Yul Moldauer, who was making his collegiate debut, took the all-around title with a Rocky Mountain Open-record 90.150. Moldauer also secured the event title on parallel bars with a 15.600. OU also swept the event titles with junior Colin Van Wicklen taking the floor (15.900), redshirt senior Sergey Resnick topping the podium on pommel horse (15.200), junior Thao Hoang winning rings (15.300), sophomore Hunter Justus claiming the vault title (15.450) and senior Josh Yee securing the title on high bar (14.750).

TOUGH ROW TO HOE

The Sooners' quest to repeat as national champions will not be an easy one. Oklahoma must navigate a demanding schedule that features each of the other four teams currently ranked in the top five and all but one of the teams currently in the top 10. The Sooners will play host to No. 2 Stanford, No. 5 California, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 9 Nebraska and No. 10 Iowa. OU bested No. 7 Air Force at the Rocky Mountain Open and still has road trips on the schedule with No. 3 Illinois and No. 4 Ohio State.

DEFEND FOR 10

Oklahoma claimed its ninth NCAA championship in 2015 and will look to secure its 10th in 2016. The 2015 OU squad was one of the best in program history. The team went 26-0 on the year en route to its 22nd conference title and the NCAA crown. The Sooners turned in dominant performances all season, including setting the NCAA single-meet scoring record in back-to-back meets during the regular season. In total, 11 different Sooners took home 14 All-America honors and Michael Squires (rings) and Michael Reid (pommel horse) both claimed NCAA event titles.

VETERAN PRESENCE

Williams' squad returns six All-Americans from a year ago. Bower (PH, AA), Hunter Justus (SR), Kanji Oyama (FX, VT), Sergey Resnick (PB), Van Wicklen (FX, VT) and Josh Yee (SR) will provide championship experience for a team that is replacing seven seniors. Oyama and Bower tied for the vault title at the MPSF Championships in 2015.

FRESH FACES

OU welcomes six talented freshmen (Levi Anderson, Peter Daggett, Eric Holley, William Kell, Yul Moldauer and Genki Suzuki) for the 2016 season. Moldauer should be a major contributor right away for Oklahoma and will compete in the all-around. Moldauer was all-around champion at the 2015 Junior Olympic National Championships. He also took home event title on floor, rings, vault and parallel bars.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma stays home next weekend and will welcome No. 7 Nebraska to McCasland Field House. The meet is set for a 5 p.m. CT start time.

QUICK HITS

• OU is ranked No. 1 in the College Gymnastics Association Coaches Poll. The Sooners received 10 of the 13 possible first-place votes in week three and own the nation's top scoring average (446.375).

• Oklahoma currently has five gymnasts ranked nationally in the all-around. Yul Moldauer ranks second (89.350), Hunter Justus sits in third (88.000), Colin Van Wicklen is fourth (87.450) and Allan Bower and Kanji Oyama are tied for fifth (86.950).

• Moldauer, a freshman, has won the all-around competition in each of OU's first two meets.

• Williams' squad returns six All-Americans who earned nine total accolades from a year ago: Allan Bower (PH, AA), Hunter Justus (SR), Kanji Oyama (FX, VT), Sergey Resnick (PB), Colin Van Wicklen (FX, VT) and Josh Yee (SR).

• The Sooners entered 2016 fresh off their ninth NCAA championship in program history. Last's year's squad also claimed the 22nd conference title in OU history and its 13th in 16 years under head Coach Mark Williams.