National Champs Honored Saturday

Sept. 4, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- The 2008 NCAA Champion University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team will be honored during halftime of Saturday's football game against the University of Cincinnati, at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

The Sooner gymnasts will receive their 2008 championship rings on the field with OU President David Boren and VP/ Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione.

The team will also be signing autographs from 12:30-1:15 p.m. as part of the Sooner Fan Fest on the north side of Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Following the program's eighth National Title, head coach Mark Williams was named National Coach of the Year for the fifth time and assistants Daniel Furney and Rustam Sharipov earned National Co-Assistant Coach of the Year honors, their second such accolade.

The Sooners also collected three individual National Championships and 11 All-America honors. Senior co-captain Jonathan Horton was the NCAA champion on still rings, while freshman Steven Legendre won NCAA titles in the floor exercise and vault. Garnering All-America status for Oklahoma was senior Jonathan Horton (AA, SR, PB), junior Chris Brooks (PB, HB), junior Russell Czeschin (FX), junior Jason Laughton (PH), sophomore Reed Pitts (FX), and freshman Steven Legendre (FX, V, HB).

The Oklahoma men's gymnastics team has now won five of the last seven NCAA team crowns, (2008), (2006), (2005), (2003), and (2002), all under Williams. With eight national championships, the men's gymnastics team now owns the most titles of any OU athletics program, breaking a tie with the football and wrestling squads.

"It will be a great honor for the team to be recognized for winning the 2008 National Championship by President Boren and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione on Saturday," said head coach Mark Williams. "The team will be looking forward to receiving their rings in front of 85,000 Sooner fans. It is a great feeling and accomplishment for our program."

Since taking over the program in 2000, Williams' teams have finished runner-up three times, (2007), (2004), (2001), and lower than second at the NCAA Championships only once, a fourth-place showing in his first season, (2000).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors