Furney And Williams Garner MPSF's Top Honors

March 30, 2003

NORMAN, Okla. - Nissen Emery Award Finalist Daniel Furney was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast-of-theYear by the league's coaches, while Oklahoma Head Coach Mark Williams garnered the Head Coach-of-the-Year award for the fourth consecutive season. The awards top off a very successful weekend for the Sooners, who claimed the team conference crown and three individual titles.

"This is an honor I can share with my team," said Williams. "Their work is the reason I have received this award and the reason we are in the hunt for another national title. I am very honored to and I ready to get back in the gym and prepare for the NCAA Championships in two weeks."

Furney took his first all-around conference title on Friday night with a score of 55.025, giving the senior two career conference titles. Furney is finalist for gymnastics top honor, the Nissen Emery Award, thanks to a season that compares with any in Oklahoma gymnastics history. Furney set the NCAA all-around (56.350) record this season, as well as breaking the OU vault, parallel bars and high bar records.

"This is great honor," said Furney. "I have to thank my teammates for pushing me along and our coaching staff for there diligence. I hope this is something we can build on as a unit. What we really want to bring home is another title after NCAA's."

Williams has won the coaching honor each of his four seasons as head coach but this year may be his best effort. The Sooners have broken the NCAA team scoring record twice, most recently during conference finals when the team scored an NCAA record, 223.500. This season the Sooners have posted six of the top 17 scores of all-time under the FIG scoring system. Williams, who won the NCAA Coach-of-the-Year last season, is a finalist for the award again this season as the No. 1 ranked Sooners look to defend their national title from 2002.

Williams owns a 83-7 (92 percent winning percentage) record since taking over as head coach and reached the 80 win plateau faster than any coach in men's collegiate gymnastics history. Williams is also one of only three coaches to win a championship in their third season at the helm. If OU repeats Williams would be the first coach to accomplish that feat in his first four years.

The top ranked Sooners have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Pa., April 11-13. OU won the national title in 2002 with a score of 219.300, a mark they have surpassed four times this year.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Furney And Williams Garner MPSF's Top Honors

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