Men's Gym Opens Season at Rocky Mountain Open

³ Oklahoma

¹⁰ Air Force

⁴ Nebraska

¹ Stanford

Saturday, Jan. 15 / 7 p.m. CT / Colorado Springs, Colo.

Livestream / Live Results / Meet Notes

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Oklahoma men's gymnastics team will start the year this weekend at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. The meet will begin at 7 p.m. CT and can be watched via livestream on AFA's YouTube channel.

The Meet

Oklahoma kicks off its season in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the 2022 Rocky Mountain Open inside the Cadet West Gym on the Air Force Academy campus. The Sooners, ranked No. 3 in the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) preseason coaches poll, face off against host No. 10 Air Force, No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 Nebraska and ACT affiliate team Arizona State.

The nine-time defending MPSF conference champion Sooners return 12 gymnasts from the 2021 squad, including All-Americans and U.S. Senior Men's National Team member Vitaliy Guimaraes. The team welcomes seven new gymnasts for the season.

"Our goal is to go out there and start the season well and go out there with consistency and good gymnastics," said head coach Mark Williams. "We can see where we rank with some of the best teams."

Preseason No. 3

OU checked in at No. 3 in the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) Preseason Coaches Poll.

Coming off the 2021 season, the Sooners received 167 points in the 2022 preseason poll. Stanford led the poll, receiving 194 points and 12 first-place votes.

Michigan sits in second with 178 points and one first place votes, while Nebraska came in at No. 4 with 156 points. Penn State holds the five spot with 141 points.

Previewing the 2022 Season

Following this weekend's meet, OU will host Air Force in McCasland Field House on Jan. 22 for the home opener. The team will then head to Palo Alto, Calif., for the Stanford Open (Jan. 29) and Champaign, Ill. (Feb. 12) to face Illinois before returning home to host Nebraska in the Field House on Feb. 19.

The 2022 squad will travel to Springfield, Mass. to compete against William & Mary and Springfield College on Sunday, March 6 before returning to Norman to host Ohio State (March 12) and California (March 19) to close out the regular season.

OU will look to earn its tenth straight MPSF conference championship in Palo Alto, Calif., on April 2. The Sooners will host the 2022 NCAA Championships at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. on April 15-16.

"After this weekend, it sounds like this might be a similar season to last year where we have to be flexible with how things go, how our competitions are run and whether there's availability for fans to be at our meets. We are just happy to have teams go compete and we will deal with what ever challenges await us. We hope to have a full season and have the chance to compete for a national championship here in April."

Returning Talent

Vitaliy Guimaraes

Coming off an exceptional 2021 season, senior captain Vitaliy Guimaraes claimed two All-America honors at the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish on high bar (13.800) and a fourth-place finish in the all-around (82.164). The Arvada, Colo., native was named to the U.S. Senior Men's National Team at the 2021 Winter Cup and competed for Team USA in the 2021 Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in pursuit of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Guimaraes finished the 2021 regular season in the top 10 in the all-around, in a top 10 overall spot in three different events, was recognized as the MPSF Gymnast of the Week and won seven event titles in a span of three meets. Guimaraes held the Sooners' individual season best scores in the all-around (82.900), still rings (14.100) and high bar (13.850), all good for career-best scores. In addition, Guimaraes' 13.900 on pommel horse and 13.800 on parallel bars last season also set career high marks.

Spencer Goodell

Senior Spencer Goodell was a vital component of the 2021 team as he competed in the all-around for five meets on the season. He earned MPSF Gymnast of the Week with an 81.250 score on the all-around at the Rocky Mountain Open, as well as an 82.000 in the all-around against Stanford. The Tigard, Ore., product collected five event titles throughout the season and was named to the Academic All-Big 12 At-Large Team.

Jack Freeman

Junior Jack Freeman impressed at the 2021 NCAA Championships on high bar with a tally of 13.533 to tie for eighth place. In the regular season, Freeman posted career highs on still rings with a 13.600 and on high bar with a 13.800.

Alan Camillus

Junior Alan Camillus completed the 2021 season with an impressive 14.033 on still rings on the national stage, crowning him his first All-American status. Camillus recorded career highs in the regular season on pommel horse (13.300) and parallel bars (14.100).

Fresh Faces

Fuzzy Benas

A freshman from Richmond, Texas, Fuzzy Benas has joined the Sooners as an all-arounder. The athlete was named as a gymnast to watch this season by the College Gymnastics Association. Prior to arriving at Oklahoma, Benas finished first in the all-around, second on vault, third on floor and fifth on pommel horse at the 2020 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev. Benas was named to the first team at the 2020 Elite Team cup in Las Vegas, Nev.

Emre Dodanli

From Milton, ON, Canada, Emre Dodanli is a new face to the 2022 Sooner squad. Dodanli competed in the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships prior to coming to Oklahoma, where he placed third on pommel horse, fifth on parallel bars and eighth in the all-around. The gymnast also competed in the FIG Junior World Championships.

Brigham Frentheway

From Cheyenne, Wyo., freshman Brigham Frentheway is set to compete with the Sooners on the 2022 squad. Frentheway competed in the junior division of the 2021 Winter Cup in Indianapolis, Ind., as well as the 2020 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev.

Raydel Gamboa

The freshman from Phoenix, Ariz. is a valuable addition to the Sooners and has been highlighted by the College Gymnastics Association as an athlete to keep an eye on this season. Gamboa placed first on high bar and second in the all-around at the 2021 Men's Development Program National Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. The gymnast competed in the 2019 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships in Reno, Nev., where he finished fourth on vault, eighth on still rings and ninth in the all-around.

Nikolai Koleshikov

From Minneapolis, Minn., the freshman athlete is set to compete for the 2022 team. Before joining the Sooners, Koleshikov placed sixth on pommel horse, eighth on floor exercise and tenth in the all-around at the 2021 Men's Development Program National Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. He competed in the junior division of the 2021 Winter Cup and the 2021 Elite Team Cup (6th-Team), both held in Indianapolis, Ind.

Evan Perreault

A red-shirt junior from Geneva, Ill. Evan Perreault was moved up from the club team to compete for the Sooners. Perreault is set to compete on still rings and parallel bars.

Cailen Walker

Coming to the Sooners from Hercules, Calif., the freshman is set to compete all-around for the squad. Walker competed in the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, earning a sixth place finish on pommel horse. The athlete also showcased his skills at the 2021 Men's Development Program National Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla., where he finished third on vault, seventh in the all-around and eighth on still rings. Walker collected a fourth place finish on vault and fifth place finish on pommel horse at the 2021 Winter Cup held in Indianapolis, Ind.

Up Next

The Sooners will welcome familiar competition to Norman next weekend for the home opener when Air Force travels to Norman. The meet will begin at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 22 and will be available to watch on SoonerSports.tv.

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