Sooners Travel to No. 10 Nebraska

Jan. 16, 2009

Sport vs. Opponent
Date	Sunday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. (CT)
Location	Lincoln, Neb. \| Bob Devaney Center
Tickets	Nebraska Athletics Ticket Office
Meet Notes	Men's Gynastics 2009 Notes
Online	Live Stats

NORMAN, Okla. -- One week after sweeping the competition at the Rocky Mountain Open, the second-ranked Oklahoma men's gymnastics team travels to face 10th ranked Nebraska, at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb. The meet is slated for a 2 p.m. (CT) start on Sunday, Jan. 18.

The Sooners topped the Huskers and Air Force last weekend in Colorado.

“This will be another road test for us and another opportunity to keep improving,” said head coach Mark Williams.

The Sooners will look to continue their strong opening at the Rocky Mountain Open as the team will be a little short handed this week, due to injuries. The Oklahoma squad swept the opposing teams for the first time since the 2001 Sooner squad with a final score of 355.000.

Sophomore Steven Legendre will look to build an impressive start to the season this weekend after claiming four individual titles (floor, vault, parallel bar and high bar) and the all-around championship.
Senior co-captain Chris Brooks is also poised to improve his second-place finish in the all-around and rings event at the Rocky Mountain Open.

“Chris is hoping to have a little better performance than last week and we will definitely need that from him,” added Williams.

Roster | Schedule | Season Preview

Williams and Legendre will be at U.S. Senior National Team practice leading up to the event and will meet the team in Lincoln, Neb. for the meet later on in the week.

The Sooners will be without the services of Junior Ian Jackson for the rest of the season. Jackson injured his Achilles tendon at the Rocky Mountain on the last pass of his floor routine but won an individual title on rings and finished in third on vault and parallel bars before he was injured.

This weekend will also serve as a tune up for several members of the Sooner squad as they will head to Las Vegas, Nev. for the 2009 Winter Cup, Feb. 5.

The Sooners will face the Huskers one more time before the conference championship when Nebraska visits Norman on Feb. 28 at the Howard McCasland Field House.

Notes

Coming Up Next Week...
Following the meet with Nebraska, the Sooners head back to Norman for their home opener, Jan. 31, against Texas. The meet will be at 7 p.m. at the Howard McCasland Field House. The meet will mark 2008 National Championship Celebration Day as fans will have the opportunity to meet the gymnasts while they sign autographs and see the 2008 National Championship trophy after the meet.

Decade of Dominance...
The Oklahoma men's gymnastics team started the season with a victory at the Rocky Mountain Open and claiming the meet championship for the tenth consecutive year. The second-ranked Sooners scored a 355.000 Saturday night in Colorado Springs, Colo., to win the collegiate portion of the competition, while Steven Legendre claimed his second Rocky Mountain Open all-around title with an 89.400.

Oklahoma gymnasts claimed all of the individual titles at the Rocky Mountain Open with the help of Legendre winning event titles on floor (15.350), vault (15.900), parallel bars (14.950), high bar (14.700) and coming in tied for second with Chris Brooks on rings with a score of 15.150. Chris Brooks, a senior co-captain came in second in the all-around while juniors Ian Jackson and Corey English claimed individual titles in rings (15.300) and pommel horse (14.900), respectively.

Rocky Mountain Quick Facts...
This is the second time that Legendre has won both the floor and all-around in the Rocky Mountain Open. Last year, Legendre won the floor title with a score of 15.400 and the all-around with a 84.950. Legendre is the first gymnast in the last nine years to win four event titles and the all-around in the Rocky Mountain Open.

The '09 Sooners joined the '01 Oklahoma squad as the only team to sweep all event titles since 2001.

This year's squad recorded the highest score by any team this season with a total of 355.000 points at the Rocky Mountain Open.

Fresh New Faces...
The Sooners added five freshman for the 2009 season in Chad Crumley, David Finning, Ben Mayer, Troy Nitzky and Pat Piscitelli. This years signing class reaches far across the country. Form Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Oklahoma this group looks to have an impact to the 2009 season for the Sooners.

Horton the Sixth...
The program's most decorated gymnast, Horton was the 2008 Nissen-Emery recipient in one of the strongest fields in the award's history.Considered the Heisman Trophy of gymnastics, the Nissen-Emery Award, founded by trampoline inventor George Nissen, has been handed out to the nation's top senior collegiate gymnast annually since 1966. Since the award's inception, Oklahoma has claimed a nation-leading six Nissen honorees: Bart Conner (1981), Jarrod Hanks (1991), Dan Fink (1998), Todd Bishop (1999), Daniel Furney (2003) and Jonathan Horton (2008).

All-Americans Back For More...
The Sooners roster is filled with five All-Americans from last year's squad. In total, Oklahoma gymnasts earned 11 All-America honors in 2008, the second-highest total in the nation. Seniors Russell Czeschin (FX), Chris Brooks (PB, HB), Jason Laughton (PH), Reed Pitts (FX) and sophomore Steven Legendre (FX, V, HB), received national distinction.

Williams Names Captains...
Seniors Jacob Messina and Chris Brooks were named co-captains for the 2009 season by head coach Mark Williams.
Both have been apart of several of the Sooners national championship squads and have received national honors for their effort. Brooks was a two-time All-American last year on high bar and parallel bars while Messina

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