Horton, Legendre Add Event Titles

April 19, 2008

STANFORD, Calif. - One night after claiming the eighth national championship in program history, OU gymnasts added a few more trophies to the mantle claiming individual NCAA titles on floor exercise, rings and vault.

Senior co-captain Jonathan Horton added to his school record event crown total, winning the still rings title with a career-best 16.125, 0.025 points higher than his title clinching score from the night before. Horton now owns six career NCAA event championships.

The 2008 Nissen-Emery Award winner also upped his program record for All-America honors to 18, earning the distinction in the all-around and on rings and parallel bars.

In perhaps a ceremonial passing of the torch, Horton, the defending national champion on floor, cheered on teammate Steven Legendre as he captured his first career national title with a personal and program-record 16.100. Just a freshman, Legendre earned his second individual championship with a career-high-tying 16.400 on the vault, becoming just the fourth OU gymnast to win multiple titles in a season. The Port Jefferson, N.Y., native was named an All-American on all three events in which he competed - floor, vault and high bar (14.650).

Press conference |

Quotes | Final scores | Team Finals recap

Junior Jason Laughton earned his first career All-America honor, scoring a 14.375 on the pommel horse. Laughton is the first Sooner to earn All-American standing on the apparatus since Jamie Henderson and Brian Carr in 2006.

An All-American on floor as a freshman in 2006, Reed Pitts was forced to sit out the 2007 season after twice tearing his Achilles tendon. In one of the great comeback stories in OU gymnastics history the Allen, Texas, native regained his All-America status, scoring a 15.275 on floor to notch his second career honor.

Continuing to defy the laws of physics and conventional wisdom, 6 foot 3 inch Russell Czeschin scored a 15.375 on floor to earn his second-straight All-America honor on the event, tying for sixth place.

Junior Chris Brooks was named an All-American on high bar for the third consecutive season, finishing with a 14.750. The Houston, Texas, native also earned the distinction on parallel bars with a score of 14.675.

The Sooners finished the event with 11 All-America honors as a team, the second-highest total in the nation, just one behind Stanford's 12 honorees. Gymnasts who finished in the top eight on their event were awarded All-America status.

The Event Finals portion of the 2008 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships will be aired tape delayed on CN8 (The Comcast Network) on Saturday, May 3 at 8:30 p.m. CT and Saturday, May 10 at 4 p.m. CT. Coverage of Friday's Team Finals will air on ESPN2 on April 24 at 2 p.m. CT.

2008 Oklahoma All-America Gymnasts (11)
Chris Brooks (Jr.) - Parallel Bars, High Bar
Russell Czeschin (Jr.) - Floor Exercise
Jonathan Horton (Sr.) - All-Around, Still Rings, Parallel Bars
Jason Laughton (Jr.) - Pommel Horse
Steven Legendre (Fr.) - Floor Exercise, Vault, High Bar
Reed Pitts (So.) - Floor Exercise

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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