The University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team has once again reached the NCAA finals with a score of 433.850 to finish second in the first of the two qualifiers, Friday, at Rec Hall, Penn State University.
The Sooners team has achieved this feat for 14 seasons consecutively. They will now fight their heart out to clinch the national title for the ninth time and sixth since 2002 on Saturday.
"We did what we were supposed to do to qualify for the team finals," said head coach Mark Williams. "We had a very good meet, were very consistent and hit 96 percent of our routines. We get to be in a national championship and compete for a title, so I'm excited to be part of that again."
Sooners' gymnasts Michael Squires and Alec Robin posted meet-high scores - Squire's scored the maximum on rings with 15.850, while Robin has been tied for the highest mark on vault with a 15.300.
Sooners were not initially expected to take part in NCAA Men's Championship due to the loss of Olympian Jake Dalton and multiple injuries.
Penn State University and Rec Hall will once again plays host to the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, after hosting it in 2007.
"With the new high-definition video boards we can do some more from a showmanship event-type standpoint," Associate Athletic Director Jenn James said. "We have the new media room; we've upgraded the hospitality room and have done some tweaking to our locker rooms as well."
James said that this years' championship is set to attract larger crowds and packed houses due to Blue-White Weekend. The university have already sold over 700 to 800 tickets.
