“We all contribute to the spark,” explained OU rookie Emre Dodanli. “Every member of this team stands up when needed, and that’s exactly what this evening was all about.” The Sooners competed in Olympic order, winning the floor exercise with a score of 70.531. Dodanli kicked off the OU round with a 14.133, followed by junior Jack Freeman’s 14.066. For the first time since Feb. 19, sophomore Zach Nunez competed in the field and posted a career-high 13.733. Senior Spencer Goodell was third with a 14.266 and senior Vitaliy Guimaraes was second with a 14.333.
On pommel horse, the Sooners finished with a team score of 63.432, surpassed by Nunez’s 13.900 in the individual event. Guimaraes finished third with a 13.633. Goodell recorded the Sooners’ highest fixed ring score of 13.700 in the third rotation. Fuzzy Benas (13.666) and Alan Camillus (13.533) both contributed to OU’s score of 67.865.
The Sooners warmed up on vault, paced by redshirt junior Josh Corona, who won his first season-opening individual event with a 14.633. It was followed by career-best Dodanli 14.600, Benas 14.500 and runner-up Daniel Simmons 14.166, giving the Sooners a combined score of 70.699.
Benas led Oklahoma with a 14.266 on parallel bars, followed by Nunez with a 13.700 and Goodell with a 13.566, as the Sooners finished with a 67.731 on rotation five. OU ended the night on a high note, scoring 67.032, the second best score of the night. Freeman finished third with a 14.033, followed by Gamboa with a 13.733 and Guimaraes with a 13.466.