University of Oklahoma Athletics

Lead, MGYM at Trials

Sooners Set for Olympic Trials in St. Louis

June 22, 2021 | Men's Gymnastics

NORMAN – Six current and former University of Oklahoma men's gymnasts head to St. Louis, Mo. for the 2021 Olympic Trials to vie for a spot at the Tokyo Olympic Games. 

The two-day event, set to begin Thursday, June 24 and conclude Saturday, June 26, at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, will finish with the naming of the men's artistic gymnastics team for the Tokyo Olympic Games later this summer.

2019 graduate and World Championships medalist Yul Moldauer recently took second place in the all-around at the 2021 U.S. Championships in Fort Worth while 2017 graduate Allan Bower placed fifth overall. The top-six finishes for the pair of Sooner alums secured them spots at this weekend's Trials.

Senior co-captain Gage Dyer earned his spot at the Trials based off point values after U.S. Championships while rising senior Vitaliy Guimaraes automatically qualified for the Trials by competing for Team USA at the Pan American Championships in early June.

In addition to the four Sooners qualified following the conclusion of the U.S. Championships, senior co-captain Matt Wenske and 2017 graduate Colin Van Wicklen will also compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic squad. Wenske earned his spot at Trials via the Men's Program Committee following U.S. Championships. Van Wicklen qualified for the Championships but withdrew due to illness. He successfully petitioned to compete at the Trials and becomes the sixth OU gymnast in the lineup this weekend.
Bower, Dyer, Guimaraes and Wenske have been training in Norman under OU Head Coach Mark Williams and will be met by fellow Sooners Moldauer and Van Wicklen in St. Louis. 

Williams' extensive experience coaching and building Olympians will be vital to OU's success over the weekend. In addition to his nine national titles, Williams has also coached for Team USA in five Olympic Games, most recently serving as head coach at the 2016 Games, along with 15 World Championships.

Day one of Trials will be broadcasted on NBCSN at 5:30 p.m. CT and day two will begin on the Olympic Channel at 2 p.m. CT and also be shown on NBC starting at 3 p.m. CT. Both days can also be seen via NBCSports.com/live. Live stats will be available on USAGymnastics.com
 
For updates and more information, follow @OU_MGymnastics on Twitter or like Oklahoma Men's Gymnastics on Facebook.
MGYM Highlights: NCAA Qualifier
Friday, April 17
MGYM Highlights: MPSF Championship
Saturday, April 04
MGYM Highlights: OU 325.250, California 315.100
Saturday, March 21
Problem Solvers: Beyond The Game - Ignacio Yockers
Wednesday, March 18