Sooners Finish Strong on Day One of U.S. Championships

FORT WORTH – With day one of the 2021 U.S. Championships completed in Fort Worth, the Sooners finished strong with three gymnasts in the top eight in the all-around.

Yul Moldauer leads the squad in second place with an 83.600 all-around tally, Allan Bower holds sixth place with an 82.600 and Matt Wenske sits in eighth with a 80.950. Gage Dyer and Genki Suzuki also represented Oklahoma at the event.

Starting off on high bar, Suzuki led the pack with a 13.650 and was closely followed by Wenske and Bower, both who scored a 13.250 on the event.

Moving to floor next, Dyer earned a 14.550, good for second place overall. Moldauer placed third and Bower placed sixth with respective scores of 14.500 and 14.050.

The Sooners moved to pommel horse and had Bower earn the three spot (14.250) and Suzuki tie for sixth (13.700).

On still rings, Moldauer carried the Sooners with a 14.500, putting him in third overall. Bower and Wenske followed suit with a 13.600 and 13.350, respectively.

With the Sooners' best scores of the night, the team dominated on vault. Dyer showcased a 14.700 routine, tying him for first place. Wenske and Bower both scored a 14.350, tying each other for seventh place overall. Moldauer followed closely with a 14.200.

The squad closed out day one on parallel bars. Moldauer's impressive 14.350 routine put him fourth. Wenske's 13.850 put him in the eight spot for the night. Bower followed with a 13.100.

In addition to the senior men's competition, incoming Sooner Cailen Walker competed in the junior division and holds third place on pommel horse (12.450) and tied for sixth on floor (12.750).

This weekend's event will help determine who will compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials in St. Louis, Mo., June 24-27. The five athletes competing at the Pan Am Championships automatically qualify for the trials.

The Sooners will compete on Saturday, June 5 for day two of the U.S. Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. The event will be broadcasted on NBCSN at 7 p.m. CT.

Vitaliy Guimaraes will be competing at in day one of the Pan American Championships tomorrow, June 4 in Rio de Janeiro as a member of Team USA.

For updates and more information, follow @OU_MGymnastics on Twitter or like Oklahoma Men's Gymnastics on Facebook.