Completed Event: Men's Gymnastics versus Ohio State on February 7, 2026 , Win , 328.650, to, 317.700
Final
Men's Gymnastics
328.650
vs Ohio State
317.700
University of Oklahoma Athletics
2008 Men's Gymnastics Preview
December 30, 2007 | Men's Gymnastics
Dec. 30, 2007
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NORMAN, Okla. - The goals for the Oklahoma men's gymnastics team remain unchanged from year to year: conference championship, NCAA championship. Since Mark Williams took over as head coach in 2000, more often than not those lofty aspirations have been realized.
The 2007 squad claimed the program's eighth Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship and came within 0.8 points of a three-peat for the national title.
For most programs that would constitute a year to remember. But for a program that owns four national titles since 2000, the Sooners were left wanting more.
With a talented lineup headlined by the past two NCAA all-around champions in senior co-captains Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons and Jonathan Horton, this year's Sooner squad is determined to reclaim its position as the preeminent team in collegiate gymnastics.
The OU lineup will be fortified by the return of All-Americans Reed Pitts and Jacob Messina from injuries that derailed their 2007 seasons, while the addition of ultra-talented freshman Steven Legendre should provide added depth to an already formidable roster.
Oklahoma returns six gymnasts with 30 career All-America honors between them (including 11 last season) and eight returnees who accounted for an amazing 40 individual event titles in 2007.
It will once again be an ambitious schedule for OU in 2008 with only three home meets on the slate. Williams' team will face its toughest opponents on the road with visits to defending national champion and preseason GymInfo No. 2 Penn State and another fierce rival, No. 4 Ohio State. Oklahoma will also once again match up with several of the nation's top 10 teams at the Pacific Coast Classic, the nation's premier collegiate invitational.
The race for the MPSF Championship will be intense, as the conference boasts four teams (Stanford, OU, Cal and Nebraska) in the coaches' preseason poll.
The entire schedule will build towards the championship season in April. Williams will try to develop consistent depth throughout the year while making sure his superstars are rested and primed for the stretch run.
With both Horton and Abdullah-Simmons entertaining Olympic aspirations for `08, health and fresh legs will be of paramount importance for reaching both team and individual goals.
As two of the most accomplished gymnasts in OU's storied history, the senior co-captains will have the added motivation of wanting to go out on top with a third NCAA team title during their time in Norman. Only twice in program history has a senior class been a part of three national championship teams (2005 and 2006).
The following is an event-by-event breakdown of the 2008 Sooners.
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Floor Exercise |
• Final 2007 Team Rank: 1 (37.870)
• Top Returning Scorers: Horton (9.8); Brooks, Czeschin (9.65)
OU boasts four gymnasts with All-America credentials on floor in Russell Czeschin, Reed Pitts, Jacob Messina and two-time defending NCAA champion Jonathan Horton. Freshman Steven Legendre, perhaps the team's most explosive athlete on floor, will have an big impact. Walk-on Bobby Shortle could also add depth on the event.
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Pommel Horse |
• Final 2007 Team Rank: 6 (33.700)
• Top Returning Scorers: Laughton (9.0); Horton (8.8)
The Sooners will look for senior leadership on pommel horse from Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons who are both capable of consistent scores. Jason Laughton, the team's top scorer in 2007, returns, and Williams will look for contributions from sophomores Corey English and Ian Jackson. Messina's return from injury could be a potentially huge boost for the horse lineup.
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Still Rings |
• Final 2007 Team Rank: 6 (37.350)
• Top Returning Scorers: Horton (9.85); Abdullah-Simmons (9.7)
Horton and Abdullah-Simmons are among the best in the nation on the still rings and will be counted upon heavily on the event this season. The Sooners boast a number of gymnasts capable of big scores on rings including Jackson, Laughton, Messina and Kyle McNamara. Oklahoma has had multiple gymnasts earn All-America honors on rings every year since 2000. Horton was the 2006 NCAA champion on the event and came just 0.075 points from claiming consecutive titles in 2007.
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Vault |
• Final 2007 Team Rank: 1 (35.740)
• Top Returning Scorers: Horton (9.3); Czeschin (9.2)
Abdullah-Simmons and Horton will also anchor the OU vault lineup as both earned All-America distinction on the event last season. Czeschin will be counted on as a consistent presence, while Jackson and Chris Brooks will also be valuable assets. Legendre and Garrett Carr have the ability to perform explosive vaults and could put up some big scores in 2008.
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Parallel Bars |
• Final 2007 Team Rank: 5 (36.210)
• Top Returning Scorers: Horton (9.65); Abdullah-Simmons (9.6)
A consistently solid event for the Sooners, the leadership of Horton and Abdullah-Simmons will once again be paramount on p-bars, one of the strongest events for both gymnasts. Williams will look for a lineup that best complements his senior co-captains. Carr, McNamara, Brooks, Laughton, Jackson and English could all see action on the event. Legendre might also crack the p-bars lineup late in the season as the team builds towards the championship stretch.
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High Bar |
• Final 2007 Team Rank: 1 (37.870)
• Top Returning Scorers: Horton (9.8); Brooks, McNamara, Abdullah-Simmons (9.5)
OU has the reigning national champion (Horton), as well as 2007 high bar All-Americans Abdullah-Simmons and Brooks. Williams has a number of options on how to fill the h-bar lineup, including Laughton, Carr, McNamara, Jackson, Legendre and Messina. With several gymnasts capable of high value skills, the event could be key to help separate the Sooners from their competition throughout the season.
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Saturday, April 04
MGYM Highlights: OU 325.250, California 315.100
Saturday, March 21
Problem Solvers: Beyond The Game - Ignacio Yockers
Wednesday, March 18
MGYM Highlights: OU 331.600, California 315.700
Saturday, March 07
