No. 2 Sooners Host No. 6 Michigan Friday

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 2 University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team returns to action this Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. when it hosts No. 6 Michigan (3-3) inside the Howard McCasland Field House.

The match-up will pit the Sooners against the only team who has defeated OU in the regular season since March 9, 2002. On Jan. 22, 2005, UM knocked off the Sooners in Ann Arbor, Mich., with a score of 222.275-219.05.

“We are looking forward to the competition with the University of Michigan,” said OU head coach Mark Williams. “It should be a tough competition as they are always a formidable opponent.

“The Wolverines are always in contention at the NCAA Championships. With that said, this meet should be a good gauge for where we stand as a team. We haven't forgotten them knocking us off last year and we hope to return the favor this year on our floor.”

Webcast

The Sooners come into the meet following a Friday night win over Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foe Air Force. OU defeated the Falcons on every event en route to a 210.15-171.65 victory. Oklahoma also produced the top three gymnasts on every apparatus.

OU captains Jamie Henderson and Jonathan Horton will return after missing last week's win over Air Force. The two were in Colorado Springs, Colo., attending the U.S. National Team training camp with the Japanese Olympic Team. Also returning for the Sooners will be sophomore Jacob Messina who sat out last week due to injury.

Michigan comes into Norman with a 3-3 mark and is on the heels of a home loss to No. 7 Penn State (209.40-206.45). The Wolverines opened the season at the Windy City Invitational where they finished third (207.4) behind No. 1 Ohio State (211.65) and No. 3 Illinois (210.5) and ahead of Iowa (205.8), Minnesota (203.9) and Illinois-Chicago (197.35).

Michigan is coached by Kurt Golder, who is in his 10th season with the program, and are led by senior Gerry Signorelli and freshman Joe Catrambone. Signorelli finished second (51.0) in the all-around in action versus Penn State, while Catrambone finished fourth (50.3) in the all-around at the Windy City Invite.

TICKETS - General Public $5, Faculty/Staff $5, Youth $3, Group* $3
*A group is considered 10 or more people and tickets must be purchased at least 24 hours in advance through the OU Ticket Office, (405) 325-2424 or (800) 456-4668.

SEATING - All seating will be general admission. Doors open at 6 p.m.

LIVE SCORING - Following each rotation, scores will be posted on Soonersports.com.

LIVE WEBCAST - SoonerSports.com will provide a live webcast of Friday night's action on the O-Zone beginning at 7 p.m. | O-Zone Live Events

OU Tops Air Force in Home Opener
The No. 3 University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team (4-0) opened its 2006 home season by defeating Air Force (0-4) 210.150-171.650 Friday night in the Howard McCasland Field House. The Sooners, who were without captains Jamie Henderson and Jonathan Horton, topped the Falcons on each event and had the top five gymnasts on each apparatus.

With Henderson and Horton in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the U.S. Senior National Team camp, the Sooners improved their team scores from the Rocky Mountain Open on the floor exercise (35.9), pommel horse (33.75) and vault (36.5). OU matched its previous score on the parallel bars (33.45).

Sophomores Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons and Brian Carr and freshman Russell Czeschin each had two individual event titles on the night. Abdullah-Simmons tied his career high (9.4) on the still rings en route to taking both the rings and the parallel bars (8.55) titles. Brian Carr posted marks of 8.7 and 9.15 on the pommel horse and high bar, respectively, both season-highs. Czeschin, after finishing third on the floor in the RMO, tied fellow freshman Chris Brooks for the floor title (9.05) and captured the vault title (9.25).

In the all-around, two OU freshmen finished at the top as Wesley Aderhold took the crown of top all-around gymnast with a score of 50.0. Brooks followed with a 49.6. Aderhold also finished in second on the pommel horse (8.4) and high bar (8.95) along with a third-place finish on the parallel bars (8.25).

Welcome Back
When the Michigan Wolverines arrive in Norman, they will be bringing a familiar face with them. Former OU assistant Yuan Xiao joined the Wolverine gymnastics program over the summer after spending five seasons with the Sooners. While at Oklahoma, Xiao helped guide the Sooners to NCAA team titles in 2002, 2003 and 2005 and runner-up finishes in 2001 and 2004.

Looking Ahead
The OU gymnastics team will take next weekend off as Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Jamie Henderson, Jonathan Horton and former OU gymnast David Henderson all head to Las Vegas, Nev., to compete in the prestigious 2006 Winter Cup. The two day event will give gymnasts the opportunity to vie for the 14 spots on the U.S. Men's Senior National Team Following the break for the Winter Cup, the Oklahoma team will take to the road and head to Iowa City, Iowa to take on No. 5 Iowa. The Sooners took on Iowa last year in Norman with OU prevailing 223.575-219.025 on senior night.

40 Years
The beginning of the 2006 season marks the 40th anniversary for the University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics program. During that time period, the Sooners have excelled by winning six NCAA Championships, 18 NCAA Individual Championships, 141 All-America honors, 14 conference championships (7 in MPSF and 7 in Big Eight), 94 individual conference champions and five Nissen Emery awards.

Additionally, four coaches (Russ Porterfield, Paul Ziert, Greg Buwick and Mark Williams) accumulated an all-time record 436-160-1, a winning percentage of 73.1 percent in those 40 years. The Oklahoma program has been responsible for placing 15 gymnasts on the U.S. Senior National Team and sent two members of its program to the Olympics on four different occasions.

Sooner Notes
Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons- Took still rings (9.4) and parallel bars (8.55) titles in win over Air Force
Wesley Aderhold- Took all-around title (50.0) in win over Air Force
Brian Carr- Won titles on pommel horse (8.7) and high bar (9.15) in win over Air Force.
Garrett Carr- Finished second on the vault (9.2) in first action as a Sooner in Air Force win
Russell Czeschin- Took vault (9.25) title and tied Chris Brooks for floor exercise title (9.05) in Air Force win
Jamie Henderson- Senior captain returns after missing Air Force meet with U.S. Senior National Team duties
Jonathan Horton- Sophomore captain returns after missing Air Force meet with U.S. Senior National Team duties
Jason Laughton- Finished third on high bar (8.65) in Air Force win
Kyle McNamara- Finished second on the still rings (8.7) in win over Air Force
Jacob Messina- Returns to action after sitting out Air Force meet due to injury
James Myers- Finished third on floor exercise (8.9) and vault (9.05) in Air Force win
Reed Pitts- Tied for third with teammate James Myers on the floor exercise (8.9) in win over Air Force
Joseph Weaver- Finished second on parallel bars (8.4) in Air Force meet

Oklahoma No. 1 in Preseason Poll
The Oklahoma men's gymnastics team, coming off its third national title in four years, was voted No. 1 in the GymInfo Coaches' poll.

The Sooners received five first place votes followed by Illinois (4), Ohio State (4) and Stanford (1). OU has been the preseason No. 1 team in each of the last five seasons and ranked in the top five of the preseason poll over each of the last nine seasons.

OU was voted No. 1 prior to last season and went on to win the program's sixth national title in West Point, N.Y.

“As always we're extremely proud to be considered among the top teams and recognized by our fellow coaches,” said OU head coach Mark Williams. “We have a lot to do to live up to this ranking, but I'm sure that the team will work hard to fulfill these expectations.”

Williams Announces Captains
University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics coach Mark Williams has named Jamie Henderson and Jonathan Horton captains for the upcoming 2006 season. The two represent six of the nine All-America honors returning from the 2005 season in which the Sooners captured their third national title in four years.

Henderson enters his senior season for the Oklahoma club after garnering All-America honors on the still rings and capturing an individual championship on the pommel horse at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships. Henderson, who was recently named to the U.S. Senior National Team and was the U.S. team's alternate at the Pan American Championships, also picked up All-America honors on the still rings in 2003 and 2004.

“Jamie Henderson has been with this program as long as anybody else on this team,” said Williams. “That, combined with being a three-time All-American, a senior and a member of the U.S. Senior National Team, led me to my decision to select him as one of this season's captains.

“He has always been a role model as far as the amount of time he spends working in the gym. This season we will rely on him to help guide the team, not only with his actions, but by being a vocal leader as well.”

Horton returns for his sophomore season after picking up a school-record five All-America honors on the floor exercise, vault, still rings, high bar and in the all-around. The Houston, Texas native also won the MPSF championship on the still rings. Currently, Horton is a member of the U.S. Senior National Team for the second time in his career and recently led the U.S. team to gold at the Pan American Championships by finishing a team-best fifth in the all-around.

“Jonathan Horton was probably our most valuable gymnast last year,” added Williams. “He picked up five All-America honors, returned to the U.S. Senior National Team, was a member of the NCAA's top team as a freshman and has now competed internationally. That is quite a list of accomplishments for somebody who is only in their second year of college.

“I feel like he is somebody who has earned a leadership role as a sophomore and will be a huge part of this team's success. I can see him leading this team for three straight years.”

Williams Signs English
Oklahoma men's gymnastics coach Mark Williams announced the signing of Corey English on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005. The Covington, La., native is a former club teammate of current Sooners Brian and Garrett Carr.

“We are excited to announce the addition of Corey English to the Oklahoma men's gymnastics program,” said Williams. “We feel like he'll be a good fit for our system and will be someone who can contribute to our recent success.”

English, who trains at the Mandeville Sports Complex under Alexandre Shostak, finished second in the all-around at the 2005 Louisiana Gymnastics State Championships. In 2004, English took the all-around title at the Louisiana State Championships. The past three years, English has qualified for the U.S. Junior Nationals Championships.

English attends St. Paul's High School and is the son of Wayne and Sandra English.

Horton Leads U.S. to Pan-Am Gold
University of Oklahoma sophomore gymnast Jonathan Horton finished a team-best fifth in the all-around, with a score of 52.650, and helped lead the U.S. team to a gold medal in the 2005 Pan American Championships in the October 8th competition in Rio de Janeiro.

Along with helping the U.S. team establish the top team score of 159.825, Horton posted the night's top score on the vault with a 9.525.

The U.S. team, led by OU head coach Mark Williams and University of Minnesota coach Mike Burns, consisted of Horton, David Durante, Joseph Hagerty and Guillermo Alvarez. OU senior Jamie Henderson was the team's alternate.

In the following day's event finals, Horton placed eighth on the vault and high bar with scores of 8.675 and 8.175, respectively. Alvarez took silver on the floor exercise and Hagerty took bronze on the high bar.

The Pan Am Championships is a qualifying tournament for the 2007 Pan American Games, slated for July 13-29, in Rio de Janeiro. In 2003, Horton tied for fourth in the all-around and was a member of the U.S. team that finished third at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Horton Named to U.S. National Team
One day after finishing fifth in the all-around at the 2005 Visa U.S. Championships, University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton was named to the 2005-06 U.S. Men's Gymnastics Senior National Team. The appointment, which was announced on August 13, marks Horton's second stint on the U.S. Senior National Team, having been a member of the 2004-05 team.

The sophomore from Houston, Texas entered the second round in 12th place after a disappointing score of 50.250 in the first round. Horton bounced back on the second night and posted the second-highest all-around score, 53.375. The score was just .25 points off eventual champion Todd Thornton's 54.000.

Horton also managed to place fifth on the floor exercise (two-day combined total of 17.750) and fifth on the vault (18.800).

“Jonathan performed like a true champion,” said OU head coach Mark Williams. “He kind of rose from the dead in the second day of competition. On the first day, he competed with intentions of making the team that will compete at the World Championships. He had new routines that he wasn't fully prepared for.

“On the second night, we made some adjustments and Jonathan hit all six routines and his score reflected that. I think that performance made the statement that he deserves to be on the U.S. National Team.”

Horton continues to build an impressive resume in the sport of gymnastics. In addition to his accomplishments on the USA scene, Horton, in his first year as a Sooner, helped OU to the program's sixth NCAA Championship in 2005 and added a program best five All-America honors.

Henderson Named to U.S. National Team
On August 30 the U.S. Men's Gymnastics Senior National Team has selected another University of Oklahoma gymnast to represent the nation in international competition. Jamie Henderson was selected to the team after finishing seventh in the 2005 Visa U.S. Men's Gymnastics Championships on August 10-12 in Indianapolis, Ind.

“I feel great about being named to the U.S. team,” said Henderson. “It's a great honor for all my hard work to be rewarded with a spot on the national team. I was a little disappointed by my finish in the Visa Championships, but it all worked out in the end.”

After finishing sixth on the first night of competition, Henderson posted a score of 51.375 in the all-around on the second night, giving him a two-day total of 102.475 and a seventh place finish.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

No. 2 Sooners Host No. 6 Michigan Friday

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