VISION TO BE THE PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES, STAFF AND FANS TO PURSUE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SPORT AND IN LIFE. MISSION THROUGH DEVELOPING LEADERS AND INSPIRING CHAMPIONS, WE CREATE SOONER MAGIC. PURPOSE AS ONE TEAM, WE CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT OF EXCELLENCE FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES TO PURSUE THEIR HIGHEST ACADEMIC, ATHLETIC AND PERSONAL ASPIRATIONS WHILE PREPARING FOR LIFE BEYOND. CONTENTS SOONER MAGIC CORE VALUES 05 OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES 16 OUR SPORTS PROGRAMS 26 OUR STAFF 28 OUR STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS

The Athletics Department 2014-15 Annual Report was produced under the supervision of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Programs and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione and Senior Associate Athletics Director Kenny Mossman with writing SHELBY PENDLEY assistance from Director of Publications Debbie Copp and the Athletics Communications staff. The report was designed by Assistant Director of Graphic Design Kelsey Hargens. Two-time All-American

2015 Big 12 Player of the Year This publication was printed by University Printing Services and distributed at no cost to the taxpayers of Oklahoma.

Photo Credits: Photos courtesy of Stacey West, Jackson Laizure, John Williamson, Shevaun Williams & Associates and Ty Russell.

This publication was printed at no cost to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo (August 2015).

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WITH A 3.06 IN THE FALL OF 2014 AND A 3.02 IN THE SPRING OF 2015, OU’S STUDENT-ATHLETES HAVE RECORDED A CUMULATIVE GPA DIRECTOR’S LETTER OF 3.00 OR BETTER FOR SEVEN CONSECUTIVE SEMESTERS. SOONER MAGIC

Sooner MAGIC has sprinkled the prairie from our university’s first athletic competition 120 years ago, to the frigid Saturday afternoon football comeback in Nebraska where Sooner MAGIC was coined, to most recently, when men’s gymnastics claimed its ninth NCAA Championship and our student-athlete GPA surpassed the 3.0 mark for the seventh straight semester.

Sooner MAGIC is in our DNA, and as such, our Department of Athletics has reimagined our core values to help us bring Sooner M.A.G.I.C to everything we do — Masterful • Accountable • Gracious • Inclusive • JOE CASTIGLIONE Competitive. It is important to remind ourselves about the MAGIC we experience every day, MAGIC that Vice President for we enjoy sharing with you when you are in the crowd and through the stories you will find in this report. Intercollegiate Athletics Programs – Director of Athletics CONSIDER FOR A MOMENT JUST A FEW OF THE SOONERS’ ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2014-15…

• Posted a 3.02 combined GPA for the spring • Softball’s Lauren Chamberlain was named after the record-tying fall mark of 3.06. Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year (and set NCAA career home record with 95) while Paige • Men’s gymnastics won its ninth national title. Parker was named National Freshman of the Year and Shelby Pendley was named Big 12 • Men’s tennis won the ITA national indoor Conference Player of the Year. championship and finished as the NCAA runner-up for the second year in a row after • became the first men’s the fourth straight Big 12 title. Axel Alvarez was basketball player in Big 12 history to lead named National Player of the Year. league in scoring, be named conference player of the year and make Academic All-Big 12 • Samaje Perine set NCAA FBS single-game first team. rushing record with 427 yards vs. Kansas.

Our mission remains resolute: through developing leaders and inspiring champions, we create Sooner MAGIC. We thank you for engaging in our magical journey and reinforcing that, truly, There is Only One ACADEMICS Oklahoma!

OU’s athletic department-wide graduation success, 72% two years ago, has improved to 80% in the current year. The Sooners celebrated 127 graduates in the Class of 2015, including 113 with undergraduate degrees, 13 with master’s degrees and one doctorate. With a 3.06 in the fall of 2014 and a 3.02 in the spring of 2015, OU’s student-athletes have recorded a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better for seven consecutive semesters. The 3.06 ties the all-time best semester GPA. Academic Progress Rates (APR) continued to demonstrate academic excellence for the Sooners. For the second year in a row, OU tied for the lead in the Big 12 with 11 sports registering a perfect single-year 1,000 score. Those sports included men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, rowing, softball, volleyball and wrestling. All 21 of OU’s teams scored above the minimum for the fifth consecutive year and three teams, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics and women’s tennis, led the Big 12 with their perfect multi-year APR scores of 1,000.

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HIELD BECAME THE FIRST PLAYER IN THE 19-YEAR HISTORY OF THE BIG 12 TO BE NAMED CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, LEAD THE LEAGUE IN SCORING AND BE NAMED TO THE ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM. 2015 ALL-AMERICAN BEAM

2013 ALL-AMERICAN UNEVEN BARS

2015 NCAA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP RECEIPENT

BASKETBALL BUDDY HIELD

The Oklahoma men’s basketball team’s season was one to remember, culminating in the program’s 10th Sweet 16 appearance (first under fourth-year head coach Lon Kruger) and most wins (24) since 2008-09. Leading the charge was junior Buddy Hield, who GYMNASTICS put together one of the best seasons in all of college basketball. Hield started all 35 contests for the Sooners and averaged a league-high 17.4 points, REBECCA CLARK 5.4 rebounds (led conference guards) and 1.9 assists en route to being named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press and National Association Don’t try to slow down Rebecca Clark. The senior of Basketball Coaches. Additionally, he became the Oklahoma gymnast finished her bachelor’s first player in the 19-year history of the Big 12 to degree in December and began her master’s be named conference player of the year, lead the of accounting in January — also the beginning league in scoring and be named to the academic of the NCAA gymnastics season. Clark led OU all-conference first team. In April, Hield announced to an undefeated regular season and captured his decision to bypass the NBA Draft and return to first team All-America honors on balance beam Norman for his senior campaign. at the 2015 NCAA Championship. Days later, she was named an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. After all, who better than a Sooner gymnast to epitomize the incredible balancing act required of a student-athlete?

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“WE ALL FELT LIKE IF THE NCAA IS GONNA HAVE THE AUDACITY TO PUT 15 “I LOVE THE RAH-RAH FACTOR OF OU. IT’S KNOWN STUDENT-ATHLETES OUT THERE RIGHT NEXT FOR ITS BIG FOOTBALL TEAM, BUT EVEN WHEN TO PRESIDENTS AND CHANCELLORS — WE’RE HOME COMPETING IN THE MCCASLAND PEOPLE WITH MASTER’S DEGREES AND FIELD HOUSE, WE GET ALL THE OU SUPPORTERS, DOCTORATE DEGREES WHO HAVE THE SOONER FANS WHO SCREAM “SOONER” BEEN DOING THIS FOR 30 YEARS — WHEN WE SCREAM “BOOMER.” WE’D BETTER STEP OUR GAME UP,”

— TY DARLINGTON AT THE 2015 NCAA CONVENTION

GYMNASTICS ALEC ROBIN

The Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team has built a special bond with Cleveland Elementary School over the last 10 years. OU gymnasts, including senior Alec Robin, take time each week to volunteer with, mentor and tutor the students. In turn, the kids get to interact with OU student-athletes like Robin and come to love them as friends. Just as the Sooners support Cleveland’s students in the classroom, the Cubs give right back. Each year the students attend a meet — this year, it was the “Perfect Dual” between No. 1 OU and fellow unbeaten No. 2 Illinois. The students sang the national anthem, led the players onto the floor and even helped FOOTBALL display scores ... all evidence of a special bond that’s lasted TY DARLINGTON a decade and is sure to stay strong for years to come.

The epitome of the student-athlete, Ty Darlington has excelled on the field and in the classroom for the OU football team. He’s started 14 of the 25 games he’s played in during his career, including all 13 contests at center in 2014. He helped anchor an offensive line that led the nation with the fewest sacks allowed last year. On the academic side, Darlington, who graduated in just five semesters, was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first team last season and served as the 2014-15 Vice-Chair of the Big 12 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In June, softball player Jessica Vest earned a similar honor. Darlington is the second straight Sooner center to earn that honor, following Gabe Ikard in 2013.

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“I WAS REAL SURPRISED JUST BECAUSE I’D NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE. IT WAS FUN AND I WAS GLAD IT BLEW UP AND GAVE A LITTLE EXPOSURE TO HAYDEN’S HOPE.”

“I’M NOT THE ONE TO WANT THE SPOTLIGHT IN ANY WAY. I TRY TO GIVE THE SPOTLIGHT TO OTHER PEOPLE. THAT’S JUST THE TYPE OF GUY THAT I AM.”

BASKETBALL JAMES FRASCHILLA

One can argue that former Oklahoma basketball walk-on James Fraschilla is the king of trick shot videos, having now created four of them that are full of uniquely executed conversions and FOOTBALL have garnered more than 192,000 combined views. But the most impressive part of the videos is the reason Fraschilla made them in the first place — to promote Hayden’s Hope, an organization SAMAJE PERINE founded by OU graduate and current ESPN personality Dari Nowkhah and his wife, Jenn. The Nowkhahs started the charity in memory of their son, Hayden, who passed away at 39 days old OU running back Samaje Perine learned that when you set the FBS single-game rushing record, you’re going to garner some while in need of a heart transplant. Hayden’s Hope works with attention. Perine, who ran for 427 yards against Kansas on Nov. 22, deflected praise for himself and instead turned the attention to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association to raise awareness his teammates, saying of his blockers: “They always do a great job week in and week out at preparation. I just try to give those guys for pediatric organ donation and funds to help families awaiting all the credit, because they deserve it.” such transplants.

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OU STUDENT-ATHLETES PUT IN THE VICE PRESIDENT OF SAAC, STEVENS HAS OVER 4,229 TOTAL HOURS BEEN EXTREMELY INVOLVED IN SERVICE AS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY, AT THE UNIVERSITY AND THROUGH THE SOONER BASEBALL TEAM’S 19 WAYS PROGRAM.

THE LIFE SKILLS CHALLENGE PUTS EACH SPORT AGAINST THE OTHERS IN A VARIETY OF CATEGORIES INCLUDING COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS, OVERALL TEAM GPA AND SUPPORT FOR OTHER SPORTS.

BASEBALL COLE STEVENS BASKETBALL

Cole Stevens waited patiently for a chance to toe the rubber in a game at the University of Oklahoma. His first three years were Each year, OU Athletics teams compete not only against opponents, but against each other. The Life Skills Challenge puts each sport spent battling injuries and navigating a deep Sooner bullpen. After tireless efforts to return to the mound, he made his debut against the others in a variety of categories including community service hours, overall team GPA and support for other sports. The with a clean eighth inning on opening weekend in a 9-1 OU victory. However, his greatest accomplishment came off the field in 2015. The vice president of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he has been extremely involved in service as a leader in the winner for the 2014-15 academic year was the women’s basketball team. They volunteered at the OU Children’s Hospital, the OK Kids community, at the university and through the Sooner baseball team’s 19 Ways program. He raised over $11,000 for childhood Korral and many Sooner Junior events. The Sooners also participated in the annual summer “Mission of Hope” trip to Haiti and cancer research in conjunction with the Vs. Cancer Foundation and the team’s second annual “Shave for the Brave.” headed into local elementary schools for a weekly “Sooner Big Sis” visit. The Sooners gave their time at each organization consistently Following the event, the Sooners continued a week of community service with their “Go Mitch Go” game and a pair of throughout the year. In addition to volunteering, the team participated in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student-Athlete Advisory walk-off wins over Kansas. Oklahoma improved five spots in the Big 12 standings with a third place finish and a 34-win season. Committee and BridgeBuilders events.

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“TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT HISTORY TO OUR PROGRAM, AND TO LAUREN, IS ALWAYS GOING “ALL OF US WILL REDOUBLE OUR EFFORTS TO CREATE THE STRONGEST TO BE SOMETHING SPECIAL TO US. SHE’S LEFT SENSE OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY. WE VOW THAT WE WILL BE AN MORE THAN A LEGACY ON OUR PROGRAM. “ EXAMPLE TO THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE.” – HEAD COACH PATTY GASSO – PRESIDENT DAVID L. BOREN

SOFTBALL LAUREN CHAMBERLAIN OUNITED The sport of college softball has never seen a hitter as great as OU’s Lauren Chamberlain. The Trabuco Canyon, Calif., native finished her remarkable career with 95 career homers, breaking a 13-year mark. She also set an NCAA record with a career of .960. Along the way, she helped guide the Sooners to an unprecedented four consecutive Big 12 titles and The Oklahoma student-athletes did not sit idly by after a racist video from an OU fraternity put the University into three trips to the Women’s College World Series. She finished her career as just the second player in OU history to be a four-time All-American. the national headlines in early March. They formed together to help start the OUNited campaign, which has seen Most recently, Chamberlain was honored as the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year. student-athletes promote unity and equality among all students on campus. During the week after the incident, the football team did not practice as a silent protest against racism and discrimination. In addition, prior to games throughout the rest of the season, OU student-athletes donned black shirts with “OUNited” across the front to help raise awareness.

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SQUIRES WON HIS THIRD CONSECUTIVE INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL TITLE ON STILL RINGS, BECOMING JUST THE THIRD GYMNAST IN NCAA HISTORY TO DO SO. REID BECAME THE THIRD SOONER EVER TO WIN THE INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL TITLE ON POMMEL HORSE

2015 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

GYMNASTICS

MICHAEL SQUIRES AND MICHAEL REID

Oklahoma’s 2015 men’s gymnastics squad was not satisfied with four consecutive NCAA runner-up finishes. Led by Michael Squires and Michael Reid, a pair of Sooners who started their careers as walk-ons, Oklahoma was on a quest for the program’s ninth national championship. Not only did the Sooners claim the 2015 NCAA title — they did so in style. OU broke the NCAA team single-meet scoring record in back-to-back meets during the regular season, Reid became the third Sooner ever to win the individual national title on pommel horse, and Squires won his third consecutive individual national title on still rings, becoming just the third gymnast in NCAA history to do so.

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2015 WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS BIG 12 CHAMPIONS REGIONAL CHAMPIONS NCAA THIRD-PLACE FINISH RECORD 13 ALL-AMERICA HONORS “CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK, THE WAY YOU TRAIN, THE WAY YOU APPROACH THE GAME.”

GYMNASTICS HALEY SCAMAN

SOCCER Five 10.0s, four All-America honors, four top-three NCAA finishes, two Big 12 Gymnast of the Year awards. Oklahoma DEVIN BARRETT gymnast Haley Scaman has a long list of accomplishments, but perhaps her most defining feature is her humble and team-oriented attitude. In 2015, Scaman and the Sooners

This was the charge from the Oklahoma soccer staff entering the 2014 captured a top-three NCAA finish, an unprecedented fourth season and junior Devin Barrett answered the call. Barrett helped lead a straight Big 12 Championship and an NCAA regional title. complete turnaround from 2013 as the Sooners’ leading scorer and an All-Big Oklahoma spent 12 consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 in the 12 Tournament team selection. With her help, OU made its first NCAA nation and captured 13 All-America honors at the 2015 Tournament appearance since 2010, captured the program’s highest ever NCAA Championships, including two awards for Scaman. national ranking and finished second in the Big 12 Championship.

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SECURED THE 2015 NCAA SAN DIEGO REGIONAL TITLE IN DOMINATING BREWER BECAME FASHION, WINNING BY 20 STROKES WITH A SEASON-LOW 843 (-21) OKLAHOMA’S 67TH NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPION.

WRESTLING CODY BREWER

By an 11-8 decision, redshirt junior Cody Brewer claimed the 133-pound crown at the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Brewer, the No. 13 seed in the tournament, defeated four opponents seeded higher than him en route to the title, including No. 3 seed Cory Clark of Iowa in the championship bout. Even though his title was an individual one, Brewer realized that becoming OU’s 67th national champion had a positive impact on the program as a whole. Brewer, now a three-time All-American, said “yes” to every interview request and became active with his Twitter account following the win, using his increased GOLF platform to build attention for the program.

The Oklahoma golf team made a statement when it took the 2015 NCAA San Diego Regional title in dominating fashion, winning by 20 strokes with a season-low 843 (-21). It was the Sooners’ fourth regional win in program history (1989, 1995, 2001, 2015). With the victory, OU qualified for its fifth straight NCAA Championships, becoming one of just six programs to reach the national tournament in each of the last five years, joining Georgia, Illinois, Texas, UCLA and USC. Individually, senior Michael Gellerman and freshman Grant Hirschman were named to the Division I PING All-America third and honorable mention teams, respectively, as well as the 10-member All-Big 12 team. It was the first time since 2004 that two Sooners earned All-America honors in the same season.

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“THIRD PLACE AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS IS PHENOMENAL, WE KNEW SHE WOULD BE ONE OF FIVE WHO HAD A CHANCE TO WIN TENNIS IT. SHE RACED HER HEART OUT.” AXEL ALVAREZ — HEAD COACH JIM VANHOOTEGEM

He may be a long way from his native Spain, but Axel Alvarez has made a second home at Oklahoma. In 2015, the Oklahoma junior became the first Sooner ever to be ranked No. 1 in the country in singles. He finished the season as the 2015 Big 12 Player of the Year and the 2015 ITA National Collegiate Player of the Year. Alvarez, an All-American in both singles and doubles, led a 10-man roster that featured five international players from three different countries. That talented Sooner squad improved on 2014’s historic season, winning the 2015 ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship (a program first) and advancing to the final of the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive year.

2015 BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR TRACK AND FIELD 2015 ITA NATIONAL COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR DAYE SHON ROBERSON

Sophomore slump ... Not for this Houston native. After running mainly on relays as a freshman, Daye Shon Roberson recorded a super sophomore year, missing out on a national title in the 100 by less than a second. Her results during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons reflected the success enjoyed by the program from start to finish. From a runner-up finish at the men’s Big 12 Championship and an all-time Big 12-best finish for the women in cross country to dramatic increases in point production at the Big 12 Outdoor meet, these Sooner teams have set the stage for increased competitive excellence in the future. e.

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IN 2015, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL “NOT ONLY IS SHE A GREAT TENNIS PLAYER BUT SHE IS ALSO A WONDERFUL PERSON, MADE ITS 16TH STRAIGHT TEAMMATE, AND STUDENT. WE ARE VERY NCAA APPEARANCE. FORTUNATE TO HAVE HER REPRESENTING THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA.”

— HEAD COACH DAVE MULLINS

T E N N I S LILY MIYAZAKI

Lily Miyazaki made her mark instantly for the OU tennis team. The Tokyo, Japan, native earned Co-Big 12 BASKETBALL Freshman of the Year and ITA Central Region Rookie of the Year honors after posting a 15-5 record at the No. MADDIE MANNING 1 singles position. Miyazaki recorded a .750 winning percentage, earning her a spot on the All-Big 12 Singles team. Her stellar rookie season led the Sooners to a 15-10 season, including a trip to the second round of the 2015 The Sooner nation got a glimpse of Maddie Manning the competitor on the hardwood as a true freshman in 2012, but a pair of ACL surgeries put her basketball career on the shelf for 719 days. The youngest in a family of five children, all older NCAA Championships. e brothers, laid the foundation for the tough and competitive spirit it would take to work through the rehabilitation of not . just one, but a second ACL tear. Upon returning to action, the Oklahoma faithful were treated to the thrills provided on the court by the maniacally competitive Manning. That spirit was never more apparent than in an upset of No. 4 Texas in which Manning owned the paint, repeatedly driving to the rack, fully prepared for contact. At the line, she was a brilliant 12-for-14 and keyed the Sooners’ 70-59 victory. It was one of several highlight wins for Oklahoma, which capped off a 21-win season with an appearance in the NCAA second round, its 16th consecutive trip to the dance.

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MARK WILLIAMS JOHN RODDICK National Coach of the Year National Coach of the Year

PATTY GASSO K.J. KINDLER Second-fastest coach in DI National Coach of the Year history to reach 1,000 wins

COACHES OF THE YEAR

A banner year for the OU athletics department was highlighted by recognition for some of its top coaches. Three were named National Coach of the Year as Mark Williams led the men’s gymnastics team to its ninth national title, K.J. Kindler LON KRUGER SHERRI COALE had the women’s gymnastics program at No. 1 in the polls throughout the regular season en route to a third-place finish Won her 400th game as OU First coach in NCAA history to lead women’s basketball head coach at the NCAA Championships and John Roddick guided men’s tennis to a second straight appearance in the national four programs to the Sweet 16* championship match. In addition, softball’s Patty Gasso became the second-fastest coach in Division I history to reach *Since the NCAA Tournament 1,000 wins, Sherri Coale won her 400th game as OU’s women’s basketball coach and Lon Kruger became the first coach in expanded to 64 teams in 1985. NCAA history to lead four programs to the Sweet 16 as men’s basketball made it back to the regional semifinals.

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GAYLORD FAMILY OKLAHOMA MEMORIAL STADIUM

The first phase of the building project at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium will be completed prior to the 2016 season with an estimated project budget of $160 million.

OU President David Boren described the plan as “focused and prudent.” Funding will come solely from private gifts and athletics revenues. This portion of the project will focus on the south end zone and will result in completing the south end zone seating bowl, a feature that will initially increase the seating capacity to more than 84,000 seats. Among the most unique features of the new south end zone facility will be a pair of open-air fan plazas, one each in the southwest and southeast corners. They will each measure slightly more than 3,000-square-feet and feature a view directly to the game field.

The new building will allow for most student-athlete services to be moved to the ground floor. That space will include a new locker room, strength and conditioning room, training room, nutrition center, meeting rooms and the equipment operation. Student-athletes from all 21 OU sports will benefit from the space.

The weight room will nearly triple in size to 26,600-square-feet and include a 70-yard indoor turfed speed and agility training area. The athletic training room also will grow substantially to nearly 10,000-square-feet.

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OKLAHOMA HAS CONSISTENTLY BEEN ABLE TO RAISE BETWEEN $2,000-$4,000 EACH YEAR, TOTALING OVER $20,000 IN THE FOUR-YEAR RUN. Reprinted from Sooner Magazine

ROWING FACILITY HEAD COACH VOLLEYBALL SANTIAGO RESTREPO Talk about a convincing sales pitch. Start a rowing team from scratch, in a prairie state, with no facilities, a very small recruiting base and, oh, yes, there is a river for training—and it’s 25 minutes away. Leeanne Crain was sold. She didn’t flinch as she arrived in Norman in 2008 to begin building the rowing program at the University of Oklahoma. It’s been seven seasons and a rather Since the passing of his son Javier in 2009, Santiago Restrepo’s volleyball team has acted as a leader in the community and the fight rapid rise to the top for Crain and her rowing Sooners. Two consecutive Big 12 titles in 2013 and ’14 to go along with an NCAA for cancer awareness. For the first time since the game’s inception, OU’s “Pledge for a Cure” match was played in honor of someone Championship berth. Since her arrival, when Crain fielded that first team by circulating fliers on campus, the head coach of OU other than Javi. The Sooners took the floor with the memory of Rian Sanderson, an 11-year-old girl from nearby Edmond who was an rowing has turned the Sooners into national contenders. This winter the team moved from its original training room in the depths active member of Oklahoma’s youth volleyball scene. Despite having never met Rian, Restrepo was struck by her story in 2014 and a of The Gaylord Family–Oklahoma Memorial Stadium into a $6.5-million training facility. The 24,000-square-foot complex, which connection was made with Rian’s family as the entire Oklahoma team was present for Rian’s memorial as a show of support. On the opened in January, houses a state-of-the-art, 16-seat “moving water” rowing tank, used to simulate on-the-water training indoors. court, Restrepo guided his squad to its sixth NCAA Championship appearance and eighth in the last nine years, while reaching the The facility also features a 2,740-square-foot workout area, sports medicine and hydrotherapy room, team room and locker room 20-win mark for the fifth straight year. in addition to office and meeting spaces and storage and laundry areas.

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ZAC SELMON SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR / CHIEF OF OPERATIONS STAFF VOLUNTEERING The Oklahoma Athletics Department recently welcomed back Norman native Zac Selmon to its staff. Selmon, who completed his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in intercollegiate athletics administration at OU while working as a graduate assistant, will Each year Oklahoma Athletics coaches, student-athletes and more than 100 staff members participate in the Boomer serve as the senior associate athletics director/chief of operations. In his role, Selmon will be involved in the department’s overall Blessings outreach program. Held in lieu of a traditional holiday party, the event functions as a way to give back to the community direction and culture with responsibilities including management of the strategic planning process, implementation of initiatives, during the holiday season. The event was coordinated by the Athletics Department Staff Council, an internal athletics department serving as a sport administrator, facilitating additional projects and assisting Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione group tasked with focusing on internal department issues and outreach opportunities. Partners helped by the event included the in building stakeholder relationships. Additionally, Selmon will oversee the department’s diversity programs. Selmon is no stranger Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity of Central Oklahoma, Mental Health Association of to OU as his father Dewey and uncles Lee Roy and Lucious were all standout OU defensive linemen in the 1970s and his sister, Oklahoma, Moore Public Schools and Transition House, Inc. Shannon, played on OU’s 2002 women’s basketball team that went to the Final Four.

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LINCOLN RILEY Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks

DENNIS SIMMONS Outside Receivers

DIRON REYNOLDS SOONER VISION Defensive Line KERRY COOKS Defensive Backs When current Assistant Athletics Director of Broadcast Operations Brandon Meier took over the reins of SoonerVision in 2007, he knew students were the key to help mold the department he envisioned. Luckily, early in Meier’s tenure he found Matt Jaques and Jacob Potter. As students, they both displayed a unique talent for video production. Jaques was superb in creating eye-catching graphics and animations while Potter’s writing and producing prowess was evident from the start. Each was offered a full-time FOOTBALL STAFF position upon graduation. Today, Jaques is instrumental in creating the sport intro videos and commercials, while Potter handles much of the production and direction of SoonerVision programming. He also, along with Meier, produced and directed the first three History of Oklahoma Football documentaries.

As the football team enters its 121st season of play, the Sooners will look to reap the benefits of having four new coaches Any given year, SoonerVision employs nearly 100 students. The students are hands-on with every area of production. As with on staff. Lincoln Riley is the new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach after spending the past five seasons in the same Jaques and Potter, the development of talent has paid off as the SoonerVision staff recently was awarded a Golden Matrix Award position at East Carolina. Additionally, OU brought in Dennis Simmons, who has extensive knowledge of the “air raid” system from the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) for the Best Overall Big Screen Display in the college division. to coach outside receivers. Defensively, Kerry Cooks is the new defensive backs coach with previous stops coming at Notre The award has been issued since 2001, and OU leads all universities with four honors, each of them coming in the last six years Dame, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The OU defensive line will learn from Diron Reynolds, who brings with him over a decade of (2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015). experience coaching in the NFL.

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AMANDA JOHNSON / N7

In April, the OU Athletics community welcomed more than 200 Native American students from around the state to Norman for the second annual Sooners for N7 Youth Movement. OU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) organized the event, led by its president, women’s golfer Amanda Johnson. The students ranged from ages 10-12 and represented several different tribes, including Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Osage Nation and Choctaw. The event, part of Nike’s N7 Initiative, featured multiple stations run by student-athletes where student guests learned about various health and wellness methods. Johnson’s Nike connection continued this past summer as she interned for the company as the brand specialist for Global Sportswear.

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REVENUES $120,500,000

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 1%

OTHER SPORTS / MISC. 6%

TRADEMARKS / LICENSING 3% CONFERENCE DISTRIBUTION 22% “The Athletics Department makes an important contribution to the spirit of our entire institution and our determination SPONSORSHIPS / ADVERTISING 18% to be the best in every area. The ability to win at life CONTRACT REVENUE 2% is the most important impact of the department and all of its staff members

on our student-athletes. The Athletics Department is dedicated not only

to the development of athletic talent, but also to academic skills, personal MEN’S BASKETBALL 2% CONTRIBUTIONS 17% values and character.” – President David L. Boren University of Oklahoma

FOOTBALL 29%

EXPENSES $120,430,000

ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES 3% MISCELLANEOUS / OTHER 7%

DEBT SERVICE 8% WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 4%

UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS 4%

EXTERNAL SERVICES 11%

OTHER WOMEN’S SPORTS 11%

FACILITIES 6%

OPERATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES 7%

FOOTBALL 21%

OTHER MEN’S SPORTS 7%

MEN’S BASKETBALL 6%

INTERNAL SERVICES 5%

– 38 – – 39 – UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

McClendon Center for Intercollegiate Athletics | 180 West Brooks St. | Norman, Oklahoma 73019

Telephone: (405) 325-8000 | Fax: (405) 325-7003 SOONERSPORTS.COM