Lukas Texeira Wins MPSF High Bar Title

NORMAN, Okla. – Backed by the nation's leading high bar score, Air Force senior Lukas Texeira easily captured the conference title at the 2019 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Gymnastics Championships this afternoon (April 6) in Norman. The senior, who tallied a 14.800 to better the rest of the field by 0.450 points, became the first Academy gymnast to win a MPSF title on the high bar.

Texeira, who recorded a score that was 0.050 better than any other gymnast in the nation this season, also crushed his own Academy record by two-tenths during that conference-winning performance. With the title, he became the third Falcon to ever win a MPSF title – joining pommel horse champions Arinn Wade (2016) and Tim Wang (2017).

Top-ranked Oklahoma captured their eighth-straight MPSF team title – and 18th overall – with a score of 420.500, while second-ranked Stanford finished just 1.950 points back in second (418.550). California, ranked 11th in the nation, took third with a 394.700 and the 13th-ranked Falcons rounded out the field with a fourth-place score of 382.200.

Texeira was one of three Falcons to finish within the top half of the field, as sophomores Ethan Esval and Frankie Valentin finished within the top 10 on the still rings and vault, respectively. Esval recorded the eighth-highest score in program history (14.250) to finish seventh on the still rings, while Valentin recorded the second-highest mark of his career (14.200) to tie for ninth on the vault.

Valentin also accounted for the Falcons' top finish on the pommel horse (12th, 12.700), while senior Ryan Girouard earned that same placement to lead Air Force on the floor exercise (13.650). Sophomore Scott McMurray rounded out the Falcons' list of event leaders after scoring a career-best 12.900 to finish 13th on the parallel bars.

The 2019 season comes to a close at the NCAA Championships on April 19-20. The list of team and individual qualifiers for the meet, which will be held in Champaign, Ill., will be announced next week.

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Players Mentioned

Ethan Esval

Ryan Girouard

Scott McMurray

Lukas Texeira

Frankie Valentin

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