Sooners Finish Second in MPSF Championship

Saturday, April 6

2 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

418.400

422.700

Stanford

Fuzzy Benas, crowd at McCasland Field House

Photo by: Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Finish Second in MPSF Championship

April 06, 2024 | Men's Gymnastics

Final Results Photo Gallery

NORMAN – Three Sooners claimed individual event championships, but the No. 2 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team finished second to No. 1 Stanford in the MPSF Championship Saturday afternoon at McCasland Field House. OU totaled 418.400 and Stanford totaled 422.700, while No. 8 California placed third with a 405.600 and No. 10 Air Force finished fourth with a 395.450.

Junior Emre Dodanli won the floor exercise title with a 14.950, sophomore Ignacio Yockers won the pommel horse title with a 15.150 and sophomore Kelton Christiansen won the horizontal bar title with a 14.100. Redshirt sophomore Fuzzy Benas notched an 83.700 to place third in the all-around. He claimed third place on rings (14.250), vault (14.650) and parallel bars (14.350), while fifth-year senior Jack Freeman finished second on high bar (14.000).

OU registered its highest score of the season on still rings (69.900), posted its second-highest floor exercise score (70.400) and its third-highest score on parallel bars (69.500), and notched the highest score of the meet on high bar (67.750). Oklahoma's 418.400 was its second-highest team total this season and its highest score in a home meet this year.

"I'm proud of the guys," Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams said. "We struggled on rings earlier in the year and we had a couple guys hit their career highs tonight and we had our best rings score of the season. We'd like to be perfect in two weeks and take another run with (Stanford), but I am actually pretty happy that we had a good day, and that we had a pretty decent crowd and competed well."

Oklahoma's 17-year unbeaten streak inside McCasland Field House came to an end on Saturday. Entering the MPSF Championship meet, the Sooners were unbeaten against their last 75 opponents, encompassing 64 consecutive meets held inside McCasland Field House, dating back to a March 17, 2007, victory over Iowa. Prior to Saturday, OU's last loss in the field house was March 3, 2007, against Ohio State.

"Our win streak of 17 years ends, but those records are made to be broken and this is the kind of way those things go," Williams said. "I just didn't want to feel like we gave it away on a bad day. We had a good day, so I'm not sad. I wish we could've kept winning forever. I like winning as much as anybody, but I think the guys did a great job today."

The Sooners began on floor exercise and the Cardinal started on vault, and each team rotated in Olympic order. Oklahoma trailed by 3.1 points after two rotations (142.550 to 139.450) but cut the deficit to one-tenth (209.450 to 209.350) at the midway point after its stellar rings performance. OU moved in front by 1.15 points after four rotations (281.150 to 280.000), but Stanford took the lead again after five events (352.550 to 350.650).

On still rings, four Sooners notched career highs and four stuck their dismounts, as the team bested its previous season high by two full points. Senior Dan Simmons and junior Matt Burgoyne each scored a career-high 14.000, followed by Benas's career-high 14.250 and a career-high 14.200 by senior Zachary Marckx. Freshman Tas Hajdu stuck his dismount for a 13.450 in the anchor spot. Of the four gymnasts who hit 14.000 or better, none had scored higher than 13.750 on rings this season before Saturday.

OU moved into the overall lead with its 71.800 on vault. Benas stuck his landing for a 14.650 and freshman Max Bereznev anchored with a 14.600. Dodanli also notched a 14.250, junior Brigham Frentheway scored a 14.350 and redshirt freshman Leo Koike posted a 13.950 in the leadoff position.

Oklahoma's p-bars total of 69.500 was its highest since scoring a 69.900 on Feb. 3. Benas led the way with his 14.350, while Dodanli and freshman Nico Hamilton each notched a 13.950. Hamilton's score was a career best.

Christiansen claimed the high bar title from the second position in OU's lineup. His 14.100 was his fifth score of 14 or higher on the event this season. Freeman's 14.000 was his fourth 14-plus of the season.

Frentheway led off the meet for the Sooners with a 13.700 on floor exercise. Freeman followed with a 14.150, Benas hit a 13.900, Hamilton notched a 13.700 and Dodanli anchored with his 14.950. It was Dodanli's fifth floor score of 14.900 or higher this season. Entering conference championship weekend, no other gymnast nationally had scored better than 14.800 on floor exercise.

Yockers' 15.150 anchor routine was his third pommel horse score of 15 or better and his second-highest score this season. Senior Zach Nunez scored his seventh 14 or better (14.350), and Benas notched his third pommels score of 14 or above (14.050) this season.

Dodanli's floor exercise crown was his 12th event title in his eight meets this season. Yockers has now claimed nine event titles (eight on pommel horse in 10 meets) and Christiansen has four even titles, all on high bar.

In all, Oklahoma registered 16 scores of 14.000 or better in the meet and notched 11 routines with an execution score of 9.0 or better.

The Sooners now look to NCAA Championships, which will be held April 19-20 in Columbus, Ohio. NCAA Championship selections are expected to be announced next week.

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.