No. 1 OU Starts Season at Rocky Mountain Open

Jan. 12, 2012

No. 1 Men's Gymnastics at Rocky Mountain Open
Date	Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. (CT)
Location	Colorado Springs, Colo. \| Cadet West Gymnasium
Watch Live	Free Webcast
Live Stats	N/A
Additional Info	Media Guide \| Meet Notes \| Blog \| Twitter

NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 1 Oklahoma men's gymnastics team begins its 2012 season Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the 2012 Rocky Mountain Open.

The Sooners enter the 2012 Rocky Mountain Open with a flawless record in the annual season opener, winning the event for the past 12 straight years. This year's competition includes No. 9 Nebraska and No. 11 Air Force and club teams from Arizona State and Washington. Gymnasts from the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs will also compete, although their results will not be official.

Oklahoma will be led by junior Jake Dalton, who is competing for his third-straight all-around title at the Rocky Mountain Open. Dalton claimed the all-around title in 2011 with an 88.500 and in 2010 with an 87.500.

The Sooners start the season with the No. 1 ranking in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll. OU has 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).

ON THE WEB
Fans can find a free live webcast of Saturday's meet via GoAirForceFalcons.com.

GYMNAST TO WATCH – Jake Dalton
Dalton is a seven-time All-American and 2011 NCAA National Champion on floor and vault. The junior is also a current member of the U.S. Senior National Team and competed alongside three former OU gymnasts at the 2011 World Championships, helping Team USA take third place. Dalton has won the past two Rocky Mountain Open all-around titles.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN DOMINANCE
The Sooners enter the 2012 Rocky Mountain Open with a flawless record in the annual season opener, winning the event for the past 12 straight years.

Oklahoma currently holds the individual high scores on each event at the RMO since 2008, when the new scoring was put in place. (Floor: Jake Dalton, 15.700; Pommel Horse: Alex Naddour, 15.200; Rings: Ian Jackson, 15.300; Vault: Steven Legendre 16.400; Parallel Bars: Dalton, 15.100; High Bar: Dalton, 14.800 All-Around: Legendre, 89.400)

Since 2000, Oklahoma has won at least two individual event titles in each competition at the Rocky Mountain Open and has swept the individual titles four times (2001, 2006, 2008, 2009).

2011 ROCKY MOUNTAIN OPEN RECAP
OU (346.500) opened the 2011 season with wins over No. 9 Nebraska (334.500), No. 13 Air Force (327.300) and the Arizona State club team (311.600). A team comprised of athletes from the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs scored a 350.750 but was ineligible for awards in the collegiate division.

The Sooners claimed five of the six team event titles on the night winning floor (57.300), rings (57.600), vault (63.800), parallel bars (57.400) and high bar (55.600). It marks the fifth time Oklahoma claimed at least six events at the Rocky Mountain Open.

The meet was highlighted by two Sooners that posted RMO record highs with Legendre's 16.400 on vault and Dalton's 15.100 on parallel bars.

Two different Sooners took home three of the six individual event titles, with Legendre claiming vault (16.400) and sophomore Jacob Dalton claiming floor (15.700) and parallel bars (15.100), continuing OU's streak of claiming at least half of the event titles since 2002.

2011 ROCKY MOUNTAIN OPEN TEAM RESULTS
1. Oklahoma - 346.500
2. Nebraska - 334.500
3. Air Force - 327.300
4. Arizona State - 311.600

2011 INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
Floor Exercise: Jake Dalton Oklahoma
Pommel Horse: James Okamoto, Air Force
Still Rings: Jake Dalton, Oklahoma
Vault: Steven Legendre, Oklahoma
Parallel Bars: Jake Dalton, Oklahoma
High Bar: Jake Dalton, Oklahoma
All-Around: Jake Dalton, Oklahoma

COLLEGIATE DEBUT
The young Sooner lineup features 10 freshmen on the 18-man roster. OU freshmen Dylan Akers, Danny Berardini, William Clement, Michael Reid, Alec Robin, Jacoby Rubin and Michael Squires will all be making the trip to Colorado Springs with opportunities to make their debut in a Sooner uniform.

2012 TEAM CAPTAINS
With 10 freshmen on the roster, Williams believes that upperclassman leadership will be essential to his team's success in 2012. Williams has chosen senior Patrick Piscitelli, redshirt junior Troy Nitzky and junior Jake Dalton as Oklahoma's captains for the 2012 season.

Piscitelli, a native of Charlotte, N.C., has posted solid scores for the Sooners on floor, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar. In 2010, he claimed fifth place on rings at the MPSF Championships.

Troy Nitzky was a 2011 All-American on rings after posting a 15.200 at the 2011 NCAA Championships. Nitzky has also contributed scores on pommel horse and parallel bars.

Dalton, a seven-time All-American, claimed the floor and vault individual titles at the 2011 NCAA Championships. The junior is also a current member of the U.S. Senior National Team and competed alongside three former OU gymnasts at the 2011 World Championships, helping Team USA take third place.

FOLLOW THE SOONERS
The OU gymnastics program maintains its own Facebook and Twitter accounts, which are updated frequently with all of the latest news about the squad. Links to each of these pages as well as a behind-the-scenes blog can be found at www. SoonerSports.com.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

No. 1 OU Starts Season at Rocky Mountain Open

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