Men's Gymnastics Named Preseason No. 1

Oct. 17, 2011

NORMAN, Okla. – The eight-time national champion University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team received the No. 1 ranking in the recently released GymnInfo Preseason Coaches Poll. Oklahoma secured the top ranking with five first place votes.

The Sooners have been awarded the No. 1 preseason ranking five previous times under Head Coach Mark Williams. In four of those seasons, OU went on to win the NCAA title (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006).

“It is always an honor to be viewed as the top program in the pre-season coaches' poll,” said Williams. “We have a young team this year that will need to work hard to reach the high expectations of a championship team. I look forward to the challenges of our regular season and finishing the year hosting the 2012 NCAA Championships at the Lloyd Noble Center.”

Oklahoma finished in front of second-ranked Illinois, who led the poll with seven first-place votes. Michigan received two first-place votes and will start the season ranked third. The Sooners' schedule features a tri-meet against the second and third ranked Big 10 squads on Jan. 28 in Champaign, Ill.

The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, the hybrid conference that OU men's gymnastics competes in with Air Force, California and Stanford, has three teams ranked in the top five. 2011 NCAA champion Stanford is ranked No. 4 with three first-place votes and California checks in at the No. 5 spot.

Oklahoma, 2011 NCAA runner-up, will enter the 2012 season coming off of its 11th-straight top-three finish at the NCAA Championships. The top-ranked Sooners will make a run for the ninth national title in program history.

The Sooners compete in 10 regular season meets before hosting the 2012 NCAA Championship at the Lloyd Noble Center, April 19-21. The Sooners are undefeated in past National Championships held in Norman, claiming first place in 2002 and 2006.

Oklahoma returns two NCAA Individual National Champions in juniors Jake Dalton and Alex Naddour. Dalton took first in both the floor and vault in 2011 and Naddour claimed the nation's top score on pommel horse.

Dalton and Naddour, members of the U.S. Senior National Team, competed at the 2011 World Championships last week, helping the United States take third place.

The United States' bronze medal showing guaranteed it a berth in the team portion of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. It also marked the first time in eight years and fourth time overall that the U.S. squad won a team medal at the World Championships.

2012 GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll
First-place votes in parentheses
1. Oklahoma (5)
2. Illinois (7)
3. Michigan (2)
4. Stanford (3)
5. California
6. Penn State
7. Ohio State
8. Minnesota
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Air Force
12. UIC
13. Temple
14. Army
15. William and Mary

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Men's Gymnastics Named Preseason No. 1

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors