National Champs Release 2009 Slate

Sept. 30, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma vice president for intercollegiate athletics programs and director of athletics Joe Castiglione and head men's gymnastics coach Mark Williams announced the Sooners' 2009 schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The defending 2008 NCAA National Champions will participate in 10 regular season meets, which includes six opponents that competed at the 2008 NCAA Championships. OU will also host five home meets at the Howard McCasland Field House, highlighted by matchups with Ohio State and Penn State.

Oklahoma begins the 2008 slate on Jan. 10 with its annual trip to the Rocky Mountain Open hosted by the Air Force Academy. The Sooners will stay on the road and head to Lincoln, Neb. the following week against conference rival Nebraska on Jan. 17.

“It's always a good start up meet because it involves five or six teams,” said Williams. “They run it in the same format as the NCAA Championships, so it will give our coaches an idea of what some of the new guys are capable of.”

The Sooners open the home season against Texas on Jan. 31 at the Howard McCasland Field House. Following the home opener, select Sooners will then make the trip to Las Vegas to compete in the Winter Cup (Feb 5-7). An annual individual event that helps determine the participants at the U.S. Visa Championships.

Following the break from team competition, the OU men welcome Iowa (Feb. 21) and Nebraska (Feb. 28) for consecutive home meets.

2009 Men's Gymnastics Schedule | 2009 Schedule in PDF Format

In the month of March, the Sooners will face three Big Ten foes beginning with a trip to the University of Minnesota on March 7, a meet that include conference rival Stanford. After the matchup with the Golden Gophers and Stanford, Oklahoma will host two of its top rivals with Ohio State (March 14) and Penn State (March 21) at the McCasland Field House.

Since 2000, the Sooners, Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have combined to win the last nine NCAA titles. OU leads the pack with five national championships while Penn State has claimed three (2000, 2004, 2007) and Ohio State won the 2001 championship.

“Both Ohio State and Penn State are huge rivals and to win a national championship, usually you have to go through one or the other,” added Williams.

The 2009 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships will be hosted by Stanford, April 4, at the Burnham Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif. OU will be after its fifth straight conference crown and the 10th out of the last 11 years. In 2008, senior Jonathan Horton won the all-around title and the second-ranked Sooners came from behind on the final rotation to win the program's fourth consecutive conference crown.

Oklahoma will defend its 2008 national title as the University of Minnesota will host the 2009 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships, April 16-18, at the Minnesota Sports Pavilion. Oklahoma has won five national championships under the leadership of head coach Mark Williams and has claimed eight overall in the program's history.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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