Sooners Look for Seventh MPSF Title

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 1 University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team will look to take its second straight and seventh overall Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title this Saturday, March 25, at 5 p.m. in Colorado Springs, Colo. The event, which will be hosted by the United States Air Force Academy, will showcase MPSF teams from Oklahoma, Air Force, Cal, Stanford and Nebraska.

This year's MPSF Championships will mark a change from the past. In past MPSF Championships, the event spanned two days with the first day crowning team champions and the second highlighting individual champions. For 2006, the event has been reconfigured to a one-day event that will crown both the team champions and individual champions on March 25.

Weekly Release | 2006 NCAA Championships in Norman

“I'd like to think that we compete for national championships every year and MPSF is the first step to a NCAA championship,” said OU head coach Mark Williams. “Hopefully this competition sets the stage for what we hope is a great post-season run. We have a number of guys who are in the running for MPSF individual championships.

“We are excited to be No. 1 and we recognize that now is the time to step up and prepare even more. We've proven through our duel schedule that we are a formidable team, but with the post-season upon us, we have to elevate our performance so that we are at a championship level.”

The Sooners enter the championships after wrapping up a perfect 17-0 regular season with wins over No. 2 Stanford and No. 9 Nebraska on March 11. OU's score of 217.8 topped the Cardinal's 216.9 and the Huskers' 201.1 at the meet in Norman, Okla.

OU will face stiff competition at the conference championships as Stanford (13-3) and Cal (11-7) are both ranked in the top-five nationally at No. 2 and at No. 5, respectively. Nebraska (7-8) is ranked No. 11 while Air Force (1-19) rounds out the group at No. 17.

OU has faced all four MPSF opponents this season and has compiled a conference record of 9-0 against them. For a complete rundown of Oklahoma's performances against MPSF competition, see page four.

Following the MPSF Championships, Oklahoma will take a week off before hosting the 2006 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships in Norman. The championships will begin Thursday, April 6, with the NCAA Qualifiers and the NCAA Team Finals follow on Friday, April 7, before concluding with the NCAA Event Finals on Saturday, April 8.

Tickets to the NCAA Championships can be purchased by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free at (800) 456-4668.

Looking Back: 2005 MPSF Championships
In 2005, Oklahoma hosted the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships and rolled to its sixth MPSF crown in front of its home fans by posting a then-school record 225.65. Prior to the competition, Mark Williams was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career.

OU's Jonathan Horton took the all-around title with a school-record 56.475 and also captured the rings title with a 9.825. Brothers David Henderson and Jamie Henderson each claimed titles for the Sooners on the vault (9.625) and the pommel horse (9.625), respectively.

California was second in the team competition at 219.725, followed by Stanford 217.925, Nebraska 215.375 and Air Force 197.200. California's Graham Ackerman won the MPSF Gymnast of the Year award.

Henderson Named Nissen-Emery Finalist
OU senior gymnast Jamie Henderson has been named one of seven finalists for the prestigious Nissen-Emery award. Considered to be the Heisman Trophy of collegiate gymnastics, the Nissen-Emery will be awarded at the 2006 NCAA Men's Gymnastics National Championships banquet on Wednesday, April 6.

Henderson, a Sooner co-captain and three-time All-American on the still rings, has posted 14 top-three finishes this year for the Oklahoma team. The Crosby, Texas native has OU's season-high, 9.2, on the pommel horse.

Henderson, if awarded, would become OU's sixth Nissen-Emery winner. The last Sooner to be honored is current OU assistant coach, Daniel Furney, who received the award in 2003.

Other finalists include William & Mary's Ramon Jackson, Penn State's Chad Buczek, Michigan's Gerry Signorelli, Illinois' Justin Spring, Iowa's Michael Reavis and Stanford's Nate Downs.

This Year 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 twice this season with the Sooners handing the Cardinal two of their three losses thus season. OU defeated No. 2 Stanford and No. 9 Nebraska in its final regular-season meet of the year (page 4).

The first Stanford loss came 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 (37.0) on the final rotation to edge out the Cardinal. The Sooners topped Stanford on the floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings and vault while the Cardinal picked up wins on the parallel bars and high bar.

This Year Versus Nebraska
The only two Big 12 schools that sponsor men's gymnastics, Nebraska and Oklahoma have met up three times this year. Both saw season-opening action at the Rocky Mountain Open where OU took first place honors (208.85), followed by second-place Nebraska (196.1).

The two rivals met up twice in March, with the Huskers hosting the Sooners on March 5 and OU playing host to Nebraska and Stanford on March 11. In the first meeting, OU topped the Big Red 214.65-208.65 in Lincoln and followed that up with a 217.8 to top the Huskers (201.1) and the Cardinal (216.9) in Norman.

This Year Versus Air Force
The first two weeks of the 2006 season saw Air Force and Oklahoma meet on two occasions. OU was victorious in both meetings. The first win came at the Rocky Mountain Open where OU posted a first-place 208.85 while Air Force finished fourth with a 170.050.

One week later, the Sooners welcomed the Falcons to Norman and posted a 210.15-171.65 win. 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.

This Year Versus Cal
Another team that OU faced in back-to-back weeks, Cal finished behind the Sooners on both occasions. The first came in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 18, where Oklahoma (216.55) topped both Ohio State (215.9) and Cal (210.7). The two teams competed against each other one week later at the Aquafina Pacific Coast Collegiate Classic in Oakland, Calif. The event saw OU (217.3) take first while Cal (212.65) finished third behind MPSF rival Stanford.

Looking Ahead
Next up for the Sooners is the 2006 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships hosted by the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. The event, held in the Lloyd Noble Center, will feature the nation's top 12 teams vying for the title as the country's top collegiate gymnastics program.

No. 1 Sooners End Regular Season With Win
The No. 1 University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team ended its regular season undefeated with a record of 17-0 after topping No. 2 Stanford and No. 9 Nebraska Saturday, March 11 in Norman. The Sooners score of 217.8 topped the Cardinal's 216.9 and the Huskers' 201.1.

OU took the team titles on the pommel horse, parallel bars and the high bar while OU's Jonathan Horton was the top individual taking the all-around title with a score of 54.5.

The meet also marked the final home competition for seniors Jamie Henderson and James Myers. Henderson took the night's pommel horse title with a 9.2.

The Sooners tied their season high on the pommel horse with a 35.1. Henderson took first on the event after hitting a season-high 9.2 and Jacob Messina posted his second-highest score of the season, 8.7.

Oklahoma moved to the still rings and tied another season high when it posted a 38.0 on the apparatus. Horton took second (9.65) for his fourth top-three finish of the season.

The Sooners then moved to the parallel bars and posted their top score of the season, 35.95, topping the previous high of 35.4 against Michigan. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons took the apparatus title with a season-high 9.35. Horton tied Stanford's Chris Harper for third with a 9.0.

OU concluded the night on the high bar where the Sooners posted three of top four individual scores with Messina leading the way with a second-place 9.35. Horton tied teammate Brian Carr for third on the apparatus with a 9.2.

Horton Named MPSF Gymnast Of The Week for Third Time
For the third time this season, University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Gymnast of the Week for the week of March 13. The award comes after the sophomore gymnast won the all-around title (54.5) against No. 2 Stanford and No. 9 Nebraska. Horton also placed second on the floor exercise (9.25) and still rings (9.65) while finishing third on the parallel bars (9.0) and high bar (9.2).

The award marked the third weekly honor that Horton has received from the MPSF this season. Horton received the award for the week of Feb. 20 after finishing 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. 7 Cal. Horton also placed second on the floor exercise (9.4) in OU's win. The sophomore also took the honor the week of Feb. 6 after finishing second in the Winter Cup.

Horton Named National Gymnast Of The Week for Third Time
For the third time this season, University of Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton was named the College Gymnastics Association National Gymnast of the Week on March 9.

Horton was the unanimous choice after taking first in the all-around to claim the championship at the 2006 Tyson American Cup in Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday, March 3. 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 at Temple University.

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 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.

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 9.683 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 five 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 an average of 9.400.

Fellow captain Jamie Henderson follows Horton, falling in at No. 11 (9.2). Sophomore Jacob Messina, who has come on strong on the apparatus, is the next Sooner in line at No. 14 with a 9.15 average. Senior James Myers and junior Brian Carr round out the group, tied for the No. 17 ranking, each posting an identical average of 9.100.

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 a season-high 38.0 against Stanford and Nebraska on the event. Sophomore captain Jonathan Horton also took second against the Cardinal and the Huskers, hitting a 9.65. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons hit a career-high when he posted a 9.5 to tie for fifth with teammate Jamie Henderson

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 9.683 average. Henderson follows with a No. 3 ranking and an average of 9.650 on the event. Henderson and Horton are joined in the top 10 of the event's rankings by No. 8 Abdullah-Simmons (9.450). Messina rounds out the Sooners in top-20 at No. 18 with an average of 9.183.

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 had placed on the floor or vault in every competition that he has competed in for the head coach Mark Williams prior to OU's competition with Stanford and Nebraska. The freshman just missed out placing on the floor exercise, finishing fourth with a 8.9. Czeschin is currently ranked No. 7 on the vault and No. 17 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.

Sooner Notes
Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons- Won the parallel bars (9.35) against Stanford and Nebraska
Wesley Aderhold- Did not see action against Stanford and Nebraska
Chris Brooks- Did not see action against Stanford and Nebraska
Brian Carr- Tied teammate Jonathan Horton for third on the high bar (9.2) against Stanford and Nebraska
Garrett Carr- Saw action on the pommel horse (8.55) and vault (9.15) against Stanford and Nebraska
Russell Czeschin- Competed on the floor (8.9) and vault (9.05) against Stanford and Nebraska
Jamie Henderson- Won the pommel horse with a 9.2 in wins over Stanford and Nebraska
Jonathan Horton- Took the all-around title (54.5) in win over Stanford and Nebraska
Jason Laughton- Did not see action against Stanford and Nebraska
Kyle McNamara- Did not see action against Stanford and Nebraska
Jacob Messina- Finished second on the high bar with a career-high 9.35 against Stanford and Nebraska
James Myers- Saw action on the floor exercise (8.75) and vault (9.1) against Stanford and Nebraska
Reed Pitts- Competed on the floor (8.75) against Stanford and Nebraska
Joseph Weaver- Competed on the parallel bars (8.8) against Stanford and Nebraska

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.

Men's Gymnastics in the Community
Despite classes of their own and training for the upcoming 2006 season, the members of the University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team still find time in their busy schedule to make weekly visits to Cleveland Elementary in Norman, Okla.

Cleveland Elementary program coordinator Regina Bell along with OU head coach Mark Williams have instituted a program that works for both sides. Gymnasts are assigned to assist a specific teacher with day-to-day activities, which include reading, practicing grammar skills and math exercises.

“As the coordinator of the program I have witnessed some wonderful things happen in a very short time with the partnership,” said Bell. “Kids come to my room telling me they read with Jamie Henderson, saw Jonathan Horton's muscles, or played a math game with Wes Aderhold or Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons. These personal moments add up, the kids want to come to school to see their gymnast. The gymnasts are making these kids feel so special.”

On Friday, Sept. 23, students of Cleveland Elementary and the OU gymnastics team will participate in the school's only fund raiser. Survivor Jog-A-Thon 2005 is an event that all the students participate in by wearing race t-shirts and competing in various events to help raise funds for the school. The event, put on by coordinators Ronda Smicklas and Tohnya Scaramucci-Ables, will be a fund-raiser for the school's music and physical education departments. Additionally, the event will help fund teacher training and curriculum support. The gymnasts along with their head coach will all be competing in the event throughout the day.

“The guys really enjoy the interaction with the students and the kids are always excited to see them,” added OU coach Williams. “The kids really look up to them because of their position in OU athletics. It makes the guys on the team appreciate what they do and appreciate that they are important in another child's life by helping in the classroom and serving as a positive role model.”

The interest in the sport of gymnastics has also peaked at Cleveland Elementary. The gymnasts have been spreading their knowledge of the sport to the students. In a school-wide assembly, a video of past meets was shown to the students and in the future, the team will put on a gymnastics demonstration for the entire school.

Excitement for the upcoming season is already in the air at Cleveland as the school plans to have Cleveland Elementary nights at home meets to help cheer on the defending national champions. The school also plans to make good luck cards and banners for the team throughout the season.

“The gymnasts have opened their arms to the kids and the staff,” added Bell. “They have shared tons of information about themselves and the sport of gymnastics. This partnership proves that you can never be too young or too busy to volunteer.

“These student athletes have a full class schedule, workouts, and laundry and yet they still find time to come and visit a school and touch the life of a child. To me that is the best lesson that can be taught and it makes me proud to be an OU alum and coordinator of this program.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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