NORMAN — After a brief fall from the top of the rankings, the Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team is back on top and ready to prove it’s the nation’s best.
First up for the Sooners is a triangular meet against No. 2 Illinois and No. 7 Michigan at 5 p.m. today in Champaign, Ill.
“We are going to have to step up a little bit because Illinois and Michigan are both good teams,” OU All-American Jake Dalton said. “Everybody is going to have to try and get their game together. Not have as many misses as we had last weekend.”
For the second straight week, Oklahoma will take on the nation’s No. 2 team.
Illinois (5-1, 4-1 Big Ten) enters the meet after taking down Iowa 352.3-326.2.
The Fighting Illini’s one loss came to Ohio State in the season-opening Windy City Invitational.
Michigan (4-2, 3-2 Big Ten) took third in that event and last weekend, defeated then-No. 1 Penn State.
The undefeated Sooners (5-0, 1-0 MPSF) are coming off of a 353.15-347.75 victory at then-No. 2 Ohio State.
“We worked hard in the gym this week,” Dalton said, “and I think that’s going to give us all the confidence to go in this weekend and do our job.”
Last season the Sooners scored 344.650 points to beat Illinois and Michigan. But they are now without the services of Alex Naddour, who left Oklahoma before the season began.
“Alex decided that it would be better for his training back at home, training for the Olympics with his dad,” Dalton said. “It kind of left us without a spot. But we got a whole team here and we have every body stepping up and doing their job.”
Naddour was the top-ranked American on pommel horse with the bronze medal-winning team at the World Championships at Tokyo in October. He has also won the last two NCAA pommel horse titles.
Naddour was supposed to be a big part of OU’s drive for a ninth national championship and it’s first since 2008.
“It was a big change. Especially for me,” Dalton said. “I go to camps with him and national team all the time. But he did what was best for him.
“The team is doing great right now and sticking together. If anything, it just brought us together as a stronger team.”
