A Closer Look

Feb. 11, 2001

At the U.S. Winter Cup in Las Vegas February 10-11, Oklahoma gymnasts Daniel Furney (sophomore), Shannon Carrion (sophomore) and Jock Stevens (freshman) competed alongside the nation's top gymnasts, including 2000 Olympians Blaine Wilson and Sean Townsend.

All three Sooners qualified to the second day of competition, finishing among the top 30 gymnasts in the country. Furney secured OU's best result with his 10th place finish, while Carrion and Stevens finished 18th and 28th, respectively.

"This was a great opportunity for these gymnasts to compete not only for spots on the US national team but also to hone their all-around skills," coach Mark Williams said. "Considering the major adjustments they have had to make with the new scoring system implemented this season, I was extremely proud of Daniel's top ten finish. I was also pleased that Shannon had a much better experience than he did last year at this event. Qualifying to the all-around final and finishing in the top 20 is a great achievement for Shannon.

"This also marked Jock's return to all-around competition, after an injury sustained over the Christmas holidays. I was impressed by how far Jock had come in such a short time and expect even more out of him in future U.S. national competitions."

All three gymnasts are now training for the U.S. National Championships this July.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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