Sooner Nation will be all over the 2012 Olympics this year. Five members of the men’s gymnastics team and two members of the Sooner Track and Field team will get a chance to represent the USA in little less than a month.

The Sooners will be sending Jake Dalton, Jonathan Horton, Chris Brooks, Steven Legendre and Alex Naddour to represent… and that’s just the gymnastics team. Dalton, Brooks and Legendre were selected to the five-man squad, while Naddour and Horton were picked as alternates. Jonathan Horton was on the 2008 Beijing Olympic team who helped Team USA bring home a Bronze.

The Track and Field representatives from Sooner Nation go to the ladies. Brittany Borman is the back-to-back NCAA Champion in Javelin and for the first time in her career, surpassed the Olympic A standard to earn her spot on Team USA. She made the team on her sixth and final throw at the Olympic Trials on Sunday.

Tia Brooks earned her spot on Friday, and will be representing Team USA in shot-put. Her second attempt on Friday was enough to earn her a spot on the team.

As I reported back in April, two former Sooner wrestlers will also be representing in London: Jared Frayer and Sam Hazewinkel.

The Crimson and Cream will be Red, White and Blue at the end of July. Good Luck to Sooner Nation and the USA!

With the Summer Olympics approaching, the Olympic trials are now in full swing. The Sooners have a couple student-athletes looking to make their World debut in London for the August games.

On Thursday Junior Gymnast, Jake Dalton started his trek to London at the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials. Dalton was the 2012 NCAA all-around champion and 11-time All-American. He posted the top score on the floor and the vault exercise and he also had the 5th best score all around. If Dalton makes the U.S. Team, he will only be the second Sooner to compete in the Olympics while still enrolled in school.

Dalton continues on to the final day of competition on Saturday starting at 3:00 PM CST. The trials will be televised on NBC.

Also on the Olympic Trial front, members of the Track and Field Team are looking to punch their ticket to London. Shot-Putter Tia Brooks came in 4th at the shot put qualifier on Thursday. If Brooks finishes in the top 3 on Friday’s final, she will have earned her way to London.

On Friday, other Sooners competing in the trial include:  OU seniors Brittany Borman (women’s javelin throw) and Ti’Anca Mock (women’s long jump) Former Sooners include Ronnie Ash (men’s 110-meter hurdles), Amy Backel (women’s javelin throw) and Mookie Salaam (men’s 200-meter dash).

The U. S. Olympic Track and Field trials are being held in Eugene, Oregon June 21-July 1 and fifteen Sooners are looking to make the team.

In each event, the top-four finishers in every track and field sport will earn a spot on the Olympic with the exception of the 100 and 400-meter dashes, which takes the top-eight. Sooners that entered the trials include:

George Alex- Mens 500

Brittany Borman – women’s javelin

Tia Brooks – women’s shot put

Luke Bryant – men’s discus

Eric Cray – men’s 400-meter hurdles

Riley Masters – men’s 1,500

Ti’Anca Mock – women’s long jump

Alexandra Acker – women’s pole vault

Former Sooner stars Ronnie Ash (men’s 110-meter hurdles), Amy Backel (women’s javelin), Kevin Bookout (men’s shot put), Mookie Salaam (men’s 100 and 200), Toni Smith (women’s triple jump)  Leslie Cole (women’s 400 meters) and Candyce McGrone (women’s 100) are also contending for a spot on the team.

You will be able to check out the Olympic Track and Field Trials starting Friday, June 22nd on NBC.

Frayer after his victory

The Sooners will be representing in London this Summer in the 2012 Olympics! Jared Frayer and Sam Hazewinkel both competed this weekend in Iowa City for a spot on the Olympic wrestling team. Frayer is the current assistant wrestling coach at Oklahoma.

Frayer had to face another former Sooner to earn his spot, Teyon Ware, in the semi-finals. Both Hazewinkel and Frayer had to defeat the four best wrestlers in the Nation to earn spots on the team. Jared Frayer was at Oklahoma from 1999-2002 while Sam Hazewinkel was there 2004-2007. There is now a total of 23 former Sooners who represented the United States in the Olympic Games.

Sooner head wrestling coach Mark Cody on the his former athletes accomplishments (via SoonerSports.com):

I could not be any prouder than I am of Jared and Sam after all they have accomplished. They are great representatives of the University of Oklahoma and will do the same as they represent the United States at the Olympic Games this summer. Also, Michael Lightner deserves a lot of credit as he did a fabulous job as the freestyle coach and helped prepare these guys.

Congrats to both Sam and Jared for representing not only Sooner Nation, but getting to rep the United States!