Gymnastics: No. 1 Oklahoma Finishes Strong
By OU Media Relations
BERKLEY, CA — The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team swept all six team and individual event titles on its way to a 410.050 to 381.450 win at No. 10 California to conclude the regular season Saturday at Haas Pavilion.
Sophomore Emre Dodanli won three event titles, scoring a career-high 14.800 on floor exercise, a 14.600 on vault and a 13.700 on high bar. Fifth-year senior Spencer Goodell won two events, registering a 14.100 on parallel bars and 13.850 on still rings. Freshman Ignacio Yockers won his sixth pommel horse title of the season with a 14.600.
The Sooners posted two team scores of 70-plus, notching a 70.400 on floor and a 70.750 on vault. OU also scored a 69.250 on parallel bars, 67.650 on still rings, 66.300 on pommel horse and 65.700 on high bar.
“I’m happy that we’ve continued to battle,” Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams said. “That was a great effort for today, especially with as many changes as we made in the lineup again. We finished out the regular season and look forward to the last three competitions in the postseason, with the conference meet and two days of NCAAs.”
Goodell scored a 13.950 on floor to anchor an Oklahoma rotation that included a 14.550 by senior Jack Freeman and a 13.700 by sophomore Brigham Frentheway in only his second floor routine of the season. Yockers’ 14.600 on the final routine of pommel horse followed a 14.000 by freshman Mac Seyler. It was Seyler’s third 14-plus of the season. On still rings, freshman Adriel Perales matched his season high with a 13.650 and senior Alan Camillus tied his second-best score with a 13.700 before Goodell’s 13.850 closed out the rotation.
The Sooners notched three scores of 14 or better on vault. Freeman posted a 14.350 and Seyler scored a 14.450 on his first vault this season. Dodanli’s 14.600 was his fifth vault of 14.500 or better this year. Goodell also competed on vault for the first time this season, scoring a 13.550. Dodanli (14.000) and Goodell (14.100) capped parallel bars with a pair of 14s, and Dodanli turned in the best high bar score of the day (13.700) in the second spot.
“(Cailen Walker) came in and did pommel horse because we needed him. Brigham came back onto pommel horse and filled in,” Williams said. “We had to put Adriel on vault, and we had to put Spencer in on vault (because of injuries) and neither of those guys had done anything at all on vault this year. Cesar (Gracia) went out on high bar, first time he competed for the team (this year) so that was good. Hopefully we have a little time for recovery before moving on to conference.”
The Sooners now turn their attention to the MPSF Championship on April 1 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.