Let The National Title Defense Begin

Jan. 14, 2003

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MeetPreview

The Oklahoma men's gymnastics team begins the defense of its national championship with a trip to the University of Michigan for a dual meet with the No. 6 ranked Wolverines. OU comes into the meet ranked as the top team in nation according to the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll. With Oklahoma returning 80 percent of its scores from last season and six individual All-Americans it is no wonder OU is picked to repeat as national champions.

All-American and co-captain Daniel Furney leads a senior class that accounts for 33 percent of the Sooners roster. Despite being an early favorite for the Nissen Emery Award (top gymnast in the country), Furney's credentials fall short of fellow senior Brett Covey. Covey competed for the Canadian national team during the 2002 World Gymnastics Championships in Decrebon, Hungary. Add in three time All-American Josh Landis and 2002 All-American Shannon Carrion and the Sooner senior class makes up the most accomplished group in the country.

Michigan received two first place votes in the preseason poll and comes into the meet ranked at No. 6. While the Sooners held their final intrasquad last weekend, Michigan began its regular season in the Windy City Invitational. Michigan (207.150) finished in third place behind No. 2 Ohio State (213.000) and No. 7 Iowa (208.750) and ahead of No. 3 Illinois (207.050), No. 8 Minnesota (202.900) and No. 13 Illinois-Chicago (199.45). Senior Conan Parzuchowski, a two-time NCAA still rings All-American, won the rings competition with a score of 9.400. Senior Jamie Hertza finished second on the pommel horse with a score of 9.350.

OU makes its annual trek to Colorado Springs, Colo., next weekend (Jan. 24-25) for the Rocky Mountain Open, hosted by the Air Force Academy. Joining OU in the RMO field are the sixth ranked Cal Bears, the 15th ranked Air Force Falcons, the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Washington Huskies.

Defending Champs Tabbed To Repeat

The Oklahoma men's gymnastics team will begin the 2003 season exactly where they finished 2002, as the top team in the country. OU finished 2002 in Norman, winning the national title at the Lloyd Noble Center. The defending champs received seven of 15 possible first place votes in the GymInfo Coaches Preseason Poll. This is the second consecutive season OU has been at the top of the preseason poll.

"We are certainly honored to be ranked at the top of the poll," said OU Head Coach Mark Williams. "We definitely have a lot of work to do if we want to defend our national championship from last year. It is great for OU and especially our program and we will attempt to defend that ranking."

2003 Season Outlook

Take the 2002 season and use it as an exact blueprint for 2003. That is what OU men's gymnastics head coach Mark Williams wants to do. He wants the same motivation, the same season long concentration and the exact same determination, which led his Sooners to the national championship in 2002.

"The challenge for this year's squad is remain motivated," said Williams. "Everyone knows it is more difficult to repeat because you can't reproduce the desire to win the first title."

The Sooners return 80 percent of their scoring from last season, including All-Americans Daniel Furney, Josh Landis, Quinn Rowell, David Henderson, Jock Stevens and Brett Covey. Rowell is one of three gymnasts, Heath Mueller and Brian Trause being the others, who battled injuries for much of last season and are expected to be significant contributors this season. Add in USA national competitor Josh Gore, sophomore Michael Gehart and perhaps the most impressive freshman class in the country and the Sooners have the athletes to take the crown again when the championships get under way in Philadelphia at Temple University in April.

The first step in beginning the 2003 campaign was selecting captains and the 2003 team voted Furney, Landis and Rowell into that role.

"The kind of leadership the captains are providing letting the freshmen know what the whole process of the season is like and where they're trying to go," said Williams. "I think the captains have been very solid in their leadership. I expect them to continually teach this team what Oklahoma gymnastics is all about."

The Competition

The season kicks off at Michigan, which finished fourth in 2002, on Jan. 18. The following weekend OU travels to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Rocky Mountain Open, before facing Nebraska in Lincoln on February 1.

The home slate is filled with a number of quality teams. On Feb. 14, the Sooners face Iowa at Lloyd Noble Center. OU welcomes Nebraska the following Friday with Stanford and Ohio State visiting two weeks later. Oklahoma finishes the season with a return trip to Lincoln, Neb., for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference Championships.

"By the time we get to NCAA's we'll have met just about every team I think will have a chance to challenge for the national championship," said Williams.

Coach's Points

Coach Williams on the Michigan meet: "This weekend we approached our intrasquad as if it were the first meet of the regular season. When you start the regular season on the road against a talented team like Michigan, you have to be pretty good early. Gymnastically, we have been pretty sound. I am concerned with the number of reps the guys have taken at this point in the year. We are monitoring it, so the guys don't get worn down. This weekend will be a tough test for us. Last time we went to Michigan they edged us out by less than a point, so that should be a source of motivation for us."

On senior leadership: "The seniors are great. They have the system down. At this point they understand when they need to focus on developing strength, getting reps or fine tuning their routines. They handle that part of the process tremendously. I like the way they are getting the freshmen assimilated to the program and I feel they are setting a great example for their teammates."

Comparing the team to last year's squad: "We're not done putting it all together just yet. We're not motivated to peak right off the bat. I haven't pushed them to peak early. Other years I have done that because I wanted to send an early impression that we would compete for the national title. This year I know we will be good and the team does too."

A Closer Look At The Michigan Meet
- Last season OU faced Michigan at the Lloyd Noble Center and posted what was the nation's highest score at 218.125. OU defeated both the Wolverines and Nebraska in the meet.
-In 2001 Michigan handed OU its only regular season defeat (before eventually finishing second at nationals) when the Sooners traveled to Ann Arbor. - OU enters 2003 without any major injuries. Last season Ryan Hillyer and Quinn Rowell were out at the season's outset, while Daniel Furney was recovering from knee surgery.
- Freshman Jamie Henderson is expected to compete on rings and pommel horse this weekend. He could also find his way into the rotation on parallel bars and high bar. Fellow rookies James Myers and Curtis O'Rorke are not expected to compete this weekend.
- During Coach Williams' tenure, the Sooners have won every season opener except the 2000 Rocky Mountain Open, they finished second.
- OU travels to Colorado Springs, Colo., next weekend for the Rocky Mountain Open, which the Sooners have won the last two years.

Class Breakdown

Seniors

Landis returns from an off season in which he finished four on pommel horse adn fifth on high bar at the USA Championships. Landis will compete on every event except the still rings this season. After being ranked in the top three on floor and pommels all of last season, he will lead OU in those events this year.

Carrion battled through elbow surgery last season and was only fully healthy at the end of the season. This season he came into camp the healthiest he has been in several years. He has the ability to compete in the all-around and is guaranteed to be solid on the floor, rings and vault.

Furney is one of the most talented athletes in the athletic department, let alone on the gymnastics team. He has battled several injuries during his gymnastics career, most recently battling back from a torn bicep and knee surgery during the 2002 campaign. Furney is regarded as possibly the best gymnast at the collegiate level and should lead the Sooners both psychically and mentally.

Brett Covey didn't train with the group attempting to make the USA National Team because he was busy securing an invitation to compete at the World Championships for his homeland of Canada. Over the summer Covey took the still rings title at the Canadian National Championships and will likely be part of their World Championship team come November. He is one of the Sooners' best on still rings and will contribute consistently on the high bar as well.

Juniors

Rowell has endured more physically during his gymnastics career than any other Sooner on the squad. Since coming to Oklahoma he has suffered numerous injuries, most recently a broken wrist last season. Despite the injuries, Rowell was an All-American on high bar last year and is expected to be one the Sooners' strongest on high bar and parallel bars in 2003.

When the coaches openly label you the team clown it is generally a negative. When that liveliness energizes a team, the results are far from a hinderance. Jock Stevens may be a clown in some instances but he is an exceptional gymnast who was named an All-American on the vault last season. He will likely compete as an all-rounder this season. Stevens approach may be different but as Williams says, 'When he's at the top of his form, he is almost unbeatable."

Heath Mueller came into last season with high expectations for himself as an individual competitor. Injuries, including a stress fracture, hurt his scores. His season ended unexpectedly when he was injured in the NCAA preliminaries and couldn't compete in the team finals. This season Mueller is healthier than he has been since high school and is expected to compete on at least five events, if not as an all-arounder.

Sophomores

Second year Sooners Henderson and Gore spent their summers in the gym training for the 2002 USA National Championships. The duo comes into the season as gymnasts on the map nationally, primed to solidify their mark on the collegiate game. Henderson is expected to defend his All-America status on still rings, along with fellow teammate Shannon Carrion, while Gore will step up and become an all-around competitor for OU this season.

"Both David and Josh are ready to make names for themselves within the college ranks," said Williams. "In the near future both can be among the top gymnasts in the nation if they put in the necessary work."

Rounding out the sophomore class are Michael Gehart and Brian Trause. Gehart specialized on the vault last season and competed a few times on the floor. His arsenal of events will likely expand this year, adding still rings, high bar and parallel bars.

After redshirting his freshman year and battling an injured elbow last season, Brian Trause is ready to contribute. He will primarily compete on the pommel horse and parallel bars but could see time on the floor exercise.

Freshman

Coach Williams and staff wish every class was this easy to recruit and also as talented. James Myers and Curtis O'Rorke are from the Norman area and both trained at Oklahoma Elite. Jamie Henderson saw his brother win a national championship last season and knew the choice of competing for OU was an easy one. While Henderson and O'Rorke are expected to have an immediate impact on the team (he competed in USA Nationals this summer), Myers will need some polishing and experience before becoming a regular in the Sooner rotation.

Oklahoma Head Coach Mark Williams

Mark Williams, now in his fourth year at the helm of Oklahoma's men's gymnastics program, has solidified OU as a legitimate national title contender every year. Williams' first three years as head coach have seen the program achieve unprecedented success. He has the highest winning percentage (.905) of any coach in collegiate gymnastics history during his first three seasons. He also has accumulated the most wins (67) and the best overall record (67-7) of any coach during that span. With the Sooners claiming the national title in 2002, Williams reached the pinnacle of his sport quicker than any other coach.

"This is my dream job," Williams said when he was tabbed to lead the Sooners. "I look forward to continuing Oklahoma's tradition of gymnastics excellence."

Williams has done just that, as OU heads into the 2003 season as the No. 1 team in the country. One of the most respected gymnastics authorities in the nation, Williams has coached at every level of the sport, from beginners to Olympians. After 12 years as an assistant coach under Greg Buwick, Williams took over the Sooner the reins in 2000 and has won four conference titles, in addition to being named "Coach of the Year" by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation three times and NCAA National Coach of the Year in 2002.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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