OU, Horton Tabbed Most Popular

Jan. 16, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - Everybody loves a winner, and the Oklahoma men's gymnastics program certainly fits the bill. In a fan poll published in the January/February 2008 issue of Inside Gymnastics magazine, the OU men's team and senior Jonathan Horton were honored by the readers as among the best of 2007.

With 28 percent of votes, Oklahoma earned the title of "Favorite NCAA Men's Team." The 2007 Sooners nearly won a third-straight national title, finishing as the runners-up to Penn State at the NCAA Championships. OU accounted for a nation-leading 11 All-America honors, while Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons took the all-around national title and Jonathan Horton won national championships on floor exercise and high bar.

Horton was also selected by the fans as their "Favorite NCAA Male Athlete." In addition to his floor and high bar titles, the Houston, Texas, native was second in the all-around and earned five All-America honors. Horton received 61 percent of the votes, far and away the highest percentage of any category.

A member of the U.S. World Championships Team in 2006 and 2007 and a 2008 Olympic hopeful, Horton was also tabbed by the publication as the American male "Gymnast of the Year."

Favorite NCAA Male Athlete (61%)

Jonathan Horton
A senior, Horton already owns every major Oklahoma men's gymnastics record, including career All-America honors (15), career NCAA titles (5) and All-America honors in a season (5). The previous record holder in all three categories? Two-time Olympic gold medalist Bart Conner. At the 2007 NCAA Championships, Horton was the high bar and floor exercise champion and was second in the all-around. He was also the 2006 NCAA all-around, floor and rings champion.

Favorite NCAA Men's Team (28%)

Oklahoma
Already an established power in men's gymnastics with three national titles (1977, 1978 and 1991), Oklahoma has become the premier NCAA program under head coach Mark Williams. Since Williams took over the reins in 2000, OU has garnered four national championships, including back-to-back titles in 2002-03 and 2005-06, seven conference titles, 11 individual national titles and 81 All-America honors. The Sooners have not finished lower than second at the NCAA Championships since 2000.

Gymnast of the Year (American Male)

Jonathan Horton
When he wasn't winning NCAA titles and guiding OU to a near NCAA championship "three-peat" last season, Horton was making a name for himself on the international scene. In March 2007, he became the first American male to win back-to-back Tyson American Cup titles since Blaine Wilson (1997-99). His most impressive performance to date, however, came at the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, where he finished fourth in the all-around, becoming just the fourth U.S. men's gymnast to accomplish that feat. His performance also propelled the American squad to a fourth-place team finish and secured the U.S. a spot in the 2008 Olympic Games.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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