Sooners Open Home Slate Saturday

No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Arizona State and No. 12 Air Force

Jan. 19 | 7 p.m. CT | Norman, Okla. | McCasland Field House

FSOK

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
	Oklahoma	Air Force	Arizona State
Standings	No. 2	No. 12	No. 11
Coaches Poll	No. 1	No. 12	No. 13
Season High	410.450	384.550	392.750
Team Avg.	410.450	384.550	386.400
Floor Avg.	69.550	67.500	63.150
Pommel Horse Avg.	66.750	59.700	63.175
Rings Avg.	68.850	64.450	63.150
Vault Avg.	71.900	68.750	68.150
Parallel Bars Avg.	67.350	63.450	65.450
High Bar Avg.	66.050	60.700	63.325

NORMAN— The No. 2 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team hosts two top-fifteen teams – No. 11 Arizona State and No. 12 Air Force – at McCasland Field House Saturday night to open its 2019 home slate. The Sooners opened the season last weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., with a decisive victory at the Rocky Mountain Open over four of the top seven teams in the country. This weekend's meet will be broadcast on FOX Sports Oklahoma and FOX College Sports Pacific with Chad McKee and Colin Van Wicklen on the call.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

THE MEET

Oklahoma continues its chase for its fifth straight national title on Saturday as the coaches poll No. 1-ranked Sooners welcome Air Force and Arizona State to McCasland Field House at 7 p.m. CT for the 2019 home opener. Entering his 20th season at the helm of OU men's gymnastics, head coach Mark Williams and his team are aiming at a fifth consecutive NCAA championship in 2019. The team will also look to extend its NCAA-best streak of 102 straight victories. Both of the Sooners' opponents this weekend rank in the top 15 of the College Gymnastics Association coaches poll, with Air Force sitting at No. 12 and Arizona State ranked No. 13.

ALUMNI NIGHT

Saturday will serve as not only Alumni Night for former Sooners' men's gymnasts but a tribute to former OU national champion Jeremy Killen. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:45 p.m. for a special tribute to Killen and his family. Killen was the 1997 floor exercise national champion for the Sooners and was a member of the U.S. Senior Men's National Team. Killeen, a lifelong non-smoker, passed in November 2018 from lung cancer.

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma opened its 2019 campaign with a victory last weekend over four of the top seven teams in the country at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Sooners recorded a team score of 410.450 to notch their 19th Rocky Mountain Open title in the last 20 seasons. OU defeated second-place and sixth-ranked Nebraska (404.350) by more than six points in its season-opening victory. Oklahoma won five of the six event titles as a team and senior Yul Moldauer brought home the individual crown on still rings with a tally of 14.350. Junior Matt Wenske placed second in the all-around, notching a career-best 80.100.

RMO Champs

NEVER 5ETTLE

Oklahoma made more history in 2018, becoming just the third program since 1938 to win four straight national titles. The Sooners' perfect 21-0 2018 campaign marked 97 straight wins for Williams and his program. OU has claimed 12 all-time NCAA team titles and nine under Williams. OU finished with five All-Americans who notched a total of 11 honors last season.

TOP RANKS

After one weekend of competition, the Sooners rank in the top five nationally of all six events as
a team, plus all-around score. OU tops the charts on high bar, tallying a 66.050 at last weekend's Rocky Mountain Open, and ranks second in five other categories (FX, PH, SR, VT, AA). Five Oklahoma gymnasts occupy spots in the top five of individual event rankings. Redshirt senior Brian Schibler sits fourth in the country on pommel horse after his 13.800 last weekend. Senior Yul Moldauer ranks third on still rings with a 14.350 score, while junior Matt Wenske ranks third on vault (14.600) and fourth in the all-around (80.100). Senior Levi Anderson is tied for third in the rankings on high bar after his strong 13.750 at the RMO. Freshman Vitaliy Guimaraes turned in a solid debut for the Sooners and ranks fourth in the country on vault, registering a 14.550 in the season opener.

RETURNING TALENT

Despite losing five-time All-America honoree Hunter Justus, OU returns a wealth of experience in 2019. Senior Yul Moldauer is looking to cap a historic collegiate career, coming off a junior season in which he earned four individual national titles (AA, FX, VT, PB) in addition to All- America nods on floor, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and all-around. Fellow senior Levi Anderson returns in 2019 after earning All-America honors on both high bar and all- around in 2018. Other key returners are senior Genki Suzuki, an All-American on pommel horse last season, and junior Tanner Justus, a vault All-American in 2018.

STILL STREAKING

The Sooners have won or finished first in every meet in which they have competed since placing second at the 2014 NCAA Team Finals. In that span they have racked up 102 victories, the most consecutive wins in program history, topping the 52 straight victories from 2002 to 2004. The streak is also the current longest in any Division I NCAA sport.

THE CHAMP IS BACK

Senior Yul Moldauer has made his mark on the OU record books and will continue his historic collegiate career on Saturday when the Sooners host Air Force and Arizona State. Moldauer is a seven-time individual national champion and became just the third men's gymnast ever to win four individual national titles in one year in 2018. Last season marked Moldauer's second all-around national title after claiming the crown his freshman season in 2016. His seven titles rank first all- time at OU ahead of Steven Legendre (6) and Olympians Jonathan Horton (6) and Jake Dalton (4).

VETERAN PRESENCE

Williams' squad returns four All-Americans from last year's title team. Seniors Yul Moldauer (AA, FX, PH, SR, VT, PB), Levi Anderson (AA, HB) and Genki Suzuki (PH) return in 2019 for the Sooners, along with junior Tanner Justus (VT). The Sooners also return eight other upperclassmen in 2019.

Justus

IMPACT FRESHMEN

The Sooners welcome a trio of talented freshmen for 2019 in Spencer Goodell, Vitaliy Guimaraes and Morgan Seyler. Goodell was named a U.S. Junior Men's National Team member after taking third in the junior elite division all-around at the 2018 U.S. Championships. Additionally, Goodell tied for first on still rings and placed second on vault. Guimaraes, a product of 5280 Gymnastics in Colorado, finished just behind Goodell in the all-around at the U.S. Championships, claiming fourth, but took home junior national titles on floor exercise and vault. Seyler, whose parents were both gymnasts at OU, finished seventh in the all-around in the junior elite division at the 2017 P&G Championships.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma continues its homestand on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. CT when it welcomes No. 7 Ohio State to McCasland Field House. The meet will serve as Military Night and air live on FOX Sports Oklahoma.

Fans are also encouraged to #ArriveSooner to avoid delays into McCasland Field House with enhanced screenings. OU's clear bag policy will also be in efffect.

Season tickets for all regular-season home meets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the University of Oklahoma Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free at (800) 456-GoOU. Tickets can also be ordered online by visiting SoonerSports.com/tickets.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma men's gymnastics, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_MGymnastics) and like Oklahoma Men's Gymnastics on Facebook.