Six Qualify for Visa Championships

NORMAN, Okla. All six University of Oklahoma gymnasts who competed in the U.S. Men's Qualifier at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday, advanced to the Visa U.S. Championships in August.

Jonathan Horton, Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Chris Brooks, Jacob Messina, Jason Laughton and Jamie Henderson each scored well enough to compete for the U.S. Championships. The six Sooner qualifiers were the most from any school, as well as the most in school history.

"I'm really pleased with the group's effort today," Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams said. "They all competed really well. That's almost half of our team. They're all very excited to represent OU at the U.S. Championships."

For Horton and Abdullah-Simmons, the qualifier served as more of a tune-up, as both athletes were pre-qualified for the Visa Championships.

Abdullah-Simmons still turned in a sterling performance, finishing fifth in the all-around in the morning session despite competing in only three events. The Philadelphia, Pa., native also grabbed first place on the parallel bars with a combined score of 14.80. He also took second on the still rings and third on the high bar.

Horton, who helped the U.S. squad to a victory at the recent France/USA/Switzerland tri-meet, also competed in only three events but still finished seventh in the all-around in the morning session, including a tie for second on the vault.

Session One Results | Session Two Results Qualifiers (PDF)

In the afternoon session, Brooks, a sophomore, was fourth in the all-around and picked up an individual title on the floor exercise with a score of 15.30. Brooks also finished second on the vault.

Messina, who had been unable to compete in the all-around for the Sooners due to back trouble, finished seventh in the event. The junior from Matthews, N.C., also tied for third on the high bar with a score of 14.950.

Laughton qualified with a tie for fifth on the high bar, while Henderson was fourth on the pommel horse.

In advancing to the U.S. Championships, the six OU gymnasts will also have the opportunity to qualify for the 2006 World Championships.

The Visa U.S. Championships will be held Aug. 16-19 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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