Sooners Post NCAA Season High On Senior Day

Saturday, March 9

Norman, Okla.

4:00 PM

University of Oklahoma

425.700

415.700

Illinois

Sooners Post NCAA Season High On Senior Day

March 09, 2019 | Men's Gymnastics

By: Patrick Dunn

Oklahoma

425.700

415.700

Illinois

Score Sheet

Highlights

Photos

Team Scores
	No. 1 OU	No. 5 Illinois
FX	72.400	72.100
PH	67.300	67.750
SR	71.750	67.450
VT	73.150	71.350
PB	69.950	66.900
HB	71.150	70.150
Total	425.700	415.700

Event Winners
Event	Gymnast	Score
FX	Moldauer (OU)	15.050
PH	Paradise (UI)	14.950
SR	Diab (UI)	14.800
VT	Moldauer (OU)	15.000
PB	Moldauer (OU)	14.950
HB	Anderson (OU)	14.750
AA	Moldauer (OU)	87.150

NORMAN — On senior day at McCasland Field House, the No. 1 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team topped the No. 5 Illinois Fighting Illini, 425.700-415.700 for its 110th consecutive victory and 68th straight at the Field House. The Sooners won five of six event titles and OU gymnasts won four of six individual event titles. Yul Moldauer took home the all-around crown, posting an impressive 87.150.

"I thought there were a lot of places where we were better than we've been,” said OU head coach Mark Williams. “I liked that the team was pushed a little bit. After two events we were in a battle. Our rings team stepped up with the best performance of the season, our vault did the same and created a little bit more separation. Happy to see those guys respond that way, close things out with good performances down the stretch and I feel pretty good that for another duel season we've gone undefeated in the Field House."

OU started the meet strong on floor exercise, posting an NCAA-season high 72.400, the first of four events the Sooners would score 70-plus on. Senior co-captain Moldauer was strong on the event yet again, putting up a 15.050 to claim the event title. Fellow senior co-captain Levi Anderson captured a season-high on floor, notching a 14.350. Sophomore Gage Dyer returned to the floor lineup in a big way, posting a 14.750.

“I was really excited for the meet walking in because I knew I was going to be starting our day off on floor,” said Anderson. “Then, I knew I was going to be ending the meet on high bar. For me, it was kind of like I got to do a senior's job twice; I got to start the meet, which as someone who has seen it all and been in tough situations here and there, I was just ready to get things rolling.”

The Sooners posted their lowest event total of the day on pommel horse in the second rotation, scoring 67.300. Moldauer paced the Sooners again with a 14.250 to place second on the apparatus for the meet. Junior Tanner Justus tallied a season-high on horse, putting together a 13.650 while senior Peter Daggett notched a career-best 13.200. On senior day, senior pommel horse specialist Brian Schibler was also strong with a 13.800, tying his season high.

"I think the biggest thing for me was just the fact that with everything all of us seniors have been through, it doesn't get much sweeter than to go out on a high note like this."
- Levi Anderson

After falling behind by .150 after two rotations, OU made up plenty of ground on still rings. OU tallied an NCAA season-high 71.750 and stuck four of five routines. The Sooners started the rotation with three-straight career highs. Junior Tanner Justus (14.000) and seniors Cameron Wright (14.100) and Jake Maloley (14.550) began rings strong with the career bests. Daggett (14.450) and Moldauer (14.650) made sure every routine for the Sooners topped 14.000 to close the rotation.

Vault proved beneficial to widen the Sooners lead in the fourth rotation. OU tallied 73.150 and every Sooner gymnast went 14.000+ for the third event of the afternoon. Moldauer stuck a big 15.000 vault to win his second event title of the meet; the tally ranks as an NCAA-high for the reigning NCAA vault national champion. Justus and freshman Vitaliy Guimaraes contributed with big scores of 14.800 and 14.750, respectively. Guimaraes collected a career-high with the vault to continue his impressive freshman campaign with the Sooners.

Heading to parallel bars in the fifth rotation, the Sooners held a comfortable lead of nearly six points. That didn't stop them from notching another season high, putting up 69.950. Senior captains Moldauer and Genki Suzuki led the charge for OU, putting up respective sets of 14.950 and 14.200. Moldauer's score brought home his third individual event crown of the day. Junior Matt Wenske returned to the P-bars lineup in a big way, registering a career-high 13.750.

Finishing the meet on high bar, OU scored 71.150 to record their fifth team title on senior day. Anderson claimed the individual crown with a season-high 14.750 in the anchor spot. Dyer and Suzuki chipped in, swinging their way to sets of 14.500. Suzuki and Daggett (14.150) recorded season bests on the event.

“On high bar, I was ready to just jump up there and have a party, which is exactly what that felt like. I think the biggest thing for me was just the fact that with everything all of us seniors have been through, it doesn't get much sweeter than to go out on a high note like this."

Moldauer captured his second all-around title of the season, while Justus tallied a career best in the all-around, scoring 84.100.

Up next, the Sooners travel to Annapolis, Md., for the first time in program history to face off against Navy. The Midshipmen rank 10th in the latest Road to Nationals rankings. The meet is slated for a 1 p.m. CT start at Macdonough Hall on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Tickets for the Sooners final home meet of 2019, the MPSF Championships, 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.