Sooner Coaches Earn National Honors

April 21, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- After leading the Oklahoma men's gymnastics team to an eighth national title and fifth in the last seven years, OU's coaching staff has earned well-deserved national recognition. Head Coach Mark Williams was named the National Coach of the Year, while assistants Daniel Furney and Rustam Sharipov were honored as the National Co-Assistant Coaches of the Year.

"It's certainly an honor to be recognized by your peers," Williams said. "The real credit goes to our team for their unbelievable performance in bringing home a national championship."

The honor is the fifth for Williams in his nine years at the helm of the OU program. He also received the award after guiding the Sooners to national titles in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006.

Furney and Sharipov were both honored for the second time in their three seasons serving on Williams' staff. Both coaches also earned Co-Assistant Coach of the Year accolades in 2006 after guiding Oklahoma to its seventh title.

OU Coaching Staff Bios | NCAA Championship Recap

In addition to the team title, Oklahoma gymnasts claimed three individual national titles and 11 All-America honors during Saturday night's NCAA Event Finals. Freshman Steven Legendre won the floor exercise and vault NCAA crowns, while senior co-captain Jonathan Horton was the champion on still rings. Legendre (FX, V, HB), Horton (AA, SR, PB), Chris Brooks (PB, HB), Russell Czeschin (FX), Jason Laughton (PH) and Reed Pitts (FX) garnered All-America status for the Sooners.

ESPN2 (Cox Channel 28, HD Channel 721 in OKC) will air coverage of OU's thrilling victory at the 2008 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships on April 24 at 2 p.m. (CT).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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