Sooners Strong in Intrasquad Scrimmage

NORMAN – The Oklahoma men's gymnastics team held its annual intrasquad scrimmage Saturday afternoon inside the Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center. The meet was the first time the 2020-21 Sooners performed their new routines in front of a virtual panel of judges in preparation for the upcoming season.

The OU team, split into red and white squads, sent up gymnasts on all six events. In the five-up, five-count format, the white squad edged the red team by a final tally of 399.650-399.500.

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Head Coach Mark Williams:

"I was very happy with the way we competed. We had kind of an up-and-down preseason, being off a long time due to COVID-19, but the guys rallied. The last couple weeks they've made a lot of improvement and today was a good performance. We were able to put up two separate teams that competed head to head with a new competition format of doing a livestream and virtual competition. It's kind of a new thing but it allows us to have a season in our current situation. I think we put forward a good meet today to move towards our season. Now it's just about getting back to work and working on some of the consistency and execution, but overall really pleased with where we are right now. Looking forward to the season starting in January."

Senior Captain Matt Wenske:

"Something I really realized is mentally it's so important to be constantly locked in. That's something I emphasized to my team to just have that confidence before they went to do their routines. We struggled a bit at the beginning but we ended up looking really good and I think the young guys looked very confident."

Senior Captain Gage Dyer:

"I thought we set a really good foundation as we move toward the season. It was a good opportunity for all us to get back in that meet environment and the pressure to count on that next guy to pick it up after your routine. It was a really good experience for everyone. I was definitely impressed with what we did today and looking forward to what we can do this season."

Oklahoma kicks off its 2021 campaign in Colorado Springs, Colo. with the annual Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 16. The home opener is set for Saturday, Jan. 23 at McCasland Field House. The Sooners full 2021 schedule will be released at a later date.

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.