Sooners qualify for team finals

CHICAGO — The Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team recorded a 410.991 to take first in session two of the NCAA qualifiers on Friday night.

With the win, the Sooners are one step closer to their fourth straight national championship.

Yul Moldauer (still rings) and Hunter Justus (vault) each picked up an event title in the victory.

The Sooners started the day on floor. Freshman Gage Dyer led OU with the team’s only score above 14.00, hitting his routine and notching a 14.266 from the anchor position.

On pommel horse, OU’s lineup hit all five of its routines in the rotation, totaling a 68.399, the highest team score of any team in either session. Genki Suzuki was one of four gymnasts in either session to score a 14.000 or higher, anchoring with a 14.000.

Moldauer won the still rings event title with a 14.700, 0.567 points in front of the next-best OU score Reese Rickett who anchored with a 14.133.

The Sooners grabbed the lead after moving to vault, putting up a 70.398 team score. Hunter Justus won the event title with a stuck landing and a 14.666.

In the fifth rotation, OU stretched its lead to over five points, totaling a 69.166 on parallel bars. Hunter Justus scored above a 14.000 for the second time in the Sooners’ session with a team-leading 14.266.

Oklahoma locked up its spot in Saturday’s final with a 67.565 on high bar. Suzuki, who ranked first on the event at the end of the regular season, led the Sooners with a 14.133.

The Sooners return to action Saturday for the team finals, where they will take on Illinois, Penn State, Stanford, Nebraska and Minnesota. Action begins at 6 p.m.