OKLAHOMA MEN S GYMNASTICS

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1 JAN. 10, 2009 NEWS AND NOTES 2008 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS OKLAHOMA MEN S GYMNASTICS N AT I O N A L C H A M P I O N S 2009 SCHEDULE DAY DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME Sat...Jan Rocky Mountain Open... Colorado Springs, Colo... 7 p.m. Sun...Jan Nebraska... Lincoln, Neb... 2 p.m. Sat...Jan TEXAS... NORMAN... 7 p.m. Thurs...Feb Winter Cup... Las Vegas, Nev... 7 p.m. Sat...Feb IOWA... NORMAN... 7 p.m. Sat...Feb NEBRASKA... NORMAN... 7 p.m. Sat...March 7...Minnesota... Minneapolis, Minn p.m. Sat...March 14...OHIO STATE... NORMAN... 7 p.m. Sat...March 21...PENN STATE... NORMAN... 7 p.m. Sat...April 4...MPSF Conference Meet... Palo Alto, Calif... 7 p.m SOONERS BEGIN IN COLORADO NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 2 Oklahoma men s gymnastics team opens the 2009 season Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. The event, hosted by the U.S. Air Force Academy, will start at 8:30 p.m. (CT) at Cadet West Gymnasium and will include both team and individual awards. Competing at the meet are host team Air Force, fellow Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival Nebraska, club teams from Arizona State and the University of Washington, and athletes from the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The Sooners have won nine consecutive Rocky Mountain Open team titles and scored a in 2008 to win the collegiate portion of the competition, while freshman Steven Legendre claimed the first all-around title of his OU career with an It is definitely a stepping off point for us where it finally gives us a chance to get in front of judges after what seemed to be a fairly long pre-season, head coach Mark Williams said. We are ready to get going, we want to compete in a fairly clean meet and finish healthy. Senior co-captain Chris Brooks, junior Ian Jackson and sophomore Steven Legendre will all be competing in the all-around for the Sooner squad. Both Brooks and Legendre captured event titles last year, with Brooks winning the high bar title and Legendre claiming the floor and all-around titles. Thurs...April 16...NCAA Team Qualifiers... Minneapolis, Minn... 7 p.m. Fri...April 17...NCAA Team Finals... Minneapolis, Minn... 7 p.m. Sat...April 18...NCAA Event Finals... Minneapolis, Minn... 7 p.m. SETTING THE SCENE 2009 ROCKY MOUNTAIN OPEN WHAT: 2009 Rocky Mountain Open hosted by the Air Force Academy WHO: No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 10 Nebraska, Air Force, Arizona State, Washington, U.S. Olympic Training Center WHERE: Colorado Springs, Colo. Cadet West Gymnasium WHEN: Jan. 10, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. (CST) SCORES: No live scores will be available for this meet. Final results will be posted on SoonerSports.com at the conclusion of competition. WHAT 2 WATCH 4: The Sooners have won nine consecutive Rocky Mountain Open team titles and scored a in 2008 to win the collegiate portion of the competition, while freshman Steven Legendre claimed the first all-around title of his OU career with an Senior Kyle McNamara will be looking to improve on his last years second place finish in the all-around and claiming the event titles for vault and parallel bars. Air Force is in its fourth season under the leadership of Kip Simons. The Falcons return 10 letterwinners from last year s squad that finished fifth in the MPSF. The University of Nebraska is ranked 10th in the pre-season poll and returns 13 letterwinners and one All-American from a team that finished fourth in the MPSF last year. The Cornhuskers are led by head coach Francis Allen, who is in his 40th season. Oklahoma will face familiar foe next weekend as it travels to Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 18 for a rematch against the Cornhuskers. The meet is scheduled for a 2 p.m. (CT) start inside the Bob Devaney Center on the University of Nebraska campus. SOONER GYMNAST TO WATCH STEVEN LEGENDRE Sophomore Steven Legendre claimed the first all-around title of his OU career with an at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Open. In addition to his all-around victory, Legendre, from Port Jefferson, N.Y., took the floor exercise crown with a On Nov Legendre competed in his first meet as a member of the USA Men s Gymnastics Senior National Team at the Toyota Cup in Toyota City, Japan. Legendre was successful in his first meet as a member of the National Team posting a third-place finish on the vault during the last day of competition, good for a bronze medal. In the 2008 NCAA Championships, Legendre also won individual national championships on floor exercise and vault, earning All-America honors on both events as well as on high bar. Legendre became just the fourth Sooner to earn multiple NCAA titles in a season and the first freshman to win national crowns on at least two events. The official site of OU Athletics supplies Sooner fans worldwide with the latest news and features on Oklahoma athletics direct from Norman. The site provides the latest press releases, rosters, bios, schedules, statistics, notes, quotes, athlete blogs, photo galleries and audio and video available to both Sooner fans and the media.

2 2008 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS ALPHABETICAL ROSTER AND PRONUNCIATIONS JAN. 10, 2009 ROSTER, NEWS AND NOTES Name Yr. Ht. Hometown (High School) (Club) Pronunciation Chris Brooks Sr. 5-8 Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek HS) (Houston North Gymnastics) Garrett Carr Jr Mandeville, La. (Fountainbleau HS) (Aces) Chad Crumley Fr Long Grove, Ill. (Stevenson HS) (Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center) CRUHM-lee Russell Czeschin Sr. 6-3 Independence, Mo. (Fort Osage HS) (Great American Gymnastics Express) shuh-sheen Corey English Jr. 5-7 Covington, La. (St. Paul s HS) (Mandeville Sports Complex) David Finning Fr. 5-4 Claremore, Okla. (Cy Falls HS) (Cypress Academy) C.J. Grimes So. 5-5 Ulysses, Kan. (Ulysses HS) (Littlestar Gymnastics) Ian Jackson Jr. 5-6 Harrisburg, Pa. (Central Dauphin HS) (Artistic Sports Academy Plus) Jason Laughton Sr. 5-6 Northridge, Calif. (Sunland Christian School) (SCATS Gymnastics) lawton Steven Legendre So. 5-6 Port Jefferson, N.Y. (Spring Creek Academy) (World Olympic Gymnastics Academy) la-zhahn-druh Benjamin Mayer Fr Houston, Texas (Home School) (Cypress Academy) MAY-er Kyle McNamara Sr. 5-7 Littleton, Colo. (Heritage HS) (5280 Gymnastics) MAC-nuh-mare-uh Jacob Messina Sr. 5-6 Matthews, N.C. (East Mecklenburg HS) (G&J Speedway) Troy Nitzky Fr. 5-6 Southampton, Pa. (William Tennent HS) (Temple Boys Gymnastics) Patrick Piscitelli Fr Charlotte, N.C. (Charlotte Catholic HS) (G & J Speedway) PISK-uh-telly Reed Pitts Jr. 5-9 Allen, Texas (Allen HS) (Eagle s Wings Athletics) Bobby Shortle So. 5-2 Brunswick, Ohio (Brunswick HS) (Gym World) SHORT-uhl Head Coach Mark Williams 10th Season Nebraska, 1980 Assistant Coach Rustam Sharipov Fourth Season Kharkov State, 1997 roos-tom SHARE-ee-pahv Assistant Coach Daniel Furney Fourth Season Oklahoma, 2004 OKLAHOMA MEN S GYMNASTICS NEWS AND NOTES Coming Up Next Week... Oklahoma will face a familiar foe next weekend as it travels to Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 18 for a rematch against the Cornhuskers. The meet is scheduled for a 2 p.m. (CT) start inside the Bob Devaney Center on the University of Nebraska campus. 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 has the chance to win a fourth national championship in five years with the team. Legendre Named to National Team... University of Oklahoma men s gymnastics sophomore Steven Legendre has been selected to the U.S. Senior National team as announced by USA Gymnastics in October. Legendre was successful in his first meet as a member of the USA Men s Gymnastics Senior National Team at the Toyota Cup in Toyota City, Japan, on Nov The weekend was highlighted by Legendre s third-place finish on the vault during the last day of competition, good for a bronze medal. Legendre averaged a on the vault after posting scores of and The Port Jefferson, N.Y., native also finished in the top six in the other events that he competed. Legendre finished fifth on the floor exercise and sixth on his high bar and parallel bars routines. In his last national competition, Legendre competed at the 2008 Visa Championships and placed second on floor and 13th in the all-around competition. The strong showing came shortly after he earned two individual NCAA titles (vault and floor) while pushing the Sooners to the program s eighth National Championship. The Port Jefferson, N.Y. native became just the fourth Sooner to record multiple NCAA titles in a season, while also earning All-American status on three events. 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 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).

3 EIGHT-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPS QUICK FACTS 2008 RESULTS GENERAL INFORMATION Location...Norman, Okla. Enrollment... 29,721 Founded President... David L. Boren Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics/AD...Joe Castiglione Nickname...Sooners Colors... Crimson & Cream Conference... Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Arena(s)...Howard McCasland Field House (2,300) Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) OU All-Time Record (.758) TEAM INFORMATION 2008 Overall Record (.966) High Score MPSF Finish... First NCAA Finish... First Letterwinners Returning/Lost...11/2 All-Americans Returning/Lost...5/2 COACHING STAFF Head Coach...Mark Williams Year...10th Season Alma Mater...Nebraska, 1980 Record at OU (.925) Career Record (.925) DATE OPPONENT RESULT Jan. 12 Rocky Mountain Open First ( ) Jan. 20 Nebraska & Air Force First ( ) Jan. 26 Michigan W ( ) Feb. 1 Nebraska W ( ) Feb. 7 Winter Cup* Individual results Feb. 9 Winter Cup Finals* Individual results Feb. 16 Iowa W ( ) Feb. 23 Pacific Coast Classic Second ( ) March 8 Ohio State Cancelled March 15 Minnesota W ( ) March 22 Penn State W ( ) April 5 MPSF Championship First ( ) April 17 NCAA Qualifier First ( ) April 18 NCAA Team Finals First ( ) NEWS AND NOTES RELEASE NO. 1 Assistant Coach (Alma Mater)...Rustam Sharipov (Kharkov State, 1997) Year...Fourth Season Assistant Coach (Alma Mater)... Daniel Furney (Oklahoma, 2004) Year...Fourth Season Men s Gymnastics Office Phone... (405) Men s Gymnastics Office Fax... (405) Men s Gymnastics Contact... Matt Wilson Office #... (405) Fax #... (405) Cell #... (405) mwilson75@ou.edu Web site... Mailing address West Brooks St., Suite 2525; Norman, OK OKLAHOMA SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN April 19 NCAA Event Finals 11 All-Americans 1. Stanford (10) 2. OKLAHOMA (2) 3. Ohio State (1) 4. Illinois 5. Penn State 6. Michigan 7. California (1) 8. Minnesota 9. Iowa PRE-SEASON POLL 10. Nebraska 11. Temple 12. Illinois-Chicago 13. Air Force 14. William & Mary 15. Navy *First place votes in parenthesis 9 In the month of March, the Sooners will face three Big Ten foes beginning with a trip to the University of Minnesota on March 7, a meet that includes MPSF rival Stanford. After the matchup with the Golden Gophers and Stanford, Oklahoma will host two of its top rivals with Ohio State (March 14) and Penn State (March 21) at the McCasland Field House. Since 2000, the Sooners, Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have combined to win the last nine NCAA titles. OU leads the pack with five national championships while Penn State has claimed three (2000, 2004, 2007) and Ohio State won the 2001 championship. 8 Oklahoma will defend its 2008 national title as the University of Minnesota will host the 2009 NCAA Men s Gymnastics Championships, April 16-18, at the Minnesota Sports Pavilion. Oklahoma has won five national championships under the leadership of head coach Mark Williams and has claimed eight overall in the program s history. The Oklahoma men s gymnastics team has now won five of the last seven NCAA team crowns, (2008), (2006), (2005), (2003), and (2002), under current head coach Mark 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 SOONERSPORTS.COM

4 2008 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 2008 SEASON REVIEW Abdullah-Simmons nine career All-America honors ranks third in OU history. JAN. 10, SEASON REVIEW In one of the most dramatic endings in NCAA Championship history, the second ranked Oklahoma men s gymnastics team toppled No. 1 Stanford on the Cardinal s home floor to claim the 2008 national title. It was the Sooners fifth championship in the last seven years and the eighth in program history, giving the gymnastics squad the most national titles of any OU athletics program. Senior Jonathan Horton reinforced his status as the most decorated gymnast in OU history, becoming the Sooners sixth Nissen-Emery Award winner and claiming an individual national title on rings while finishing second in the all-around. Horton earned All-America status on three events (AA, SR, PB) to bring his career total to 18, a program record. His six career individual championships are also tops in OU history. Proving that the future of the OU program is extremely bright, freshman Steven Legendre won individual national championships on floor exercise and vault, earning All-America honors on both events as well as on high bar. Legendre became just the fourth Sooner to earn multiple NCAA titles in a season and the first freshman to win national crowns on at least two events. In total, Oklahoma gymnasts earned 11 All-America honors in 2008, the second highest total in the nation. In addition to Horton and Legendre, juniors Russell Czeschin (FX), Chris Brooks (PB, HB) and Jason Laughton (PH) and sophomore Reed Pitts (FX) received national honors SEASON HIGHLIGHTS Following the NCAA Championships, OU head coach Mark Williams was named National Coach of the Year for the fifth time, while assistants Daniel Furney and Rustam Sharipov earned National Co-Assistant Coach of the Year honors for the second time in three seasons. The Sooners also claimed the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title in 2008, their ninth conference championship in 10 years and fourth consecutive. Williams was named the conference s Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his nine seasons as OU head coach, sharing the 2008 honor with Cal s Barry Weiner. Horton was the MPSF allaround champion for the third time. He also won the rings crown and earned his third MPSF Gymnast of the Year Award. Horton excelled on the international scene as a member of the U.S. Senior National Team. At the 2007 World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, he finished fourth in the all-around and became just the fourth American men s gymnast to record a top-four all-around finish at the World Championships. Horton s performance helped the U.S. to a fourth-place team finish and an automatic berth in the 2008 Olympic Games. Horton went on to win a bronze medal in team competition and a silver medal in the individual high bar finals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games INDIVIDUAL EVENT HIGHS Event Score Gymnast All-Around Jonathan Horton Floor Exercise Steven Legendre Pommel Horse Jonathan Horton Still Rings Jonathan Horton Vault Steven Legendre Parallel Bars Jonathan Horton High Bar Jonathan Horton 2008 TEAM EVENT HIGHS Event Score Last Time Floor Exercise Pommel Horse Still Rings Vault Parallel Bars High Bar Total WILLIAMS CONTINUED SUCCESS The Oklahoma men s gymnastics team has won five of the last seven NCAA team crowns, (2008), (2006), (2005), (2003), and (2002), all under current head coach Mark Williams. 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). NISSEN-EMRY AWARD Senior Jonathan Horton reinforced his status as the most decorated gymnast in OU history, becoming the Sooners sixth Nissen-Emery Award winner. OU now has more Nissen-Emery award winners than any other university. Past winners include: Daniel Furney (2003), Todd Bishop (1999), Dan Fink (1998), Jarrod Hanks (1991) and Bart Conner (1981). MPSF ONCE AGAIN Oklahoma came from behind on the final rotation to win the program s fourth consecutive conference title. The Sooners conference crown is their ninth in 10 seasons competing in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The Sooners have won 16 individual conference crowns over the last five years. ALL-AMERICANS ALL-AROUND In total, Oklahoma gymnasts earned 11 All-America honors in 2008, the second highest total in the nation. In addition to Horton and StevenLegendre claiming six, juniors Russell Czeschin (FX), Chris Brooks (PB, HB) and Jason Laughton (PH) and sophomore Reed Pitts (FX) received national honors. The Sooners have earned double-digit totals in All-America honors in each of the last three years. SAYING GOODBYE Saying goodbye to Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons wasn t easy. During their four years in Norman, the pair combined for 24 All-America honors, six individual NCAA titles and were part of back-to-back national championship teams in 2005 and Horton and Abdullah-Simmons accounted for the last two of the last three NCAA all-around titles - Horton in 2006 and Abdullah-Simmons in No other team in NCAA men s gymnastics history had boasted two all-around champions on the same team at the same time.

5 EIGHT-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPS SOONERS UNDER WILLIAMS Year Record Conference (Finish) Postseason (Finish) MPSF (First) NCAA (Fourth) MPSF (First) NCAA (Second) MPSF (First) NCAA (First) MPSF (First) NCAA (First) MPSF (Second) NCAA (Second) MPSF (First) NCAA (First) MPSF (First) NCAA (First) MPSF (First) NCAA (Second) MPSF (First) NCAA (First) TOTAL WINNING PERCENTAGE BY THE NUMBERS.925 The winning percentage since head coach Mark Willimas has been at the University of Oklahoma. Willimas has won an average of 24 matches each of his nine years at the university. 1Since Mark Willams has been at Oklahoma, the Sooners have finished either first or second in the last eight NCAA Championships. 2The number of Olympic gymnasts who have come from Oklahoma since Williams has been coaching at Oklahoma. 14 The number of individual national titles won under the direction of Williams. 29 The number of individual conference championships that have awarded under Williams. 92 The number of All-Americans that have been produced while Willimas has been at Oklahoma. 100 The number of wins that Williams collected by Williams reaxched the plateau quicker than any coach in NCAA history. HEAD COACH MARK WILLIAMS 10th Year at OU: Alma Mater: Nebraska, 1980 Five National Championships Eight Conference Championships Five-Time National Coach of the Year Eight-Time MPSF Coach of the Year Career Coaching Highlights 2008 U.S. Olympic Personal Coach 2008 NCAA National Champions 2008 MPSF Coach of the Year 2008 National Coach of the Year 2007 MPSF Coach of the Year 2006 U.S. World Championships Head Coach 2006 USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year 2006 NCAA National Champions 2006 National Coach of the Year 2006 MPSF Coach of the Year 2005 NCAA National Champions 2005 National Coach of the Year 2005 MPSF Coach of the Year 2004 U.S. Olympic Personal Coach 2003 NCAA National Champions 2003 National Coach of the Year 2003 MPSF Coach of the Year 2003 World Championship Personal Coach 2002 World Championship Personal Coach 2002 NCAA National Champions 2002 National Coach of the Year 2002 MPSF Coach of the Year 2001 MPSF Coach of the Year 2001 West Region NCAA Coach of the Year 2001 World Championship Personal Coach 2000 MPSF Coach of the Year 1999 Pan American Games Head Coach 1996 Assistant Olympic Coach 1995 Assistant World Championship Coach 1994 World Championship Personal Coach 1994 USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year 1994 NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year 11-time USA International Team Coach Coaching Accomplishments Athlete on U.S. Olympic Team Two athletes on World Championship Teams Athlete on Pan American Games Team Athlete on Pan American Championship Team Athlete on World University Games Team Nine athletes on USA Senior National Team Eight athletes on Junior National Team 92 NCAA All-America Athletes 14 NCAA National Champions Two USA Junior National All-Around Champions Gymnastics Activities NCAA Rules Committee Chair, 2005 NGJA Nationally Certified Judge, F.I.G. Certified Judge, USAG Men s Program Committee Member, U.S. Men s Elite Coaches Association Sec./Treas. & V.P., USAG Board of Directors Sr. Rep, Coached on seven NCAA National Championship Teams (1981, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008) SOONERSPORTS.COM HEAD COACH MARK WILLIAMS RELEASE NO. 1