Sooners Seek 5th Straight MPSF Title

No. 1 Oklahoma at MPSF Championship

Oklahoma, Stanford, California, Air Force
April 2 | 6 p.m. CT | Palo Alto, Calif. | Burnham Pavilion

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MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
	OU	SU	UC	AFA
Ranking	No. 1	No. 2	No. T5	No. 11
4-Score Avg.	449.050	442.733	433.900	426.933
Season High	452.350	447.700	442.150	433.450

NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR MEET NINE

THE MATCHUP

The No. 1 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team travels to Palo Alto, Calif., this Saturday for the 2016 MPSF Conference championship, featuring Stanford, California and Air Force. The meet, which is slated for a 6 p.m. CT start, gives Oklahoma the chance to capture its fifth consecutive MPSF title. Five-up-five-count scoring will be used, with all five routines counting toward the teams' totals.

LAST TIME AT MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP

The Sooners have won the MPSF championship in each of the last four years and in 13 of head coach Mark Williams' 16 years at the helm. In 2015, the Sooners posted a team score of 447.400, more than 10 points higher than second-place Stanford, to take the title. Sooners also took home the conference title on four events. Michael Reid took pommel horse with a 15.750, Michael Squires won rings with a mark of 15.500, Allan Bower and Kanji Oyama tied on vault with a pair of 15.400s and Danny Berardini claimed the high bar title with a 15.400 of his own.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

OU is the only team in NCAA history to top the 450-point mark in NCAA competition. Oklahoma did so for the fifth time in program history in its March 11 meet with No. 3 Ohio State and No. 10 Air Force, scoring 451.200. That mark is the fourth highest in NCAA history. The Sooners also topped the historic mark in their last home meet of the year, scoring 452.350 against No. 2 Stanford. That mark is the third highest ever, just behind OU's NCAA record of 457.300 from Feb. 27, 2015 and the 456.400 it put up on Feb. 14, 2015 against Michigan. The Sooners also scored 450.750 during the NCAA prelims on March 14, 2015.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Senior Kanji Oyama was a big reason for the Sooners' big total against Stanford, a meet that served as Senior Night for OU. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native posted the nation's then-highest all-around score of the year, notching a 91.100 to set a career high. He also claimed the event title on rings with a 15.600. Oyama scored at least 14.850 on every event and was named both MPSF and NCAA Gymnast of the Week for his performance. Oyama was also named MPSF Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 9 after Oklahoma's meet with Nebraska.

NATIONAL TEAM PRESENCE

The Sooners had a successful weekend at the 2016 Winter Cup. Freshman Yul Moldauer earned a place on the U.S. Senior National Team with a fourth-place finish in the all-around and four Sooner alums, including assistant coach Steven Legendre and broadcaster Jake Dalton, were also named to the senior squad. Junior Allan Bower placed eighth in the all-around with a two-day mark of 172.800 while senior Kanji Oyama came in 11th with a score of 170.400. Freshman Levi Anderson was also in contention and turned in a solid 166.800 to place 16th. Junior Colin Van Wicklen and sophomore Hunter Justus also competed at the Winter Cup, but did not take part in the all-around. Van Wicklen posted his best marks on vault with a 14.950 and 15.350, while Justus performed best on floor with a first-day mark of 14.600.

STANDOUT FRESHMAN

Arvada, Colo., native Yul Moldauer has made quite an impression early in his collegiate career. At the Rocky Mountain Open in week one, Moldauer took the all-around title with a tournament-record of 90.150. After his impressive debut, Moldauer was named NCAA Gymnast of the Week. In the Sooners' second meet, Moldauer continued his winning ways as he grabbed the all-around title at No. 10 Michigan with a mark of 88.550 and also won the parallel bars with a 2016 team-high 16.000. Against Iowa and Cal in OU's home opener, Moldauer won the event titles on parallel bars (15.300) and high bar (15.150). A week later against Nebraska, the freshman took the event title on parallel bars with a 15.900. At the 2016 Winter Cup, Moldauer placed fifth in the all-around with a two-day total of 174.350. His score was third best among NCAA competitors and earned him a place on the U.S. Senior Men's National Team. Moldauer currently ranks in the top 10 nationally on floor, rings, parallel bars and in the all-around.

ROAD TESTED

Oklahoma picked up a top-10 road win Jan. 23 as it traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., to beat the 10th-ranked Wolverines, 444.400-427.850. 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).

The Sooners also picked up a big road win at No. 3 Ohio State last weekend. OU posted the fourth-highest team total in NCAA history to take down the Buckeyes on their Senior Night. The meet was held at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. St. John Arena will be the host site of the 2016 NCAA Championships in April and Oklahoma is hopeful it can reproduce that success again.

The Sooners grabbed a third true road win in their last trip out, topping No. 5 Illinois in Champaign, Ill. OU posted 444.750 to take down the Illini. Junior Allan Bower scored a 89.700 to take the all-around title, a performance that earned him MPSF and NCAA Gymnast of the Week honors.

TOUGH ROW TO HOE

The Sooners' quest to repeat as national champions is not an easy one. Oklahoma is navigating a demanding schedule that features eight of the other nine teams currently in the top 10 of national scoring average. The Sooners have home wins over Cal, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Stanford and Ohio State and must still face No. 5 Illinois on the road. OU bested then-No. 7 Air Force at the Rocky Mountain Open, then-No. 10 Michigan and No. 3 Ohio State on the road.

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.

FRESH FACES

One reason for OU's success this season is its crop of talented freshmen (Levi Anderson, Peter Daggett, Eric Holley, William Kell, Yul Moldauer and Genki Suzuki). Moldauer has been a vital contributor for Oklahoma while Anderson and Suzuki have also pitched in on select events.

QUICK HITS

• OU has been ranked No. 1 in the CGA Coaches Poll in every week of the 2016 season. The Sooners received all 18 first-place votes this week and own the nation's top four-score average (449.050).
• Freshman Yul Moldauer earned a spot on the U.S. Senior National Team with a fourth-place finish in the all-around at the 2016 Winter Cup. In addition to Moldauer, four Sooner alums earned spots on the team.
• Bower (2nd - 87.917), Moldauer (4th - 87.550), and Oyama (8th - 86.900) all rank in the top-10 nationally in all-around scoring.
• As a team, the Sooners boast the nation's best four-score average on every event except pommel horse, where they rank second.

UP NEXT

OU has just one meet remaining in 2016 and it's the one it has been working toward all year. The Sooners will travel to Columbus, Ohio, April 15-16 to defend its title at the 2016 NCAA Championship.