OU Gymnastics: Top-Seeded Oklahoma Finishes Third at NCAA Championships

By OU Media Relations

ANN ARBOR, MI – Senior Emre Dodanli won the horizontal bar national championship and the Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team placed third at the NCAA Championships with a team total of 327.891 Saturday night at Michigan's Crisler Center.

Michigan (332.224) finished first and Stanford (332.061) placed second.

Dodanli, who scored 13.833 on the high bar, is OU’s first individual national champion since 2021 when Gage Dyer won the floor exercise and vault national titles. It was Dodanli’s first career individual national title. Redshirt junior Fuzzy Benas got bronze in the all-around for the second straight year, registering a total of 81.364. Sophomore Tas Hajdu took bronze on still rings with a score of 14.133.

The Sooners, competing in their 25th consecutive NCAA Finals, have finished among the top 3 in 23 of the last 24 NCAA Championships held, dating back to the 2001 season.

Oklahoma claimed a total of eight All-America honors: Dodanli on high bar, Benas in the all-around and on floor exercise (13.966), Hajdu on rings (14.133), senior Zach Nunez on pommel horse (13.800), senior Matthew Burgoyne on rings (13.933), junior Kelton Christiansen on high bar (13.733) and sophomore Colin Flores on parallel bars (13.800).

“Overall, we actually had a much better meet than we had yesterday,” Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams said. “All the way around, we had tremendous fight. We probably could’ve gotten a little closer, but, boy, that was Michigan’s night to win a national championship. Great meet, great crowd and a great environment for men’s gymnastics.

“I’m really excited for this team. We had a national champion in Emre Dodanli on high bar and a number of All-Americans. The guys just had a great year. We won a conference championship and had a little better record than we even had last year. I love the improvement. I think we just keep getting a little bit closer.”

Oklahoma started on pommel horse Saturday night and sat in fifth place after each of the first two rotations, but climbed to second after its big vault rotation, scoring 56.532. The Sooners held on to second place after posting their second-highest score of the season on parallel bars (54.732). OU was in third place after high bar and secured their team bronze placement on floor exercise.

Sophomore Tyler Flores led off on vault with a 14.066, followed by a 14.033 from senior Brigham Frentheway. Benas stuck a clean vault for a team-high 14.333 and Dodanli anchored with a 14.100. On parallel bars, Burgoyne led off with a stuck 13.766 and Colin Flores followed with a season-high-tying 13.800. Benas scored 13.566 and Dodanli stuck his dismount for a 13.600.

Dodanli’s high bar routine was 0.67 points better than second place, leading the Sooners to a 53.965 team total. Christiansen anchored OU’s rotation with his 13.733, redshirt freshman Brandon Zepeda-Orth led off with a 13.366 and Benas scored 13.033. Benas stuck his floor dismount for a 13.966, Burgoyne started the rotation with a 13.866, Frentheway scored 13.533 and Dodanli closed out with a 13.166, as the Sooners totaled 54.531 on the event.

Oklahoma scored 53.566 on pommel horse in the opening rotation. Nunez led the Sooners with a 13.800 on the event, Tyler Flores scored 13.600, Benas notched a 13.533 and junior Ignacio Yockers scored 12.633.

Hajdu’s rings score was his third highest of the season, pacing OU to a 54.565 team total. Burgoyne put up a big 13.933, Frentheway led off with a 13.233 and freshman Francisco Velez Belendez scored 13.266. Benas notched a 12.933 in the all-around spot.

Nebraska (326.222) placed fourth, Penn State (317.258) placed fifth and Illinois (316.293) placed sixth in the team standings.