No. 1 OU Hosts the 2012 NCAA Championship

April 17, 2012

No. 1 Men's Gymnastics at NCAA Championship
Qualifying Sessions	Thursday, April 19 at 1 and 7 p.m. (CT)
Team Finals	Friday, April 20 at 7 p.m.
Event Finals	Saturday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| Lloyd Noble Center
All Session Tickets	$25 for adults, $15 for youth/OU students
Single Session Tickets	$10 for adults, $5 for youth/OU students
Purchase Tickets	(800) 456-GoOU \| Online
Online	Webcast \| Live Stats \| Championship Central
Additional Info	Media Guide \| Meet Notes \| Blog \| Twitter \| Facebook \| OU's History

NORMAN, Okla. - The top-ranked Oklahoma men's gymnastics team will pursue its sixth national title since 2002 and ninth in program history this weekend, and it will do so in the comfort of its own home. The University of Oklahoma plays host to the 2012 NCAA Championship at the Lloyd Noble Center with two qualifying sessions at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 19.

The Sooners will compete to be one of six teams to advance to the team finals at 7 p.m. on Friday. The top eight individuals on each apparatus will advance to the event finals at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The Sooners (18-1, 8-0 MPSF) enter the national championship as the No. 1 team in the nation, a position its been in for 10 of the past 12 weeks.

Oklahoma will be led by the NCAA's top-ranked all-around gymnast and MPSF Gymnast of the Year, Jake Dalton. The junior looks to defend his 2011 titles on floor and vault while competing for his first NCAA all-around title.

With the No. 1 ranking, Oklahoma will compete in the second session of the NCAA Qualifier on Thursday. The Sooners will be joined in the 7 p.m. session by No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 8 California, No. 9 Temple and No. 12 Air Force. The first session, set for 1 p.m., features No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 10 Nebraska and No. 11 Iowa. The top three teams from each session qualify for the team finals on Friday night at 7.

Oklahoma is coming off of a victory at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship, claiming its eighth conference title in the past 10 years and 10th title under head coach Mark Williams. Under Williams, the Sooners have also won five national titles, 22 individual national titles, 42 individual conference titles, 126 All-America honors and three Nissen-Emery Awards.

Williams' squad will have the advantage of competing for its first title since 2008 and will host the NCAA Championship for the third time in the past 10 years. The Sooners are undefeated in past national championships held at the Lloyd Noble Center, claiming first place in 2002 and 2006.

Oklahoma's eight national titles are the third most of any collegiate program, trailing only Penn State (12) and Illinois (9), but is the only school to have won over eight titles since 1977. The men's gymnastics team owns the most NCAA titles of any sport at Oklahoma, with football and wrestling each holding seven.

All session tickets to the NCAA Championships ($25 Adult, $15 Youth and OU Students) are on sale now. Fans can purchase online at SoonerSports.com or by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 456-GoOU.

Single-session tickets will go on sale the first day of competition at the Lloyd Noble Center at least an hour prior to competition beginning. Single-session tickets are $10 for adults and just $5 for youth and OU students.

All tickets are general admission.

ON THE WEB
• A live webcast of each session will be available on NCAA.com with live stats on SoonerSports.com.
• OU men's gymnastics' Twitter feed (@SoonerGymnasts) will provide up-to-date information throughout the meet.

GYMNAST TO WATCH - JAKE DALTON
Dalton, the 2012 MPSF All-Around Champion and current No. 1-ranked all-around gymnast in the NCAA, looks to defend his NCAA titles on vault and floor while pursuing his first NCAA team title.

CHAMPIONSHIPS CENTRAL
Known across the state of Oklahoma and throughout the country, the University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics program is recognized for one thing: winning championships. Since 1977, the Sooners have won eight NCAA National Championships, the third most of any collegiate program behind only Penn State (12) and Illinois (9). Oklahoma proves itself to be a dominant force throughout the season, claiming 19 conference championship crowns. In addition to team success, Oklahoma has also produced 35 individual NCAA title winners and a whopping 219 All-America honors. Over the years, seven Sooners have earned the honor of the Nissen-Emery Award, considered to be the Heisman Trophy of collegiate men's gymnastics.

DECADE OF DOMINANCE
Oklahoma has won five of the last 10 NCAA team crowns, (2008, 2006, 2005, 2003, and 2002), all under current head coach Mark Williams. With eight national championships, the men's gymnastics team owns the most titles of any OU athletics program, breaking a tie with the football and wrestling squads with the 2008 win. Under Williams, the Sooners have staked their claim as the nation's premier program of the last decade. Since 2000, OU has garnered an amazing 10 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference championships and produced 115 All-America honors and 20 individual NCAA titles to go along with five national championships.

ALWAYS A CONTENDER
Since 2000, The University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics program is the only collegiate men's gymnastics program to finish in the top four every year at the NCAA Championships. Since their fourth-place finish in 2000, the Sooners have finished no lower than third in their quest for the national title, including five national titles and four second-place finishes.

PERFECT AT THE LNC
In addition to the natural excitement that surrounds a program hosting an NCAA Championship, the Sooners have another reason to anticipate the National Championship returning to Norman: they're undefeated in NCAA Championships at the Lloyd Noble Center. The LNC will host the NCAA Championship for the third time in the past 10 years. The Sooners are undefeated in past National Championships held in Norman, claiming first place in 2002 and 2006.

HOME OF CHAMPIONS
Since 2000, University of Oklahoma athletics programs have won seven national titles with men's gymnastics winning championships in 2008, 2006, 2005, 2003 and 2002 and both football and softball claiming titles in 2000.

2012 MPSF CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
The eighth conference championship in the last 10 years came on April 7 for the Oklahoma men's gymnastics team behind a dominating performance by junior Jake Dalton, who collected four individual titles. OU won its 19th conference title after posting a 356.600 at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship at the Air Force Academy. Defending MPSF champion No. 3 Stanford took second with a 352.100 followed by No. 7 California (345.950) and No. 12 Air Force (335.950). Dalton, who was crowned the conference's Gymnast of the Year, claimed his second-straight MPSF all-around title with a 89.250 in a dominant performance. Dalton placed in the top-two in all five of the events he counted, with conference titles on rings, parallel bars and high bar and second-place finishes on floor and vault. With Dalton's four conference titles, the Sooners now have 111 individual conference titles, including 42 under Williams. Since head coach Mark Williams took over the program in 2000, the Sooners have claimed 10 MPSF team titles.

CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Since joining the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in 1996, Oklahoma has claimed 12 conference titles, including 11 in the past 13 years. Below is a list of the conference's champion from each year since Oklahoma joined the MPSF:

1996 - Oklahoma
1997 - Nebraska
1998 - California
1999 - Oklahoma & Nebraska
2000 - Oklahoma
2001 - Oklahoma
2002 - Oklahoma
2003 - Oklahoma
2004 - California
2005 - Oklahoma
2006 - Oklahoma
2007 - Oklahoma
2008 - Oklahoma
2009 - Stanford
2010 - Oklahoma
2011 - Stanford
2012 - Oklahoma

GYMNASTICS' TOP CONFERENCE
Since 2001, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation has produced the NCAA National Champion seven times - over twice the amount of the second leading conference (Big Ten). During that time span, Oklahoma has claimed five national titles (2008, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2002) and Stanford has won two (2011, 2009). The Big Ten has earned three national titles behind Penn State (2007, 2004) and Michigan (2010).

TUMBLING AND TOUCHDOWNS
Oklahoma's conference championship history has been well established in many sports, with its strongest traditions recently coming from OU's football and men's gymnastics programs. Since the creation of Oklahoma's Division I men's gymnastics program in 1966, the Sooner gymnasts have claimed 19 conference titles, second only to football's 22 crowns over that time period. Since 2000, Oklahoma has claimed 10 men's gymnastics conference championships, the most of any sport at the University of Oklahoma.

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Since the turn of the millennium, the University of Oklahoma has solidified itself as one of the top gymnastics programs for both men and women. On March 24, the OU women's team claimed its fourth Big 12 title in the past five years, followed by the men claiming their conference title two weeks later. Since 2000, only three NCAA Division I schools have won a conference title in both men's and women's gymnastics in the same year. Oklahoma has claimed titles in 2012, 2010 and 2008, Michigan won both crowns in 2009 and 2000 and the University of Illinois-Chicago accomplished the feat in 2004.

CRIMSON, CREAM AND BLUE
When it comes to men's gymnastics, the University of Oklahoma has done an unprecidented job at preparing its gymnasts for the greatest stage in all of sports: the Olympic Games. With three Olympic gymnasts already coming out of OU, and undoubtedly more on the way, the University of Oklahoma has become an essential piece of the United States' international success in men's gymnastics. The U.S. Men's Senior National Team is currently comprised of four former Sooner gymnasts (Chris Brooks, Jonathan Horton, Steven Legendre and Alex Naddour) along with current OU junior Jake Dalton. Time will tell which Sooners will represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but until then it is becoming more and more clear that the road to international success runs through Norman, Oklahoma.

FOUR SOONERS ON THE U.S. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
The U.S. Men's Gymnastics Team, which featured four current or former OU gymnasts in its six-man lineup, claimed third place in the team finals of the 2011 World Championships this past October in Tokyo, Japan. 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. The USA's previous team medals came in 1979 (bronze), 2001 (silver) and 2003 (silver). Oklahoma junior Jake Dalton and OU letterwinners Steven Legendre, Jonathan Horton and Alex Naddour were featured in the United States' six-man World Championship lineup. OU letterwinner Chris Brooks was the team's one alternate. China won the team title with a total of 275.161 and Japan took silver with a 273.093, a mere 0.010 points ahead of Team USA's 273.083.

OLYMPIC HISTORY
The Olympic Games are truly a unique phenomenon. For two weeks of the summer every four years, the eyes of the world turn to the most elite athletes in the world, competing for their country's pride and the right to wear the gold medal around their necks. One of the most-watched events of the Olympic Games, gymnastics, is considered by many as one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. To be named an Olympic gymnast is truly one of the highest honors in all of sports. The University of Oklahoma has produced three past Olympic gymnasts, dating back to three-time Olympian Bart Conner. The 1981 graduate represented the United States in both 1976 and 1980 before winning it all on American soil at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif. In addition to helping Team USA take home Gold, Conner proved to be the world's top gymnast on parallel bars, winning individual Gold. In 2008, Oklahoma gymnast Jonathan Horton helped the United States win Bronze at the Summer Games in Beijing, China. Horton also found individual success, taking Silver in the high bar portion of the event. Upon graduating from BYU in 2001, current OU assistant Guard Young returned to his home state of Oklahoma to train with Williams for the Olympic Games while serving as an assistant coach for the Sooners. Young represented the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where the Americans claimed Silver.

LEGENDRE AND DALTON CONTINUE OLYMPIC PUSH
Former Oklahoma gymnast Steven Legendre continued to make a name for himself in his pursuit of a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team by taking second place in the all-around and claiming two event titles at the 2012 Winter Cup in Las Vegas. Due to his automatic qualification, 2011 Winter Cup Champion Jake Dalton did not compete in his two strongest events, floor exercise and vault, which he won NCAA and USA titles in last season. The next stage in the duo's Olympic pursuit is the 2012 Visa Championships, the national championship of USA Gymnastics, June 7-10 in St. Louis, Mo. The top finishers from the Visa Championships will then be invited to compete in the U.S. Olympic Qualifier in San Jose, Calif., June 28-July 1.

BACK ON TOP
After a nine-week run as the top team in the nation, Oklahoma was passed in the GymInfo Rankings by Penn State University. The Nittany Lions took over the top spot by posting the NCAA's two highest team scores of the season in their final two home meets. After two weeks in the No. 2 slot, the Sooners reclaimed their No. 1 ranking and enter the NCAA Championships as the top-ranked squad. Oklahoma has been ranked No. 1 for 10 of the past 12 weeks.

1. Oklahoma 353.667
2. Penn State 352.667
3. Illinois 349.533
4. Stanford 348.217
5. Ohio State 346.483
6. Minnesota 345.600
7. California 343.750
8. Michigan 342.567
9. Temple 338.767
10. Nebraska 337.483
11. Air Force 335.500
12. Iowa 333.667
13. Navy 327.233
14. UIC 327.233
15. Army 324.767

SOONERS NAMED ABOUT.COM'S FAN FAVORITE
Every year, the About.com Readers' Choice Awards showcases the best products, features and services in multiple categories, from technology to gymnastics. This year, About.com readers and fans voted the University of Oklahoma as their favorite men's gymnastics program and former OU gymnast Jonathan Horton as their favorite male gymnast. Voting took place on About.com between Feb. 22 and March 21, with the official results released on March 30. Other categories included favorite women's NCAA team, leotard and grip brands, gymnastics club and camp, female gymnast, gymnastics website and Twitter feed.

DALTON EARNS SEVENTH NCAA GYMNAST OF THE WEEK HONOR
After leading the Sooners to their eighth conference title in the past 10 years, Oklahoma junior Jake Dalton was named the NCAA Gymnast of the Week by the College Gymnastics Association. Dalton has earned the national honor three times this year and seven times in his collegiate career. The voting is cast by all active college coaches and 35 CGA Honorary Lifetime Members, along with seven major club programs. The award comes after he claimed his second-straight conference all-around title along with three other event titles on Saturday night at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship. Following the meet, Dalton was named the MPSF Gymnast of the Year. Dalton enters next week's NCAA Championships as the No. 1 ranked all-around gymnast and captain of the top-ranked Sooners. The Reno, Nev., native won NCAA titles on both vault and floor last season and looks to add more hardware to his trophy case next week.

DALTON NAMED MPSF GYMNAST OF THE WEEK…AGAIN
For the fifth time this season, OU junior Jake Dalton claimed the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's Gymnast of the Week honor. Dalton picked up the title after leading the Sooners to come-from-behind win over Minnesota in the final meet of the regular season on March 24. Dalton picked up event titles on parallel bars and high bar, the only two events he participated in. Below is a list of the different Sooners that have won MPSF Gymnast of the Week honors throughout the season:

March 27 Jake Dalton
March 20 Michael Heredia
March 13 Jake Dalton
March 6 Jake Dalton
Feb. 28 Jake Dalton
Feb. 14 Jacoby Rubin
Jan. 24 Jake Dalton
Jan. 17 Chris Stehl

SOONERS CAP OFF ANOTHER DOMINANT SEASON
With Oklahoma's tri-meet win over Minnesota and Ohio State on March 24, the Sooners finished the season with just one loss (Jan. 28 at Illinois). Since 2001, Oklahoma has finished the regular season with one loss or less every year except for 2007 (14-2). Under Coach Williams, the Sooners have gone undefeated in the regular season five times and have finished with one loss five times.

BOUNCING BACK
It's been over a couple of months since the Sooners' lone loss of the season to Illinois on Jan. 28, and OU is continuing to bounce back from the wake up call. Since the loss, the Sooners have gone 12-0 over a stretch of seven meets, defeating nine top-10 opponents, including four in the top five. The Sooners have topped a 351 in all seven meets, averaging a 354.503 over the span. Oklahoma has lost just six event titles while picking up 24 titles since the loss to the Fighting Illini.

FLOORING IT
Oklahoma has proven to be a force on the floor exercise, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the event and winning the event title in each of its nine regular-season meets of the 2012 season. Led by 2011 NCAA floor champion Jake Dalton, the Sooners have posted a 60 or higher in the event in eight of its ten meets. OU's dominance on floor is nothing new to the world of college gymnastics. The Sooners have claimed the event title in 27 straight regular-season meets. The last opponent to out-score
Oklahoma on floor was Minnesota on March 7, 2009.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
With 10 freshmen on OU's 18-man roster, the Sooners are looking for their younger gymnasts to make a quick transition to collegiate competition. The young Sooners are doing just that. Six freshmen are ranked in the top 20 of at least one event in the GymInfo event rankings. Dylan Akers leads the way, ranked ninth on both high bar and all-around. Danny Berardini is ninth on parallel bars, Michael Reid is ninth on pommel horse, Alec Robin is No. 12 on floor, Will Clement is No. 13 on high bar and Jacoby Rubin is 13th on pommel horse.

ONE HOT HOMESTAND
After starting the season with four consecutive home meets, the Sooners dominated their past four home meets. Oklahoma rolled to four-straight home wins over Iowa (356.250-334.400), Stanford (357.050-351.400), Michigan (355.500-348.950) and Nebraska and Air Force (352.400-341.550-327.950), averaging 355.300 point a meet. Out of 24 events from the four meets, the Sooners claimed titles in 23, failing to top an opponent only once (pommel horse vs. Stanford). Oklahoma hasn't lost a regular-season meet at home in 19 meets, dating back to a loss to Ohio State on March 3, 2007.

DALTON, USA EARN GOLD AT PACIFIC RIM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Oklahoma junior Jake Dalton continued to make an impression in his pursuit of a spot in the 2012 Olympic Games by helping Team USA claim gold at the 2012 Kellogg's Pacific Rim Championships. The United States totaled a 352.050 in the team finals at the Comcast Arena in Everett, Wash., to top second-place Japan (344.700) and third-place China (343.250). Former OU gymnast Chris Brooks (2006-09) won Saturday's all-around title with Dalton coming in fourth. On Saturday night, Dalton posted the competition's highest scores on floor, rings and vault to qualify for Sunday's event finals. In the event finals, Dalton won gold on floor exercise with a 15.375. The OU junior also took fourth place on vault. Brooks claimed gold on high bar and rings and silver on pommel horse. Dalton and Brooks were joined on Team USA's senior squad by Sam Mikulak of the University of Michigan.

ALL-AROUND EXCELLENCE
Not only are the Sooners one of the nation's top all-around team, but OU is also ranked in the country's top four in all six events, including the top three in five events. The Sooners are the top team on floor and No. 2 on rings and parallel bars. The Troester event rankings also have Oklahoma at No. 3 on vault and high bar and No. 4 on pommel horse.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

No. 1 OU Hosts the 2012 NCAA Championship

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