A Closer Look

February 18, 2001

The Sooners suffered their first loss of the season to 1999 NCAA champion Michigan on February 18 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Despite the Sooners' 215.75, their highest score of the season to date, they could not top the Wolverines' 216.55 total. (U Mass finished a distant third with a 202.35)

The Sooners struggled as a team on their first event, pommel horse, which has been their nemesis all season. A series of misses ended with a 35.4 team total.

Anchored by sophomores Shannon Carrion (9.25) and Brett Covey (9.65) the Sooners picked things up on rings, earning a meet-high 37.15 total.

Floor was another good effort for the Sooners. Led by freshman Jock Stevens (1-1/2, front, double front), who won the event with a 9.55, the Sooners had a point-plus lead at the meet's midway point.

Parallel bars was another solid, if not spectacular, event for the Sooners, who scored 35.2 as a team. Tight scoring on their second-to-last event, high bar (35.1), put OU in a dead heat with Michigan going into the final event. A sub-par performance on vault left the Sooners .8 tenths behind the hosts at the end of the evening.

"I wish that we finished stronger on vault," coach Mark Williams said. "I really think we had every opportunity to win this meet. Now we'll have to count this as a good learning experience. We know we'll see Michigan again in the NCAA team finals.

"We were competing without one of our top all-arounders, Gabe Hansen, who stayed home because of a shoulder injury. With Gabe in the lineup at NCAAs, I think things may be different."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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