Men's Gymnastics Releases 2006 Schedule

NORMAN, Okla. The defending NCAA men's gymnastics team, the Oklahoma Sooners, head coach Mark Williams and athletics director Joe Castiglione released the Sooners' schedule for the upcoming 2006 season Monday. The schedule is highlighted by three home meets at the Howard McCasland Field House and trips to Ohio State, Nebraska and Iowa. In addition, the 2006 NCAA Championships will be held on the campus of the University of Oklahoma.

The Sooners will compete in 10 meets all together and will kick off the 2006 season with a trip to the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Jan. 13-14. That meet will put OU up against Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) foes Air Force and Nebraska, along with the Arizona State club team.

2006 Men's Gymnastics Schedule | Printable Schedule (PDF)

On Friday, Jan. 20, OU will face Air Force for the second straight weekend in the Sooners' home opener. The following week, the defending champions will be looking to avenge their only 2005 regular-season loss on Jan. 27, when they host Michigan. OU's third home meet is scheduled for March 11 and will feature two other MPSF teams, Stanford and Nebraska.

Another highlight on the schedule is a trip on Feb. 25 to the Pacific Coast Classic in Oakland, Calif. The classic will feature some of the nation's best teams including OU, California, Michigan, Iowa, Stanford and Minnesota.

This year's MPSF Championships will be hosted by the Air Force Academy on March 25 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“We start out with our usual trip to the Rocky Mountain Open, it's always a good tune-up to open the season with,” said Williams. “After that we have two home meets and we are excited to face Michigan in the second of those two. They are always one of the top teams in the nation and will provide a great challenge.

“In February, all of our meets are on the road with the highlight being a trip to face the 2005 NCAA runner-up Ohio State. This year we will also be participating in the Pacific Coast Classic, which is a big invitational with six teams. After that we will finish up with our yearly trip to Nebraska and then host a tri-meet with Stanford and Nebraska. Then it's on to the conference championships where we hope to duplicate last year's success.”

The 2006 season will end with the Sooners hosting this year's NCAA Championships inside the Lloyd Noble Center. The competition will run April 6-8 and will include the nation's top 12 teams. The Sooners last hosted the NCAA Championships in 2002 and finished a 28-1 season with the program's fourth national championship.

“We are thrilled to host the NCAA Championships,” added Williams. “We are hoping to attract a very loud and supportive Oklahoma crowd as we contend for our seventh national championship.”

Tickets for the 2006 NCAA Championships can be purchased by calling the OU ticket office at (800) 456-4668 or by visiting www.soonersports.com.

Oklahoma posted a record of 21-2 in 2005 and took both the NCAA and MPSF championships along with setting the program's record with 13 All-America honors. The Sooners return nine of the 13 All-American honors with Jonathan Horton (all-around, floor exercise, vault, still rings, high bar), Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons (all-around, parallel bars), Jamie Henderson (still rings) and Jake Messina (floor exercise).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Men's Gymnastics Releases 2006 Schedule

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