Oyama, Seniors Send Sooners Soaring Past 450

452.350

435.800

Results

Highlights

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Team Scores
	Oklahoma	Stanford
FX	76.550	71.750
PH	74.650	73.100
SR	76.400	73.900
VT	73.750	74.200
PB	76.350	72.200
HB	74.650	70.650
Total	452.350	435.800

Event Winners
Event	Gymnast	Score
FX	Justus/Moldauer (OU)	15.500
PH	Allan Bower (OU)	15.250
SR	Kanji Oyama (OU)	15.600
VT	Gabe Flores (SU)	15.250
PB	Allan Bower (OU)	15.850
HB	Josh Yee (OU)	15.250
AA	Kanji Oyama (OU)	91.100

NORMAN — The top-ranked Oklahoma men's gymnastics team sent its seniors out in style on Saturday night, besting No. 2 Stanford 452.350-435.800 in front of 800 fans inside the McCasland Field House. Oklahoma's team score is the third highest in NCAA history, and the Sooners are the only team to ever top the 450-point mark, having also done so three times last year.

“We couldn't have asked for much better,” head coach Mark Williams said. “We hit 100 percent. When you are hitting your routines, sticking your landings and you've got energy in the gym good things happen. I am very excited. We have been a little disappointed up to this point that we were kind of in that 80 percent hit range and you know we worked really hard this week with that as our focus. We wanted to go 30 for 30 and that's what we did. That was fantastic and that is how you win national championships.”

Senior Kanji Oyama and junior Allan Bower led the way for Oklahoma, both topping the 90-point mark in the all-around to post career highs of 91.100 and 90.400, respectively. Oyama's score is the highest in the country so far this season.

“It was really exciting, one because it was Senior Night and two because my family was out there and they are a pretty big crowd,” Oyama said. “It's not about me, it's about the team and that is what I am trying to focus on. Trying to help the team get to where we want to go and to our goals.”

“It is special to be Senior Night and he was great,” Williams said. “He has been building toward this his whole career and he's had ups and downs when he was a freshman and sophomore, but he has really put it together this year and brought the energy and looked great.”

Oyama and Bower become just the second and third Sooners to score at least 90.000 in the all-around this season, joining freshman Yul Moldauer who totaled 90.150 in OU's season opener.

Oklahoma claimed five event titles in addition to the all-around crown. Moldauer and sophomore Hunter Justus tied for the event title on floor with a pair of 15.500s, Bower won pommel horse (15.250) and parallel bars (15.850), Oyama took rings with a 15.600 and senior Josh Yee claimed high bar with a career-best 15.250.

OU opened the meet on floor, notching five routines of at least 15.150 and a team total of 76.550. Justus and Moldauer led the way for the Sooners, each posting meet-highs of 15.500. Oyama turned in a 15.250 in his last floor routine at McCasland Field House and Van Wicklen and Bower both scored 15.150. After the opening rotation, OU led the Cardinal 76.550-73.100.

The Sooners distanced themselves in the second rotation, shattering their previous season high (73.200) with a team mark of 74.650 on pommel horse. Yee posted a 14.800, just one tenth off his career high, in the leadoff spot. He was followed by a career-best 14.900 from freshman Genki Suzuki. Senior Sergey Resnick scored a 15.100 in the three-spot and Bower anchored with a meet-high 15.250.

Following Olympic order, the Sooners moved to rings for the third rotation. Oklahoma posted another season high on rings, an event they have dominated so far in 2016, scoring 76.400. Fittingly, Oyama paced the Sooners with a meet-high 15.600 to set a career high. Junior Reese Rickett opened the frame with a 15.350 that beat his previous career high by three tenths. Justus turned in a 15.350 of his own in the two spot, marking his season high. At the halfway point, the Sooners had opened a lead of more than eight points.

Vault posed the biggest challenge of the night for OU, with the Sooners scoring a 73.750. Oyama led the team with a 15.000, but was the only Sooner to top the 15-point mark. Bower scored 14.850 in the anchor position for OU and freshman Levi Anderson added a 14.750.

OU rebounded in the penultimate rotation. Led by a pair of career highs from Oyama (15.300) and Bower (15.850), Oklahoma posted a season-high 76.350 on parallel bars. Bower's mark bested his previous career high by five tenths. Oklahoma also got strong marks from Moldauer, who turned in a 15.500 in the anchor position, and Justus who led off with a 14.950. With just high bar to go, the Sooners' lead had swelled to more than 13 points.

High bar was the icing on the cake for the Sooners. OU posted a 74.650, just one tenth off its season high to secure the win and push past the 450-point mark. Yee's career-high 15.250 led the Sooners, who also got high marks from Oyama (15.100) and Van Wicklen (15.050).

“It feels great it gives us a lot of confidence but there is always stuff we need to work on,” Oyama said. “That 452 is not enough for us. We got to be higher.”

The Sooners' big night concludes the home portion of their schedule. OU travels to Ohio State on Friday, March 11 for a 4 p.m. CT meet with the third-ranked Buckeyes. The Sooners will then visit No. 5 Illinois for its regular season finale on Saturday, March 19.

Oyama, Seniors Send Sooners Soaring Past 450

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Levi Anderson

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Hunter Justus

Hunter Justus

Yul Moldauer

Yul Moldauer

Reese Rickett

Genki Suzuki

Josh Yee

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Oyama, Seniors Send Sooners Soaring Past 450

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