Men Host Texas, Washington Friday

NORMAN, Okla. -- The defending NCAA champion Oklahoma men's gymnastics team returns to McCasland Field house Friday night to take on club teams from the University of Washington and the University of Texas.

The tri-meet is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start inside the Field House. The event will also be carried live on the O-Zone.

The Sooners will welcome students, parents and staff from Cleveland Elementary in Norman as special guests. OU gymnasts volunteer at the school and make weekly visits to help tutor and mentor students. The team performed an exhibition for Cleveland's students at a Wednesday morning pep assembly.

“It's going to be a fun event atmosphere-wise,” OU head coach Mark Williams said. “The guys want to put on a good performance and show off for the kids that they work with on a weekly basis. They are excited to have them come support what they do. We hope to see a lot of enthusiasm and excitement at Friday's competition.”

Live Scoring | Web Cast | Notes | Media Guide

Texas and Washington are both independent club teams made up of gymnasts looking for an opportunity to compete against the nation's best, even if their school doesn't sponsor an intercollegiate gymnastics team. And even though the Longhorns are not NCAA foes, Friday's matchup is still a meeting of the Red River Rivalry

“We welcome the chance to compete with our rivals from the south,” Williams said. “Having two club programs come in, we hope it will help the development of their gymnastics programs because that's a cause that's very important to us. We think it'll be a fun event.”

OU has not competed as a team since defeating No. 10 Nebraska in Lincoln on Feb. 2. Juniors Jonathan Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons participated in the 2007 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev., Feb. 8-11.

In a field of over 80 of the top men's gymnasts in the United States, both Horton and Abdullah-Simmons advanced to the all-around and event finals on Feb. 11.

In Saturday's competition, Abdullah-Simmons finished fifth in the all-around standings, claiming top-25 finishes on all six events. Horton, who did not compete in the all-around competition, finished as the runner-up on floor, tied for fourth on p-bars and was sixth on the high bar.

Reinforcements should be on the way for the Sooners on Friday night. Sophomore Chris Brooks will likely return to the lineup after undergoing shoulder surgery. Williams said he expects Brooks to compete on the floor exercise against the Longhorns and Huskies and perhaps add more events in the coming weeks.

Brooks' return would be a boost for an OU squad already dealing with season-ending injuries to 2006 All-American Reed Pitts (Achilles) and Jacob Messina (ACL).

SETTING THE SCENE
What: No. 4 OU (6-1) vs. Washington and Texas

Where: Norman, Okla. at Howard McCasland Field House (2,000)

When: Friday, Feb. 16, 2007 at 7 p.m. (CST)

Ticket information: Student admission is free with OU ID.
Public & Faculty/Staff - $7.00
Letterwinners - $5.00
Youth (K-HS) - $5.00
Group (10-99) - $3.00*
Group (100+) - $2.00*

Contact the OU Ticket Office (405) 325-2424 for season ticket information
* groups of 10 or more should call at least 24 hours in advance

Live Scores: Scores will be available via the live stats page at SoonerSports.com and will be updated following each rotation.

Web Cast: Friday night's meet will be broadcast live on SoonerSports.com's O-Zone. Fans can access the feed on the Web Casts page. The link will become available at the start of the meet.

Promotions: Cleveland Elementary night. Free pom-poms at the door and a post-meet autograph session with the OU team.

COMING UP NEXT...
After Friday's home contest, OU heads to Oakland, Calif. for the Pacific Coast Classic on Feb. 24. The meet will feature a number of the nation's top 10 teams including Michigan, Illinois, Stanford, Minnesota and Cal.

OU's next home meet is March 3 against rival Ohio State. The event, scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at the Howard McCasland Field House, will be a double dual with the women's team facing Texas Woman's University.

SOONERS FOURTH IN GYMINFO RANKINGS
Ranked first in the preseason coaches poll, Oklahoma stands fourth in the GymInfo rankings released on Feb. 12, 2007.

The following are the Sooners' national event rankings:
Vault - 1st - 35.425
Floor Exercise - 2nd - 37.700
Parallel Bars - 3rd - 35.850
High Bar - 3rd - 35.225
Pommel Horse - 5th - 33.325
Still Rings - 5th - 36.167

HORTON TO DEFEND AMERICAN CUP TITLE
Jonathan Horton, the reigning Tyson American Cup all-around champion, will seek to defend his crown this season. Fourteen countries will send gymnasts to compete at the 2007 American Cup, one of the world's most prestigious gymnastics competitions, on March 3 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The participating countries accounted for 31 medals at the recent World Championships.

OU GYMNASTS DOMINATE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Sooners are well represented in the GymInfo national event rankings. At least one OU gymnast is in the top 10 on every apparatus except pommel horse. The following is a list of events and where the Sooners stand based on average score.

Floor Exercise:
1st - Jonathan Horton - 9.583
6th - Chris Brooks - 9.317
9th - Wes Aderhold - 9.230

Still Rings:
T9th - Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons - 9.250

Vault:
5th - Ian Jackson - 8.875
8th - Kyle McNamara - 8.830
9th - Jonathan Horton - 8.817

Parallel Bars:
3rd - Jonathan Horton - 9.433

High Bar:
4th - Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons - 9.200
7th - Brian Carr - 9.020
9th - Jonathan Horton - 8.950

All-Around:
1st - Jonathan Horton - 54.650
7th - Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons - 51.500
9th - Jacob Messina - 51.000

STRONG SHOWING AT WINTER CUP CHALLENGE
Jonathan Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-SImmons joined former teammate Jamie Henderson in a field of over 80 gymnasts at the 2007 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas. The field was narrowed down to 42 after the preliminary round on Feb. 8, with all three Sooners advancing to the event and all-around title competition.

Abdullah-Simmons finished fifth in the all-around standings, claiming top-25 finishes on all six events. Horton, who did not compete in the all-around competition, finished as the runner-up on floor, tied for fourth on p-bars and was sixth on the high bar.

YO, ADRIAN!
Horton was sporting a new look upon his return from the Winter Cup competition. The reason? A broken nose suffered while performing an exhibition on high bar following the event finals. Fortunately for Horton, the doctors on hand were familiar with how to deal with the injury while working with boxers in Las Vegas. The medical staff was able to set the break quickly, and despite some swelling and black eyes, Horton will be ready to compete against Washington and Texas on Feb. 16. “He thinks it makes him look pretty tough,” head coach Mark Williams said.

MESSINA NOMINATED FOR UNITED WAY VOLUNTEER AWARD
Although he may not be able to contribute to his team's success on the competition floor this year, junior Jacob Messina is certainly having an impact off the mat. The Matthews, N.C., native has been nominated for the United Way Volunteer of the Year Award by the students and staff at Cleveland Elementary School in Norman.

Messina and the rest of the OU team make weekly visits to the school to help tutor students and be positive role models. Messina and Jason Laughton even wrote and performed a song for students complete with lyrics and guitar accompaniment.

“In this world there are some kids who have a calling and a gift, and Jake has a passion for volunteering,” said Cleveland Elementary music teacher Regina Bell. “He's here every week even during the season when most of guys have college classes and workouts and don't have the time. Jake finds the time. It's just like anything else the more you put into it the more you get out of it. Jake has put so much into our school and our students.”

C'MON, LET SOMEBODY ELSE HAVE A TURN
For his fifth-place finish at the Winter Cup, Taqiy Abdullah-SImmons was named MPSF Gymnast of the Week for Feb. 12. Abdullah-Simmons is the third different Sooner to earn the conference's weekly award this season. OU gymnasts have now claimed four of the five MPSF Gymnast of the Week awards in 2007.

MPSF Gymnasts of the Week
Jan. 15 - Jacob Messina, Oklahoma
Jan. 22 - T.J. Schmidt, Nebraska
Jan. 29 - Jonathan Horton, Oklahoma
Feb. 5 - Jonathan Horton, Oklahoma
Feb. 12 - Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Oklahoma

MEN LAND 10 ON BIG 12 COMMISSIONER'S HONOR ROLL
Ten members of the Oklahoma men's gymnastics team earned spots on the Big 12 Commisioner's Honor Roll for the Fall 2006 term. Sophomore drama major Wes Aderhold was one of 39 OU student-athletes to earn a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

“I'm thrilled that not only do we have awesome athletes, but student-athletes,” OU head coach Mark Williams said. “These guys represent the university so well, not only on the competition floor but in the classroom as well.”

The other Sooner honorees were Chris Brooks, Brian Carr, Russell Czeschin, Corey English, C.J. Grimes, Jacob Messina, Reed Pitts and Joseph Weaver. Senior Jamie Henderson, a studio arts major whose gymnastics eligibility expired after last season, was also on the list.

MAKE MINE A DOUBLE
Jonathan Horton won back-to-back MPSF Gymnast of the Week honors on Jan. 29 and Feb. 5. Horton was a three-time GOW winner in 2006, as well as the conference's Gymnast of the Year. He has already won a team-leading eight event crowns in 2007, including two all-around titles.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
Prior to Oklahoma's 221.600-218.000 defeat at No. 1 Michigan on Jan. 27, the Sooners' last loss came in the 2005 NCAA Qualifying session to No. 2 Illinois. Following that setback, OU began a streak of 37 straight wins that included two NCAA national championships.

ACTION JACKSON
Freshman Ian Jackson has made an immediate impact for Oklahoma. The Harrisburg, Pa. native shared the h-bar title with teammate Brian Carr in OU's Jan. 20 meet with Nebraska and Air Force and is currently the fifth-ranked vaulter in the nation with an 8.9 average.

HORTON'S HEATING UP
After missing the Rocky Mountain Open while in Japan with the U.S. Senior National Team and being limited in OU's Jan. 20 home opener against Air Force and Nebraska while adjusting to the time change, Jonathan Horton showed why he's the reigning NCAA all-around champion against No. 1 Michigan on Jan. 27. Competing in the all-around for the first time in 2007, Horton claimed the all-around, floor, p-bars and vault titles against the Wolverines, earning MPSF Gymnast of the Week honors for Jan. 29.

FOR THE RECORD
Eight Oklahoma gymnasts either set or tied career highs during the Jan. 20 meet against Air Force and Nebraska. The Sooners also established a school record on the floor exercise with a 38.050. The previous OU floor record was 37.300 set at last season's MPSF Championships.

The following gymnasts had career days against the Huskers and Falcons:
Ian Jackson (8.65/FX, 9.0/V, 8.75/HB)
Jason Laughton (8.4/PH, 8.85/SR)
Russell Czeschin (9.5/FX)
Chris Brooks (9.65/FX)
Wes Aderhold (9.3/FX, 8.75/PB)
Joseph Weaver (8.85/SR)
Corey English (8.75/PB)
Garrett Carr (8.25/HB)

MESSINA EARNS MPSF HONORS FOR JAN. 15
Junior Jacob Messina was named the conference's first Gymnast of the Week on Jan. 15 for his performance at the Rocky Mountain Open. He won the all-around and rings titles and was second on the pommel horse and high bar in the event finals.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGHS
Seven Sooners set or tied career highs at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs.

Competing for the first time on parallel bars and high bar, sophomore Garrett Carr recorded scores of 8.4 and 8.25, respectively. Fellow sophomore Jason Laughton, in his first collegiate competition on the still rings, scored an 8.5.

Jacob Messina set a new personal mark on p-bars with an 8.9, while Wes Aderhold bested his previous floor exercise mark with a 9.1 in the team finals.

Sophomore Chris Brooks blew away his old career best of 8.85 on the p-bars with a 9.3 in the team finals.

CAL TO HOST 2007 MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships for men's gymnastics will be hosted by California on Saturday, March 31 at Haas Pavilion. The MPSF meet will feature five teams Air Force, California, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Stanford. At last year's national meet, three of the top five teams came from the MPSF. Oklahoma won the NCAA title, Stanford finished third and Cal was fifth.

A NOTE ON THE RANKINGS
The GymInfo rankings are based on the following criteria:

Jan. 23 - February 13: Ranking by Total Season Average (average of all scores)
February 20 - March 13: Ranking by Three Score Average
March 20 - March 27: Ranking by Modified Three Score Average (Select the four highest scores, counting no more than two home meet, and drop the highest score. Average the three remaining scores.)
April 3: Ranking by National Qualifying Average

IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES
The Rocky Mountain Open represented both the high and low points of Jacob Messina's season.

The Matthews, N.C. native took the all-around title and advanced to the individual finals on three events (PH, SR, HB). He finished second on the pommel horse and high bar and claimed the still rings title with a 9.1.

On his dismount from the high bar, his final event of the night, Messina fell to the mat, clutching his right knee. Team doctors diagnosed the injury as a torn anterior cruciate ligament, effectively ending his season.

“Jacob was having a great competition, from winning the all-around and rings and finishing strong on the horse. He was looking better than he has ever looked.”

Messina's injury is the second notable loss for a Sooner squad looking for its third straight national title. Sophomore Reed Pitts, an All-American on floor and vault as a freshman, tore his Achilles tendon prior to the start of the season and was forced to redshirt.

CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Under head coach Mark Williams the Sooners have ruled the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). Since 2000, Williams' first season at the helm, Oklahoma has claimed six conference titles and lost only twice to conference rivals.

The Sooners finished as runner-up to Cal at the 2004 MPSF Championships, the only time under Williams that OU has not worn the conference crown.

OU also lost a road dual to Stanford on March 9, 2002.

SOONERS DEBUT AT NO. 1, AGAIN
For the fourth time in the last five years, the Oklahoma men's gymnastics team was ranked No. 1 in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll.

The defending NCAA Champion Sooners received nine of a possible 14 first-place votes.

WILLIAMS NAMES CAPTAINS
Jonathan Horton and Brian Carr were named co-captains of the 2007 Sooner squad by head coach Mark WIlliams.

Horton's leadership and contributions to the team are well-documented. The 2006 NCAA all-around champion tied Bart Conner's school record of three individual event national titles. He is serving his second stint as a team captain.

The lone senior on the team, Carr is expected to provide Williams with consistent scores on four events. Carr is one of the top scorers returning on the pommel horse and high bar and looks to excel on both events in 2007.

IN WITH THE NEW(COMERS)
Once again the Sooners have brought in a talented freshman recruiting class under Coach Williams. Joining the OU squad for 2007 are Ian Jackson from Harrisburg, Pa., and Corey English from Covington, La.

Last season, Williams plugged a number of freshmen into the OU lineup and their contributions helped lead the Sooners to a national title.

This year's freshmen will also be counted on to solidify the OU lineup with the loss of All-Americans Jamie Henderson (graduation) and Reed Pitts (injury) as well as replacing the consistent scores of departed senior James Myers.

SOONERS LOOKING FOR NCAA TRIFECTA
Having won four of the last five NCAA championships, the 2007 OU squad will be seeking the program's first three-peat.

Since the creation of collegiate men's gymnastics (1953), only seven current teams have won consecutive national championships. Oklahoma is the only men's gymnastics program to have won two straight or more on three separate occasions. Penn State and Nebraska are the only schools to win three or more straight titles. After winning back-to-back titles in 1953 and 1954, Penn State won three in a row from 1959 to 1961. Nebraska ran an impressive string of four straight titles from 1979-1982. OU's seven national championships ranks fourth all-time behind Penn State (11), Illinois (9) and Nebraska (8).

The Sooners' 2006 title, along with OU's 2005 crown, marked the third time in program history that Oklahoma has won back-to back-titles. OU accomplished the task on two previous occasions in the program's history. The first feat was accomplished in 1978 after the Sooners won their first national title in program history in 1977 under head coach Paul Ziert. Williams was the next coach in Sooner history to add the feat to his resume, winning consecutive titles in 2002-03 and 2005-06.

OU SENDS SIX TO VISA U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS
All six University of Oklahoma gymnasts who competed in the July U.S. Men's Qualifier at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., 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.

At the U.S. Championships, Horton won the floor exercise and earned top five finishes on the high bar and still rings to take second in the all-around competition. Brooks won the high bar title and also finished 10th on the floor exercise to land in eighth place in the all-around standings.

Jacob Messina finished ninth in the all-around and recorded a tie for eighth on the pommel horse (28.250).

Several other Sooners scored top-10 event finishes including Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, who tied for fifth on the parallel bars, and Jamie Henderson,who was 10th on the pommel horse.

EXCELLENCE IN THE GYM AND THE CLASSROOM
Nine members of the Oklahoma men's gymnastics team were named All-America Scholar-Athletes by the College Gymnastics Association in July.

As a team, Oklahoma placed sixth in the nation with a team grade point average of 3.137.

“We're very pleased with the overall GPA of our team throughout the season to add to the success of being national champions in 2006,” OU head coach Mark Williams said.

“I feel confident that we can now clearly be called champions both in and out of the classroom and I congratulate all our student-athletes who were All-Americans.”

Earning first team honors for the Sooners were Wes Aderhold (3.875), Russell Czeschin (3.872), Reed Pitts (3.786), and Chris Brooks (3.50).

Second team honorees included Brian Carr (3.37), James Myers (3.354), Jonathan Horton (3.28), Jamie Henderson (3.222) and Jacob Messina (3.222).

The CGA honored 55 gymnasts as 2006 first team All-America Scholar-Athletes for attaining a GPA of at least 3.50, and 56 second-team members with GPAs between 3.20 and 3.499.

CRIMSON & CREAM ON THE U.S. NATIONAL TEAM
Oklahoma has always had a noticeable presence in USA Gymnastics. Over the program's history, OU has placed 15 athletes on the U.S. Senior National Team.

The Sooners have had two Olympians, four World Championships participants and sent three athletes to the Pan American Games, Pan American Championships and World University Games.

Since taking over in 2000, Coach Williams has placed four gymnasts on the Senior National Team, including current OU standouts Jonathan Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons. Assistant coach Daniel Furney and recent graduate Jamie Henderson have also been a part of the U.S. Team.

HORTON AND WILLIAMS AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
In October 2006, two Sooners represented the university and the nation as members of the U.S. Team at the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. Oklahoma's Mark Williams was appointed head coach of the U.S. team, while Jonathan Horton was selected to the American squad after a strong showing at the Visa U.S. Championships.

Williams had previously served as a personal coach at the World Championships and Olympics and as an assistant coach on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. Most recently he coached former OU assistant coach Guard Young to a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

At the 2006 Visa U.S. Championships, Williams was honored as the USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year, and Horton was named Sportsman of the Year by the Junior and Senior U.S. National Team.

Horton was selected to the squad based on his finish at the U.S. Championships in August. The Houston, Texas, native won a gold medal on the floor exercise and finished second in the all-around standings.

Horton's selection added to an already impressive gymnastics resume. In addition to his NCAA accolades, the 5-1 junior has been a member of the U.S. Men's Senior National Team since 2003. He was a member of the American squad at the 2003 and 2005 Pan American Games and led the U.S. to victory at the 2006 France/USA/Switzerland tri-meet, finishing second in the all-around.

The highlight of his budding international career came at the 2006 Tyson American Cup where he took gold on the still rings and finished second on the floor exercise and vault to claim the all-around title over Japan's Hisashi Mizutori.

Despite his considerable list of accomplishments, the World Championships represented a new challenge and opportunity for Horton.

“It doesn't really compare to anything,” Horton said. “It's so huge the World Championships. You really can't compare it to any other international meet except for the Olympics.”

Over 100 countries participated in the 2006 World Championships with the top 12 teams qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The U.S squad finished third in its preliminary session and did not advance to the team finals. Horton finished first on the floor exercise but did not qualify for the all-around competition.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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