No. 1 Sooners Host Stanford, Nebraska

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 1 University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team hosts its final regular-season home meet of the 2006 season when it welcomes No. 2 Stanford (12-2) and No. 9 Nebraska (2-6) to Norman on March 11. The meet, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CST, will be held in the Lloyd Noble Center and will mark the final home meet for senior Jamie Henderson and James Myers.

OU enters the matchup after defeating Nebraska, 214.65-208.65, last week in Lincoln, Neb. The Sooners won every event except for the pommel horse while Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons took the all-around title with a score of 52.95.

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Nebraska enters Saturday's meet with a 2-6 record and is currently ranked No. 9 overall and No. 7 on the vault and No. 8 on the parallel bars.

The Huskers are led by legendary head coach Francis Allen who is in his 37th year at the helm of the program. Nebraska top gymnasts are junior Jason Wassung and sophomore Stephen Tetrault. The pair finished second (51.85) and third (50.65), respectively, in the all-around against Oklahoma. Tetrault finished second on the pommel horse (8.8) and Wassung took third on the floor exercise (9.0) and the pommel horse (8.6) against the Sooners. Wassung is currently ranked No. 7 in the NCAA all-around.

Stanford comes into the competition with a record of 12-2 and is fresh off a 217.150-207.500 defeat of No. 8 Michigan. The Cardinal took individual victories on five events against the Wolverines, including a sweep of the individual honors on the still rings, pommel horse and parallel bars. Stanford enters the meet as the nation's top-ranked team on the floor, vault and high bar. Stanford marks the second time that OU has faced the No. 2 team in the nation after defeating then-No. 2 Ohio State 216.55-215.9 on Feb. 18 in Columbus, Ohio.

The Cardinal are coached by Thom Glielmi who is in his fourth year with the program. Sophomore David Sender, a U.S. Senior National Team member, and junior Dylan Carney are Stanford's leading gymnasts. Sender was Horton's U.S. teammate at the 2006 Tyson American Cup in Philadelphia, Pa., and finished fifth in Friday night's preliminary round. Carney took the vault (9.6) and high bar (9.65) titles in Stanford's win over the Wolverines. Sender is currently ranked No. 2 on the floor exercise and vault, while Carney is No. 1 on the high bar.

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.
PROMOTIONS - Four lucky fans will have the opportunity to win four tickets to the NCAA Championships.
LIVE SCORING - Following each rotation, scores will be posted on Soonersports.com.
LIVE WEBCAST - SoonerSports.com will provide a live webcast of Saturday night's action on the O-Zone beginning at 7 p.m

No. 1 Sooners Pass Final Road Test
The No.1 University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team passed its final regular-season road test and improved to 15-0 on the year after defeating No. 12 Nebraska 214.65-208.65 Sunday, March 5. The Sooners won every event except for the pommel horse. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons took the all-around title with a score of 52.95.

Individually the Sooners had six different gymnasts collect 15 top-three finishes including a sweep on the still rings with Jamie Henderson (9.7), Abdullah-Simmons (9.35) and Jacob Messina (9.25) taking first, second and third, respectively. The trio also finished in the top-three on the parallel bars as Abdullah-Simmons took first with a 9.05 and Henderson and Messina tying Nebraska's T.J. Schmidt for second with an 8.85. Henderson also claimed titles on the pommel horse (8.95) and the high bar (9.4).

Freshman Reed Pitts posted a 9.2 on the floor exercise to win his second straight floor title after taking the honor with a 9.7 at last week's Aquafina Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic. Pitts also tied classmate Russell Czeschin for third on the vault with a 9.25. Garrett Carr took second with a 9.3 on the apparatus.

OU was without sophomore captain Jonathan Horton who won the 2006 Tyson American Cup Saturday in Philadelphia, Pa. Horton's all-around score of 92.5 topped Japan's Hisashi Mizutori's 92.25. The Houston, Texas native also took first on the still rings with a score of 15.6 and second on the floor exercise (15.5) and vault (16.4).

Horton Wins American Cup
University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton finished first in the all-around to claim the championship at the 2006 Tyson American Cup in Philadelphia, Pa., Saturday March 4. The sophomore's 92.5 in the all-around edged out second-place Hisashi Mizutori of Japan's 92.250.

Horton also took first on the still rings with a score of 15.6 and second on the floor exercise (15.5) and vault (16.4). The Houston, Texas native did not finish lower than fourth on any event at the competition held in Temple University's Liacouras Center.

Horton qualified for Saturday's finals after finishing second (91.4) in the all-around behind Mizutori (91.6) in Friday night's competition. Horton also finished first on the still rings (15.35) and floor exercise (15.65) in Friday's competition.

The 2006 Tyson American Cup, an all-around invitational competition showcasing the top 24 male and female gymnasts in the world, is one of the sport's premier international events. This year's Tyson American Cup is also the first premier international invitational in the United States to use the sport's new scoring system. In addition to the United States, the Tyson American Cup field will featured gymnasts from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Romania and Russia.

Last Time Out Versus Stanford
Easily considered the favorites to battle it out for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation crown, No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Stanford have previously met up once this season with the Sooners giving the Cardinal only their second loss of the season on Feb. 25 at the Aquafina Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic in Oakland, Calif.

OU outdistanced Stanford 217.3-216.075, posting its highest floor exercise score of the year on the final rotation to edge out the Cardinal. The Sooners topped the Cardinal on the floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings and vault while Stanford picked up wins on the parallel bars and high bar.

Williams Reaches 150-Win Plateau
With six wins from the Pacific Coast Classic added to his total, OU head coach Mark Williams eclipsed the 150-career win mark and improved his career coaching record to 152-13. His .922 winning percentage is the highest of any active NCAA coach.

In 2004, Williams reached the 100-win plateau faster than any other coach in NCAA history after defeating then-No. 1 Ohio State, 219.6-218.175, in Columbus, Ohio. Since Williams joined the Sooners in 1988 as an assistant coach, OU has finished among the nation's top five squads on 17 occasions.

Sooners Hold Steady At No. 1 Ranking
The University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics program remains at the top of the list in the new GymInfo poll released Tuesday. OU claimed the No. 1 spot with a scoring average of 216.683. The Sooners originally took over the lead spot when the Feb. 13 rankings were released just three days after Oklahoma defeated Iowa 212.0-206.65 in Iowa City, Iowa. Despite the Sooners recent success, it was 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 score of 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 picking up its win over Iowa.

Prior to meeting the Hawkeyes, the Sooners posted the nation's then-highest score of 2006, 216.2, in its Jan. 27 win over current-No. 5 Michigan. OU followed that up by posting the nation's new highest score of 217.3 at the Aquafina Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic.

Not only do the Sooners remain the top team overall, but they are also the best team in the nation on the still rings with an average of 37.883.

Individually, sophomore Jonathan Horton is the nation's top gymnast in the all-around with an average of 54.217 and on the still rings with an average of 9.750 on the apparatus.

Horton Named Gymnast Of The Week, Again
University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Week for the week of Feb. 20. The honor came just three days after Horton finished first on the still rings with a career-high 9.85 and tied for first on the high bar (9.6) in Oklahoma's wins over No. 2 Ohio State and No. 4 Cal. Horton also placed second on the floor exercise (9.4) in OU's win.

It was the second time this season that Horton has been named MPSF Gymnast of the Week. The Houston, Texas native received the honor for the week of Feb. 6 after being named to the U.S. Senior National Team after finishing second in the all-around at the Winter Cup in Las Vegas, Nev.

Horton's award also marked the fourth time of the 2006 season that an OU gymnast has taken the honor. Prior to Horton's first honor, senior Jamie Henderson and freshman Russell Czeschin both received honors after their performances against Michigan and Air Force, respectively.

Taking It Higher
While the OU remains No. 2 behind Stanford on the high bar, Oklahoma is still the nation's best with six gymnasts in the top 20 of the apparatus' individual rankings. Leading the way is sophomore captain Jonathan Horton who is ranked No. 3 on the event with a three-score average of 9.533.

Fellow captain Jamie Henderson joins Horton in the top-10, falling in at No. 8 (9.35). Senior James Myers and freshman Chris Brooks are tied for the No. 15 ranking, each posting an identical average of 9.217. Brian Carr and Jacob Messina round out the group tied at No. 20 (9.15).

Henderson (9.4) and Messina (9.1) finished first and third, respectively, last weekend's against Nebraska. It was the second time that both gymnasts have finished in the top three on the apparatus.

Still Ringing It In
The No. 1 team in the nation on the still rings, OU posted another solid score when it hit the 36.65 mark to top Nebraska on the rings last Sunday. The Sooners also swept the Huskers for individual honors on the event with Jamie Henderson (season-high 9.7), Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons (9.35) and Jacob Messina (season-high 9.25) taking the top three spots. It marked the fifth time this year that the Sooners have swept their opponent on the still rings.

Individually, Oklahoma boasts some of the nation's top athletes on the apparatus. Currently, Horton is the nation's top-ranked gymnast on the event with a 9.750 average. Henderson follows with a No. 4 ranking and an average of 9.667 on the event. Henderson and Horton are joined in the top 10 of the event's rankings by No. 9 Abdullah-Simmons (9.450). Messina rounds out the Sooners in top-20 at No. 20 with an average of 9.183.

Looking Ahead
Next up for the Sooners marks the beginning of post-season action as the team travels to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships hosted by the Air Force Academy. OU will take on MPSF rivals Air Force, Cal, Nebraska and Stanford.

In 2005, the Sooners hosted the championships and posted a then-school record 225.650 to roll to its sixth MPSF Championship. Jonathan Horton earned titles in the all-around and on the still rings while Jamie Henderson took the pommel horse championship and David Henderson took the title on the vault. Prior to the competition, Mark Williams was named MPSF Coach-of-the-Year for the fifth time in his career.

Rhymes With Machine
One 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. 12 on the vault and No. 20 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. The freshman followed up that performance by taking the vault title (9.25) at the Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic and finishing third on the apparatus against Nebraska.

Tumbling To The Top
When the latest GymInfo rankings were released on March 7, the Oklahoma team maintained its No. 2 ranking on the floor exercise despite posting a 35.95 against Nebraska. Despite winning the vault for the second straight week, the Sooners remained at No. 3 where they are tied with Illinois.

Freshman Reed Pitts took his second consecutive floor exercise title when he posted a 9.2 to top all other gymnasts against Nebraska. A week earlier at the Aquafina Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic in Oakland, Calif., Pitts hit a career-high 9.7 to win the floor title and help the Sooners overcome Stanford. Pitts also took third on the vault against the Huskers. It was his first time for the Allen, Texas to place on the vault while it was his fourth time to finish in the top three on the floor exercise.

Sooner Notes
Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons- Took first in the all-around (52.95) and on parallel bars (9.05) in win over Nebraska
Wesley Aderhold- Hit career-highs on the floor exercise (8.85), vault (8.95) and high bar (9.05) against Nebraska
Chris Brooks- Did not compete against Nebraska
Brian Carr- Suffered injury in warm-ups and missed action versus Nebraska
Garrett Carr- Finished second on the vault with a career-high 9.3 against Nebraska
Russell Czeschin- Tied teammate Reed Pitts for third on the vault (9.25) in win over Nebraska
Jamie Henderson- Took titles on the pommel horse (8.95), still rings (9.7) and high bar (9.4) in Nebraska win
Jonathan Horton- Won the 2006 Tyson American Cup all-around championship with a 92.5
Jason Laughton- Contributed to OU's parallel bars total with an 8.2 in win over Nebraska
Kyle McNamara- Posted career-highs on the parallel bars (8.4) and high bar (8.35) against Nebraska
Jacob Messina- Finished second on parallel bars (8.85) and third on rings (9.25) and high bar (9.1) vs. Nebraska
James Myers- Competed on floor, rings, vault and high bar in win over Nebraska
Reed Pitts- Won floor exercise title (9.2) and finished third on the vault (9.25) against Nebraska
Joseph Weaver- Saw action on the floor exercise and still rings in Nebraska win

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 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 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).

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.

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.

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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