No. 1 Sooners Head West for Classic

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 1 University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team heads to Oakland, Calif., this Saturday, Feb. 25, to compete in the 2006 Pacific Coast Classic. The event, which is hosted by USA Sports Management in partnership with the Oakland Marriott City Center, will feature seven NCAA teams: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 Michigan No. 7 Iowa, No. 8 Cal, No. 9 Minnesota and No. 10 William & Mary.

The event will be broadcasted by Fox Sports Bay Area and live scoring will be provided by www.meetscoresonline.com.

Proceeds from the Pacific Coast Classic benefit two organizations that significantly impact the future of men's gymnastics in the United States: Men's Intercollegiate Gymnastics Support Program (MIGSP) and the National Gymnastics Foundation Men's Scholarship Program.

Weekly Release | 2006 Championships in Norman

The Sooners (8-0) enter the meet having defeated No. 2 Ohio State and No. 8 Cal Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. OU posted a season-high 216.55, and defeated the Buckeyes (215.9) and Golden Bears (210.7). Additionally, OU topped OSU (8-1) and Cal (1-5) on the floor exercise, still rings and high bar.

“This event is exciting because its format is similar to the NCAA Championships,” said OU head coach Mark Williams. “I like the situation that this team is being put in for this competition. It will give us a good feel for the championships down the road and it will be a challenge as well.”

The competition will mark the second time that the Sooners will have faced Big Ten teams Iowa and Michigan. The Sooners topped Iowa 212.0-206.65 on Feb. 10 and Michigan 216.2-203.9 on Jan. 27. The competition will also pit OU against Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foes Stanford and Cal. All three teams will meet up again in Colorado Springs, Colo., on March 25 for the MPSF Championships and Stanford will come to Norman on March 11 for a tri-meet with Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Iowa (5-5) enters the weekends' competition after falling to Illinois (9-2) and topping Michigan (4-6) last Saturday in a tri-meet hosted by the Hawkeyes. MPSF rival Stanford (4-1) comes into the meet having narrowly lost at Penn State (8-0) last Sunday, 216.8-216.75.

Minnesota (2-2) enters the Classic coming off a 204.15-202.9 win over Nebraska (2-5) last Saturday in Minneapolis. William & Mary (7-1) rounds out the competition and is coming off a win over James Madison (0-11). The Tribe posted its highest score of the season, 209.55.

No. 1 Sooners Top No. 2 Ohio State, No. 7 Cal
In action last Saturday night, the No. 1 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team posted a season-high 216.55 to defeat No. 2 Ohio State (215.9) and then-No. 7 California (210.7) in Columbus, Ohio. In what has become a yearly battle between two of the nation's heavyweights in men's gymnastics, the Sooners topped the Buckeyes for the eighth consecutive time.

Oklahoma defeated the Buckeyes and Golden Bears on the floor exercise (36.45), still rings (38.0) and high bar (36.9). The Sooners are the top-ranked team in the nation on all three events.

Individually, the Sooners were led by Jonathan Horton who finished first on the still rings with a career-high 9.85 and tied OSU's Willie Ito for first on the high bar with a 9.6. Horton also finished second on the floor exercise with a 9.4.

Jamie Henderson took first on the pommel horse with a 9.15 and second on the still rings with a 9.65. On the vault, Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons finished second with a 9.4. Russell Czeschin also took third on both the floor exercise (9.2) and vault (9.35).

Sooners Reclaim No. 1 Ranking
The University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics program was at the top of the list in the new GymInfo poll released last Tuesday. OU claimed the No. 1 spot with a scoring average of 211.8. Despite the Sooners recent success, it is the first time for the program to be ranked No. 1 in a regular-season poll since March 7, 2003.

OU began the 2006 season ranked No. 1 in the GymInfo pre-season coaches poll and then slipped to No. 3 after posting a season-low 208.85 at the Rocky Mountain Open. After defeating the Air Force Academy 210.15-171.65, OU moved up a spot to No. 2 before reaching its current status by defeating then-No. 5 Iowa, 212.0-206.65, last Friday in Iowa City, Iowa.

Prior to meeting the Hawkeyes, the Sooners posted the nation's highest score of 2006, 216.2, in its Jan. 27 win over current-No. 5 Michigan.

Not only did the Sooners claim the top overall spot, but they are also the best team in the nation on the floor exercise, still rings and high bar with averages of 35.95, 36.425 and 36.237, respectively.

Individually, sophomore Jonathan Horton is the nation's top all-around gymnast with an average of 53.55 and senior Jamie Henderson is the nation's best on the still rings with an average of 9.437 on the apparatus.

Currently, the GymInfo rankings are determined by averaging all of a team's scores from the 2006 season. Beginning next week, the rankings will be tabulated by averaging a team's top three scores of the season. The rankings will change once more on March 13, when the polls will be determined by the modified three score average which consists of selecting the four highest scores, counting no more than two home meets and dropping the highest score before averaging the three remaining scores.

Changes in Rankings
While the Sooners remain the top-ranked team in the nation, other rankings, mostly individual rankings, have shuffled across the board. The reason for this is the changes in the GymInfo rankings of Feb. 20. Prior to Feb. 20, the rankings had been determined by the average of all total scores. From Feb. 20 to March 6, the scores will be determined by the gymnast or team's top-three scores averaged together.

The ranking system will change once more on March 13 when the polls go to the modified three score average. To determine the average select the four highest scores, counting no more than two home meet, and drop the highest score. Average the three remaining scores

Taking It Higher
The last three competitions have seen OU post its three highest scores of the season on the high bar and retain the No. 1 ranking on the apparatus. Oklahoma is the nation's best with six gymnasts in the top 25 of the apparatus' individual rankings. Leading the way is sophomore Jonathan Horton (No. 5).

The Sooners claim No. 10-12 in the rankings with Chris Brooks, Brian Carr and Jamie Henderson in that order. James Myers is next at No. 16 and Jacob Messina rounds out the group at No. 24

Still Ringing It In
After taking MPSF rival Stanford for the No. 1 ranking on the still rings, OU posted a season-high on the event when it notched a 38.0 in its win over Ohio State and Cal. It was the third straight week that the Sooners set a new season-high after posting a 37.85 against Iowa following a 37.05 mark against Michigan.

Individually, Oklahoma boasts some of the nation's top athletes on the apparatus. Senior captain Jamie Henderson leads the way with a No. 3 ranking and an average of 9.650 on the event. Henderson is joined in the top five of the event's rankings by No. 4 Jonathan Horton (9.6) and No. 5 Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons (9.433). Jacob Messina rounds out the Sooners in top-20 at No. 20 with an average of 9.033.

Looking Ahead
The Sooners will stay on the road as they travel to Lincoln, Neb., to face MPSF rival Nebraska on Saturday, March 5. It will mark the second time this year that OU has faced the No. 10 Huskers. The two competed against each other in the season-opener for both teams, the Rocky Mountain Open. The Sooners finished first with a 208.850, while Nebraska came in second with a 196.1. The two will face each other three weeks in a row as the Sooners host the Huskers and Stanford on March 11, before the teams compete against each other in the MPSF Championships on Saturday, March 25, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Rhymes With Machine
On of the reasons that the OU floor and vault team have excelled in 2006 is the addition of freshman Russell Czeschin. The Independence, Mo., native is a power tumbling specialist who has placed on the floor or vault in every competition that he has competed in for the head coach Mark Williams and is currently ranked No. 10 on the vault and No. 11 on the floor.

Czeschin opened the season with a third-place finish on the floor (8.85) at the Rocky Mountain Open. Then, after taking both the floor and vault title in OU's win over Air Force, he was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Week. After receiving the MPSF honor, he picked up second the vault (9.15) and third on the floor (9.1) against Michigan before taking third on both the floor (9.2) and vault (9.35) against Ohio State and Cal.

Tumbling To The Top
When the latest GymInfo rankings were released on Feb. 20, the Oklahoma team was ranked No. 2 on both the floor exercise and vault. While the Sooners dropped a spot from last week's No. 1 ranking on the floor, their status on the vault was the highest of the 2006 season. Previously the Sooners were the No. 4 team on the apparatus before posting a season-high 36.95 that vaulted them up to their current ranking.

Sooner Notes
Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons- Posted career-highs on still rings (9.5) and vault (9.4) against Ohio State
Wesley Aderhold- Saw action on the pommel horse (8.05) and parallel bars (7.85) versus Ohio State
Chris Brooks- Helped Sooners to season-high on the vault with a 9.1 in win over Ohio State
Brian Carr- Competed on the pommel horse (8.25), parallel bars (8.4) and high bar (8.7) in Ohio State win
Garrett Carr- Helped Sooners to season-high on the vault with a 9.1 in win over Ohio State
Russell Czeschin- Finished third on the floor (9.2) and vault (9.35) against Ohio State
Jamie Henderson- Took first on the pommel horse (9.15) and second on rings (9.65) in Ohio State win
Jonathan Horton- Took first on the still rings (9.85) and high bar (9.6) and second on floor (9.4) versus Ohio State
Jason Laughton- Did not see action against Ohio State
Kyle McNamara- Posted a career-high 8.25 on the pommel horse against Ohio State
Jacob Messina- Helped Sooners to season-high on the still rings with a 9.0 in win over Ohio State
James Myers- Saw action on floor (8.5), still rings (8.25), vault (9.05) and high bar (9.05) in Ohio State win
Reed Pitts- Competed on the floor (9.0) and vault (8.9) against Ohio State
Joseph Weaver- Did not compete against Ohio State

Horton Receives National Honor
Just one day after being named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Week, University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton garnered another honor when he was named the College Gymnastics Association National Gymnast of the Week on last Wednesday.

The award, which is a product of a national coaches poll, comes after a successful weekend that saw Horton being named to the U.S. Senior National Team after finishing second in the all-around at the 2006 Winter Cup.

The sophomore captain also finished third on the floor exercise, still rings and high bar at the event.

Horton Named Gymnast Of The Week
University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Week last Tuesday for the week ending Feb. 6. The conference announced the honor three days after Horton finished second in the all-around at the Winter Cup and was named to the U.S. Senior National Team for a third year.

The sophomore captain also finished third on the floor exercise, still rings and high bar at the event. It is the second straight year that the Houston, Texas native was named MPSF Gymnast of the Week following the Winter Cup. In 2005, Horton received the honor after tying for first on the floor and finishing fourth on the vault to earn a spot on the U.S. National team.

Horton's award marked the third straight week that a Sooner gymnast won the honor bestowed on top gymnast from the conference that counts OU, Air Force, California, Nebraska and Stanford as its members.

Viva Las Vegas
Jonathan Horton's performance in the Winter Cup was not the first time that the sophomore has excelled in the city of lights. In 2005, as a freshman, Horton qualified for the U.S. National Team after finishing first on the floor (8.95) and fourth on the vault (8.975). The Houston, Texas native also finished eighth in the all-around with a score of 51.181. Following both occasions, Horton was named MPSF Gymnast of the Week.

Horton Named To U.S. National Team
On Feb. 4, OU's Jonathan Horton was named to the U.S. Senior National Team after finishing second in the all-around (177.5) at the Winter Cup finals in Las Vegas, Nev. Horton finished just two-tenths of a point behind champion David Durante's 177.7. The appointment marks Horton's third straight stint with the national team.

With Horton's finish in the all-around, the Houston, Texas, native was invited to represent the U.S. in the prestigious American Cup on March 4, in Philadelphia, Pa. The sophomore also finished third on the floor exercise, still rings and high bar with two-day combined scores of 30.05, 30.55 and 30.35, respectively.

Oklahoma's Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons and Jamie Henderson also competed in Saturday night's Winter Cup finals. Abdullah-Simmons finished eighth and Henderson 24th, despite not competing on the floor exercise or vault in Saturday night's competition. Abdullah-Simmons also finished fifth on the parallel bars with a two-day combined score of 29.55. Henderson finished sixth on the still rings (29.25).

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.

Henderson And Czeschin Receive MPSF Honors
Senior Jamie Henderson and freshman Russell Czeschin were named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnasts of the Week on Tuesday when the conference announced the honor for the first three weeks of the 2006 season.

Henderson received this week's honor (Jan. 30) after posting season highs and taking first place honors on still rings (9.65) and high bar (9.5) in OU's win over then-No. 6 Michigan. Henderson helped the Sooner team post the nation's highest score of the 2006 season, 216.2, in its defeat of the Wolverines.

Czeschin received his honor for the week of January 23 after the Air Force meet in which he won the vault title with a career-high 9.25 and tied for first place on the floor exercise (9.05). That performance came one week after the Independence, Mo., native captured the floor exercise championship (8.85) at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo.

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.

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.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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