Fuzzy Benas appeared calm and collected as he took a deep breath and stared down the runway leading up to the vault.
McCasland Field House was filled by enthusiastic fans pointing their fingers to the sky with a crescendo of cheers as the freshman phenom prepared to compete in Oklahoma’s fourth event of its home opener. Benas took his final leap and soared into the air. Brief silence was followed by a massive ovation as he nailed his landing, registering a team-high 14.550.
Younger gymnasts stepping up and nailing routines proved a prevalent theme for the Sooners on Saturday. Fellow freshman Raydel Gamboa got a good portion of the crowd on its feet following his sixth rotation performance on high bar. Freshmen Cailen Walker and Emre Dodanli got the crowd roaring with scores of 14.100-plus on their first college events.
Collectively, the rising stars helped No. 1 OU (4-0) beat No. 13 Air Force (0-4) 401.500-365.650 in the absence of star seniors Vitaliy Guimaraes and Morgan Seyler, who missed the contest due to injury.
“They’re stepping up and hitting routines like upperclassmen,” senior Spencer Goodell said of his younger teammates. “To see that and know the road ahead is super, super exciting. It’s great stuff.”
The Sooners began their night on the floor, where Goodell nabbed a 14.150 to help string together a compelling 68.200-58.950 lead after the first rotation. While he said afterward it wasn’t his best routine ever, it was sufficient, and still elicited an excited reaction.
Goodell clapped and yelled “Let’s go!” into the heart of the raucous crowd following his routine as OU fed off its energetic fans early.
“This is the best atmosphere in the NCAA for gymnastics,” Goodell said. “We thank everyone for coming out, and we wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for them.”
Afterward, Gamboa led the pack on pommel horse in the second rotation with a 13.150 and redshirt junior Braden Collier followed close behind with a 12.800. Redshirt junior Evan Perrault rebounded from an underwhelming performance last week in the Rocky Mountain Open by putting up a 13.400 on still rings. That was enough to lift the Sooners to a 198.400-178.500 lead halfway through the meet.
Walker led off for OU with his 14.450 on vault followed by a pair of 14.350’s from sophomores Zach Nunez and Daniel Simmons. Benas then worked his magic to cap an excellent rotation for Oklahoma.
Benas wasn’t finished then, either, as he led the Sooners with a 14.400 on parallel bars. His routine, along with support from Gamboa and redshirt junior Cesar Gracia, propelled Oklahoma to a 337.750-308.200 lead entering the final rotation. It was Gamboa’s show on high bar, as he earned a 13.650 and an ovation to close out the Sooners’ successful night.
“Total team score, considering how many guys we had that had never competed for us,” Goodell said, “was exceptional.”
All that helped extend Oklahoma’s home winning streak to 77 consecutive meets, a testament to the outpouring of support the Sooners have received in Norman for years.
“We still haven’t lost here in a lot of years,” head coach Mark Williams said. “It’s a great environment for gymnastics.”
Following the victory, Williams’ squad is off to a hot start but not yet satisfied. The Sooners will compete in the Stanford Open in Palo Alto, California at 8 p.m CT on Jan. 29.
OU will meet reigning national champion No. 2 Stanford for the second time this season after their narrow 407.700-407.500 victory over the Cardinal in the Rocky Mountain Open.
“We move forward and head to Stanford next weekend,” Williams said, “which is gonna be a big challenge taking Stanford on the road.”
