Men's Gymnastics Opens in Colorado

Jan. 11, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 3 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team opens the 2008 season Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. The event, hosted by the U.S. Air Force Academy, will start at 8 p.m. (CT) at Cadet West Gymnasium and will include both team and individual awards.

In addition to OU and Air Force, the 2008 Rocky Mountain Open field includes fellow MPSF rival Nebraska, club teams from Arizona State and the University of Washington, and athletes from the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

The Sooners have won eight consecutive Rocky Mountain Open team titles, including sweeping all six events en route to a 207.35-189.70 victory over Nebraska last season. OU gymnasts won five of six individual event titles and junior Jacob Messina claimed the all-around crown at last year's event.

"The Rocky Mountain Open is always a great starting point for us," head coach Mark Williams said. "We get a chance to see some opponents that we'll see again further down the road, as well as some of the judges we'll see during conference competition. It kind of sets the stage for the rest of the season."

Oklahoma will be without several of its key performers in Colorado, as senior co-captain Jonathan Horton and sophomores Ian Jackson and Corey English will not compete. Horton continues to rest after a busy summer that concluded with a fourth-place all-around finish at the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and helping Team USA to a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Horton also missed last year's Rocky Mountain Open while training with the U.S. Senior National Team in Japan.

In addition, junior Jason Laughton and senior co-captain Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons will only participate on select events while nursing minor injuries. Messina, the defending RMO all-around champion, will likely be limited to four events as he continues to recover from an ACL injury suffered at last season's meet in Colorado Springs.

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Notes | 2008 Preview

"I'm hoping that some of the new guys impress me," Williams said. "They're going to need to step up and show me they're ready for what's ahead of us."

A solid showing from newcomer Steven Legendre could be just what the doctor ordered for the Sooners. The talented freshman from Port Jefferson, N.Y., could be a threat to win the all-around competition and will be looking to have an impact on all six events. In November, Legendre led the U.S. squad to a gold medal at the Junior Pan-American Championships in Guatemala while taking home the top all-around prize.

The OU lineup will also be bolstered by the return of Reed Pitts, an All-American on floor exercise and vault in 2006. Pitts missed the entire 2007 season with an Achilles injury.

Air Force is in its third season under head coach Kip Simons. The Falcons return eight letterwinners from last year's team that finished fifth in the MPSF.

Ranked 10th in the preseason GymInfo Coaches Poll, Nebraska returns 11 letterwinners, including All-Americans T.J. Schmidt and Stephen Tétrault. The Huskers are in their 38th year under head coach Francis Allen.

Oklahoma will once again face off against Air Force and Nebraska on Jan. 20 in Lincoln, Neb. That competition is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start at the Bob Devaney Center on the NU campus.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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