Release no. 1 Jan. 12, 2008

Brian Dude | Media Relations Graduate Assistant University of Oklahoma | Men’s Contact oklahomamen’sgymnastics Office: 405.325.8413 | Fax: 405.325.7623 1977 | 1978 | 1991 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS [email protected] | www.SoonerSports.com

2008 Oklahoma men’s gymnastics Schedule/Results impact Performer Jacob messina8

Date Opponent Time/Results Messina was poised for a breakout season in 2007. The junior from Jan. 12 at Rocky Mountain Open* 8 p.m. Matthews, N.C., claimed the all-around title and qualified for the event finals on , and high bar at the 2007 Rocky Mountain Jan. 20 at Nebraska (w/ Air Force) 2 p.m. Open. He finished second on horse and claimed the rings title before Jan. 26 Michigan 7 p.m. finishing on high bar. His high bar dismount, however, ended both his Feb. 1 nebraska 7 p.m. competition and his season as he suffered a torn ACL. After redshirting the rest of the 2007 season, Messina returns to action once again in Feb. 7 at Winter Cup Challenge^ 9 p.m. Colorado Springs, looking to make an impact for the 2008 Sooners. Feb. 9 at Winter Cup Challenge^ 9 p.m. Feb. 16 at Iowa 7 p.m. third-ranked Sooners open 2008 season at rocky mountain open Feb. 23 at Pacific Coast Classic! 9 p.m. March 8 at Ohio State 6 p.m. NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 3 Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team opens the 2008 season Saturday, Jan. March 15 MINNESOTA 7 p.m. 12, at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. The event, hosted by the U.S. Air Force Academy, will start at 8 p.m. (CT) at Cadet West Gymnasium and will include both team and individual March 22 at Penn State 6 p.m. awards. April 5 MPSF Championships% 7 p.m. April 17 NCAA Qualifiers# 3 p.m./10 p.m. In addition to OU and Air Force, the 2008 Rocky Mountain Open field includes fellow MPSF rival April 18 NCAA Team Finals# 5 p.m. Nebraska, club teams from Arizona State and the University of Washington, and athletes from the U.S. Olympic Training Center. April 19 NCAA Event Finals# 5 p.m. The Sooners have won eight consecutive Rocky Mountain Open team titles, including sweeping all six All start times listed are Central events en route to a 207.35-189.70 victory over Nebraska last season. OU gymnasts won five of six ALL CAPS indicates home meets individual event titles and junior Jacob Messina claimed the all-around crown at last year’s event. * Colorado Springs, Colo. Hosted by the U.S. Air Force Academy. ^ Las Vegas, Nev. Individual USA Gymnastics ranking event. “The Rocky Mountain Open is always a great starting point for us,” head coach Mark Williams said. “We ! Oakland, Calif. Hosted by USA Sports Management. get a chance to see some opponents that we’ll see again further down the road, as well as some of the % Lincoln, Neb. Hosted by the University of Nebraska. judges we’ll see during conference competition. It kind of sets the stage for the rest of the season.” # Stanford, Calif. Hosted by Stanford University. Oklahoma will be without several of its key performers in Colorado, as senior co-captain Jonathan setting the scene 2008 rocky mountain open Horton and sophomores Ian Jackson and Corey English will not compete. Horton continues to rest after a busy summer that concluded with a fourth-place all-around finish at the 2007 orldW Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, and helping Team USA to a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Horton also missed What: 2008 Rocky Mountain Open hosted by the Air Force Academy last year’s Rocky Mountain Open while training with the U.S. Senior National Team in Japan.

WhO: No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 10 Nebraska, Air Force, Arizona State, In addition, junior Jason Laughton and senior co-captain Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons will only participate on Washington, U.S. Olympic Training Center select events while nursing minor injuries. Messina, the defending RMO all-around champion, will likely be limited to four events as he continues to recover from an ACL injury suffered at last season’s meet in Where: Colorado Springs, Colo. Colorado Springs. Cadet West Gymnasium “I’m hoping that some of the new guys impress me,” Williams said. “They’re going to need to step up When: Jan. 12, 2008 at 8 p.m. (CST) and show me they’re ready for what’s ahead of us.”

SCORES: No live scores will be available for this meet. Final results A solid showing from newcomer could be just what the doctor ordered for the Sooners. will be posted on SoonerSports.com at the conclusion of competition. The talented freshman from Port Jefferson, N.Y., could be a threat to win the all-around competition and will be looking to have an impact on all six events. In November, Legendre led the U.S. squad to a gold WHAT 2 WATCH 4: The Sooners have won eight consecutive Rocky medal at the Junior Pan-American Championships in while taking home the top all-around Mountain Open team titles, including a 207.35-189.70 victory over prize. runner-up Nebraska last season. OU returns 12 letterwinners from last year’s team which earned the program’s eighth MPSF champion- The OU lineup will also be bolstered by the return of Reed Pitts, an All-American on exercise and ship in nine years and finished second at the NCAA Championships. in 2006. Pitts missed the entire 2007 season with an Achilles injury.

Air Force is in its third season under head coach Kip Simons. The Falcons return eight letterwinners from last year’s team that finished fifth in the MPSF.

Ranked 10th in the preseason GymInfo Coaches Poll, Nebraska returns 11 letterwinners, including

The official site of OU Athletics supplies Sooner fans worldwide with the All-Americans T.J. Schmidt and Stephen Tétrault. The Huskers are in their 38th year under head coach latest news and features on Oklahoma athletics direct from Norman. The site Francis Allen. provides the latest press releases, rosters, bios, schedules, statistics, notes, quotes, athlete blogs, photo galleries and audio and video available to both Oklahoma will once again face off against Air Force and Nebraska on Jan. 20 in Lincoln, Neb. That Sooner fans and the media. competition is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start at the Bob Devaney Center on the NU campus.

oklahoma men’s gymnastics notes | Soonersports.com page 1 Release no. 1 Jan. 12, 2008

2008 Oklahoma Men’s Gymnastics Roster

Name Yr. ht. hometown (High School) (Club) pronunciation Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons Sr. 5-7 Philadelphia, Pa. (Home Schooled) ( Gymnastics Academy) TAH-key ab-DOOL-uh Jr. 5-8 Houston, (Cypress Creek HS) (Houston North Gymnastics) Garrett Carr Jr. 5-11 Mandeville, La. (Fountainbleau HS) (Aces) Russell Czeschin Jr. 6-3 Independence, Mo. (Fort Osage HS) (Great American Gymnastic Express) shuh-SHEEN Corey English So. 5-7 Covington, La. (St. Paul’s HS) (Mandeville Sports Complex) C.J. Grimes Fr. 5-5 Ulysses, Kan. (Ulysses HS) (Littlestar Gymnastics) Sr. 5-1 Houston, Texas (Cy-Fair HS) (Cypress Academy) Ian Jackson So. 5-6 Harrisburg, Pa. (Central Dauphin HS) (Artistic Sports Academy Plus) Jason Laughton Jr. 5-6 Northridge, Calif. (Sunland Christian School) (SCATS Gymnastics) lawton Steven Legendre Fr. 5-6 Flower Mound, Texas (Spring Creek Academy) (World Olympic Gymnastics Academy) la-ZHAHN-dra Kyle McNamara Jr. 5-7 Littleton, Colo. (Heritage HS) (5280 Gymnastics) MAC-nuh-mare-uh Jacob Messina Jr. 5-6 Matthews, N.C. (East Mecklenburg HS) (G & J Speedway) Reed Pitts So. 5-9 Allen, Texas (Allen HS) (Eagle’s Wings Athletics) Bobby Shortle Fr. 5-2 Brunswick, Ohio (Brunswick HS) (Gym World) SHORT-uhl Joseph Weaver Sr. 5-6 Garland, Texas (William J. Palmer HS) (Colorado Training Center)

Head Coach Mark Williams Ninth Season Nebraska, 1980 Assistant Coach Daniel Furney Third Season Oklahoma, 2004 Assistant Coach Third Season Kharkov State, 1997 roos-TOM share-EE-pahv

Oklahoma Men’s Gymnastics News and Notes

Coming up next... Sooners debut at No. 3 Following the Rocky Mountain Open, the Sooners travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on Oklahoma was ranked third in the preseason GymInfo Coaches Poll released on Nov. MPSF rivals Nebraska and Air Force. The meet is set for Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. in the Bob 5, 2007, receiving two first-place votes. Devaney Center. The Sooners have debuted in the top three in each of head coach Mark Williams’ eight OU opens its home schedule on Jan. 20 against No. 6 Michigan and hosts the Huskers seasons at OU and were the coaches’ preseason No. 1 five times in that span (2002-03 in a double dual at the Lloyd Noble Center on Jan. 26. and 2005-07).

Williams names captains The Sooners boast 12 returning letterwinners from a team that went 26-4 last season Seniors Jonathan Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-SImmons were named co-captains of the and finished second at the NCAA Championships. The 2007 squad also captured the 2008 Sooner squad by head coach Mark WIlliams. program’s ninth Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title.

Horton’s leadership and contributions to the team are well-documented. The 2006 Legendre earns Pan-Am gold NCAA all-around champion owns the OU records for career individual NCAA titles (five) Freshman Steven Legendre took the gold medal in the all-around competition at the and career All-America honors (15). He is serving his third stint as a team captain. Junior Pan-American Gymnastics Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on Nov. 23. Team USA swept the top four spots in the all-around to capture the team gold The 2007 NCAA all-around champion and a nine-time All-American, Abdullah-SImmons as well, recording a 262.933, 10 points better than silver-medalist and 22 points will look to close out his impressive OU career by leading the Sooners to a third NCAA ahead of third-place Argentina. title in four years. Legendre, from Port Jefferson, N.Y., scored an 87.032 to best teammate and runner-up In with the new(comers) Glen Ishino (86.967). The USA’s Alexy Bilozertchev earned the bronze medal with an Oklahoma added talent and depth in the 2008 freshman class. Joining the Sooners 86.534, while fellow American finished fourth (85.866). this season are Steven Legendre from Port Jefferson, N.Y., and Bobby Shortle from Brunswick, Ohio. Career highs for everyone NCAA men’s gymnastics will be using a new scoring system for the 2008 competition Last season Ian Jackson and Corey English contributed immediately in helping the season. No longer will routines be judged on a 10.0 scale. Instead, men’s collegiate Sooners to the MPSF title and a second-place NCAA finish. gymnastics has adopted the Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) Scoring System which allows for an open-ended Code of Points. Legendre comes in as a highly-acclaimed junior gymnast and will be expected to be an impact all-around performer. Shortle is expected to challenge for a spot in the lineup Instead of scores like 9.65, or 9.8, routines will be given scores such as 15.3, 14.8, etc. on both vault and floor exercise. The result? Every men’s gymnast in the NCAA will, points-wise, set new career highs on every event the first time they compete in 2008. C.J. Grimes, who redshirted in 2007, could also see action on rings this season.

oklahoma men’s gymnastics notes | Soonersports.com page  Release no. 1 Jan. 12, 2008

7Dynamic duo Senior co-captains Jonathan Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons have accounted for the last two NCAA all-around titles. Horton was the 2006 champion, while Abdullah- Simmons claimed last year’s crown (Horton was runner-up).

No other team in NCAA history has boasted two all-around champions on the same squad at the same time.

Horton leads Team USA to 2008 Olympic berth In case anyone needed more proof that Jonathan Horton is among the best gymnasts in the world, his performance in the all-around finals at the 2007 orldW Artistic Gymnas- tics Championships cemented his stature. The Houston, Texas, native scored a 91.200 Welcome back in Stuttgart, Germany, to finish in fourth place, just 0.2 points from earning a bronze In addition to 2007 All-Americans Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Chris Brooks, Russell medal. Czeschin and Jonathan Horton, OU welcomes back 2005 FX All-American Jacob Mes- sina and 2006 FX and V All-American Reed Pitts. Both Messina and Pitts redshirted Horton became just the fourth American man to record a top-four all-around finish at last season due to injury. the World Championships and the first since 2004 Olympic gold medalist

took the title in 2003. Only Hamm and (2nd, 1979) have finished higher Sooners sign three for 2009 than Horton. also finished fourth at the 1999 World Championships. The best keep getting better as head coach Mark Williams signed three of the nation’s top junior gymnasts to National Letters of Intent. Patrick Piscitelli, Chad Crumley and Horton finished ninth in the all-around in the preliminary round. Troy Nitzky will join the Sooners for the 2009 season. “Being fourth in the world is pretty exciting,” said OU head coach and U.S. assistant Piscitelli hails from Charlotte, N.C., and trains under Jie Ding at G&J Speedway, the Mark Williams. “He also recognizes that he was very close to a medal and that will same program as current OU gymnast Jacob Messina. In addition to being an honors certainly motivate him for next year to get up on the podium.” student and Academic All-America honoree at Charlotte Catholic High School, Piscitelli was a member of the U.S. Junior National Team from 2004-2005. He has also won Horton started the event on pommel horse, admittedly his weakest event. He turned in back-to-back all-around titles in Region 8. a solid routine, scoring a 13.975. By the time the sixth and final rotation was finished, he had jumped 20 places from 24th to fourth. A native of Long Grove, Ill., Crumley is a six-time Junior Olympic National qualifier and an Academic All-American from Adlai E. Stevenson High School. He also helped his “I knew I would be playing catch up all day,” Horton said. “I started on my worst event club program, Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center, to the 2007 Club Team Champi- and I knew it was going to happen. I had to work my way up, getting to my stronger onship. Crumley is coached by Don Osborne and his father, Kelly Crumley, who events.” competed at Iowa while Williams was competing at Nebraska. Fueling Horton’s charge up the standings were impressive routines on the still rings Nitzky, from Southampton, Pa., attends William Tennent High School. He is coached and high bar, where he posted scores of 15.250 and 14.825, respectively. Both totals by San Juan Jones at Temple University Boys Gymnastics where he has been a Junior ranked among the top five scores of the day on each apparatus. Olympic National qualifier each of the last four years. In 2007, Nitzky finished second in the all-around at the Pennsylvania State Championships. Finishing on floor exercise, Horton turned in perhaps his best performance of the day

scoring a 15.625, tying his best mark on the event in the World Championships. His Crimson & Cream on the U.S. National Team total was also the third-best floor score of the day, behind only Fuliang Liang of China Oklahoma has always had a noticeable presence in USA Gymnastics. Over the (15.850) and Korea’s Dae Eun Kim and Spain’s Rafael Martinez who posted matching program’s history, OU has placed 15 athletes on the U.S. Senior National Team. The scores of 15.800. Sooners have had two Olympians, four World Championships participants and sent three athletes to the , Pan American Championships and World Horton’s fourth-place finish was the University Games. second in as many days for a resurgent preseason gym info coaches poll NOV. 5, 2008 American squad. The U.S. also just Since taking over in 2000, Coach missed a bronze medal in the team Williams has placed four gymnasts on (First place votes in parentheses) finals, finishing with a 272.575, 1.25 the Senior National Team, including 1 Stanford (8)* points behind third-place Germany. current OU standouts Jonathan Horton 2 Penn State (4)* and Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons. Assistant 3 OKLAHOMA (2) “To come so close - to have two fourth- coach Daniel Furney and recent gradu- 4 Ohio State (1)* place finishes in two days gives me a ate Jamie Henderson have also been a 5 California* lump in my throat,” Horton said. “To part of the U.S. Team. 6 Michigan* 7 Minnesota* know that we were that close is a lot of

8 Illinois* motivation for the road to Beijing.” Historic win 9 Iowa* Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons’ 2007 NCAA 10 Nebraska* The showings by both Horton and the all-around title was noteworthy, and not 11 Temple U.S. team should help alleviate some of just because he was the second different 12 Army the concern after a disappointing showing Sooner gymnast to claim the crown in as 13 University of Illinois-Chicago by the USA at the 2006 World Champion- many years. According to research by 14 William & Mary 15 Navy ships in , Denmark. Competing with OU and the NCAA, Abdullah-Simmons an inexperienced squad, the U.S. finished became the first African-American in Receiving votes: Air Force*, James 13th in the team standings. Guillermo Alva- NCAA men’s gymnastics history to claim Madison, MIT, Springfield rez was the top American in the all-around, the all-around championship. finishing in 18th place. * indicates OU opponent oklahoma men’s gymnastics notes | Soonersports.com page  Release no. 1 Jan. 12, 2008

Oklahoma men’s Gymnastics Records Under updated FIG Code Scoring System (through 2007) 2007 Season in review

6Team Records The 2007 Oklahoma men’s gymnastics team narrowly missed the program’s first three-peat as national champion. Locked in a battle with the championship host Penn State, the NCAA crown came down to the final event as OU, finishing Event Record Date(s) Set on vault, couldn’t overcome the Nittany Lions’ strong performance on the rings. All-Around...... 221.40...... 04.07.06 Oklahoma finished with a 220.200 to Penn State’s 221.000. The Sooners, led by head Floor Exercise...... 38.400...... 03.31.07 coach Mark Williams, recorded their third runner-up finish in his tenure (four NCAA titles) Pommel Horse...... 35.200...... 02.25.06 The weekend did not end without OU adding some hardware to its trophy case, however. Junior Taqiy Still Rings...... 38.300...... 04.13.07 Abdullah-Simmons turned in perhaps the best performance of his OU career to claim the NCAA all-around Vault...... 37.850...... 04.07.06 national title. ...... 37.400...... 01.27.07 High Bar...... 37.700...... 04.06.06 The Philadelphia, Pa., became the second consecutive Sooner to earn the individual title, as classmate Jonathan Horton won the championship in 2006. Abdullah-Simmons also claimed All-America honors in the all-around and on vault, high bar and still rings. 6Individual Records Horton also made history at the event, winning NCAA event titles on the high bar and floor exercise. With Event record record Holder (Date Set) five career individual national titles, Horton broke ’s school record. All-Around...... 56.00...... Jonathan Horton (04.07.06) The Houston, Texas, native also broke Conner’s program mark for career All-America honors, earning the Floor Exercise...... 9.800...... Jonathan Horton (02.24.07) distinction on five events (AA, FX, SR, HB, V) to up his career total to 15, while also tying the school record Pommel Horse...... 9.200...... Jamie Henderson (03.11.06) for honors in a season. Still Rings...... 9.850...... Jonathan Horton (02.18.06) Vault...... 9.575...... Russell Czeschin (04.07.06) For the fourth straight year Oklahoma led the nation, acquiring 11 total All-Americans at the NCAA Championships. In addition to the nine All-America honors won by Horton and Abdullah-Simmons, Parallel Bars...... 9.525...... Jonathan Horton (04.07.06) sophomore Russell Czeschin (FX) earned the distinction for the first time in his career, while Chris Brooks High Bar...... 9.800...... Jonathan Horton (04.07.06) repeated as an All-American on high bar.

Horton also claimed another prestigious title in 2007. At the Tyson American Cup in Jacksonville, Fla., on Oklahoma Men’s Gymnastics Quick Facts March 3, against a field of the world’s top gymnasts, he claimed his second consecutive Cup champion- ship, edging Japan’s Nakase Takuya. Horton became the first male gymnast to win back-to-back Tyson General Information American Cup titles since the USA’s Blaine Wilson won three straight from 1997-99. Location...... Norman, Okla. Prior to the NCAA Championships, the Sooners continued their reign in the Mountain Pacific Sports Enrollment...... 29,721 Federation. Despite season-ending injuries to Jacob Messina and Reed Pitts, and losses to Michigan and Founded...... 1890 Ohio State, head coach Mark Williams led the Sooners to the program’s eighth MPSF conference champi- President...... David L. Boren onship on the campus of the University of California-Berkeley. Horton and Abdullah-Simmons finished first VP for Intercollegiate Athletics/AD...... Joe Castiglione and second, respectively, in the all-around standings. Nickname...... Sooners Horton also defended his conference titles on rings and floor and tied for first on the high bar en route to Colors...... Crimson & Cream his second consecutive MPSF Gymnast of the Year award. Williams was also honored as the conference’s Conference...... Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his eight seasons at Oklahoma as his Sooners finished the sea- Arena(s)...... Howard McCasland Field House (2,300) son with a record of 26-4. Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) OU All-Time Record...... 493-164-1 (.749) 2007 Oklahoma men’s Gymnastics schedule/results

Team Information Date Opponent Results 2007 Overall Record...... 26-4 (.867) 01.12.07 Rocky Mountain Open Team Finals First, 207.350 High Score...... 220.500 01.13.07 Rocky Mountain Open Event Finals 13 placed MPSF Finish...... First 01.20.07 Nebraska & Air Force First, 213.200 NCAA Finish...... Second 01.27.07 @ Michigan L, 218.000 Letterwinners Returning/Lost...... 13/1 02.02.07 @ Nebraska W , 213.300 All-Americans Returning/Lost...... 11/0 02.09.07 Winter Cup Individual results 02.10.07 Winter Cup Individual results Coaching Staff 02.16.07 Washington & Texas First, 210.500 Head Coach...... Mark Williams 02.24.07 Pacific Coast Classic First, 218.450 Year...... Ninth Season 03.03.07 Ohio State L, 213.550 Alma Mater...... Nebraska, 1980 03.17.07 Iowa W, 220.500 03.31.07 MPSF Championship First, 217.950 Record at OU...... 195-17 (.920) 04.12.07 NCAA Qualifiers Second, 218.600 Career Record...... 195-17 (.920) 04.13.07 NCAA Team Finals Second, 220.200 04.14.07 NCAA Event Finals 11 All-Americans Assistant Coach...... Rustam Sharipov Year...... Third Season 2007 team event highs 2007 individual event highs Alma Mater...... Kharkov State, 1997 Event Score last Time Event Score gymnast(s) Assistant Coach...... Daniel Furney Floor Exercise...... 38.400...... 03.31.07 All-Around...... 55.950...... Horton Year...... Third Season Pommel Horse...... 35.200...... 03.17.07 Floor Exercise...... 9.800...... Horton Alma Mater...... Oklahoma, 2004 Still Rings...... 38.300...... 04.13.07 Pommel Horse...... 9.000...... B. Carr, Laughton Vault...... 36.500...... 03.17.07 Still Rings...... 9.850...... Horton The Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center Parallel Bars...... 37.400...... 01.27.07 Vault...... 9.300...... Horton Men’s Gymnastics Office Phone...... (405) 325-8341 High Bar...... 37.400...... 03.17.07 Parallel Bars...... 9.650...... Horton Men’s Gymnastics Office Fax...... (405) 325-7485 Team Total...... 220.500...... 03.17.07 High Bar...... 9.800...... Horton

ou men’s gymnastics notes page  Release no. 1 Jan. 12, 2008

Williams by the numbers 8 Year record Conference (Finish) postseason (Finish) 2000...... 15-4...... MPSF (First)...... NCAA (Fourth) head coach 2001...... 24-2...... MPSF (First)...... NCAA (Second) 2002...... 28-1...... MPSF (First)...... NCAA (First) mark williams 2003...... 26-0...... MPSF (First)...... NCAA (First) 2004...... 24-4...... MPSF (Second)...... NCAA (Second) four-time national coach of the year 2005...... 21-2...... MPSF (First)...... NCAA (First) seven-time MPSF coach of the year 2006...... 31-0...... MPSF (First)...... NCAA (First) 2007...... 26-4...... MPSF (First)...... NCAA (Second) Total 195-17 .920 Winning Percentage

If you’re looking for tradition and sustained excellence in NCAA men’s gymnastics, look no farther than Norman, Okla. The Williams Honor Roll At the University of Oklahoma, four-time National Coach of the Year Mark Williams has led the Sooners to four NCAA Career Coaching Highlights titles and three runner-up finishes in the last seven seasons. Not since 1979-1982 has a team produced a finish of • 2007 MPSF Coach of the Year second place or higher in six or more consecutive seasons. • 2006 U.S. World Championships HC • 2006 USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year Williams was named head coach of the program in 2000 and has positioned Oklahoma as a legitimate national • 2006 NCAA National Champions • 2006 National Coach of the Year contender every year with an overall mark of 195-17 in eight seasons. During his tenure OU has recorded impressive • 2006 MPSF Coach of the Year numbers, including 81 All-America honors and producing the nation’s top gymnast in 2003, Daniel Furney (Nissen • 2005 NCAA National Champions Emery Award). • 2005 National Coach of the Year • 2005 MPSF Coach of the Year Williams’ 2007 OU squad won the program’s eighth MPSF title in nine seasons and finished as national runner-up. • 2004 U.S. Olympic Personal Coach Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons claimed the NCAA all-around crown and Jonathan Horton won the floor exercise and high • 2003 NCAA National Champions • 2003 National Coach of the Year bar titles, breaking Bart Conner’s OU record for career NCAA championships. • 2003 MPSF Coach of the Year • 2003 World Championship Personal Coach Outside of coaching on the collegiate level, in 2004 Williams was also on the Olympic scene. Williams helped • 2002 World Championship Personal Coach guide former OU assistant coach to the 2004 Summer Olympics in , Greece. Young had been • 2002 NCAA National Champions coached by Williams since he was 11 years old and, at the age of 27, Young achieved his goal of competing for the • 2002 National Coach of the Year U.S. at the Olympics with Williams at his side. Not only did Young compete in the games, but his performance helped • 2002 MPSF Coach of the Year • 2001 MPSF Coach of the Year the team earn silver, the first team medal for the U.S. since 1984. • 2001 West Region NCAA Coach of the Year • 2001 World Championship Personal Coach Although Williams has returned gymnastics at OU to the top of the sport, another one of his primary goals as head • 2000 MPSF Coach of the Year coach has been to revitalize OU’s presence on the international gymnastics scene. With Young’s showing at the • 1999 Pan American Games Head Coach 2004 and numerous other gymnasts competing on the world scene, Williams has achieved just that. • 1996 Assistant Olympic Coach • 1995 Assistant World Championship Coach

• 1994 World Championship Personal Coach In his 26 years as a professional gymnastics coach, Williams has guided gymnasts to the Olympic, World Champion- • 1994 USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year ship, Pan American Games and University Games teams. He has also coached numerous senior and junior U.S. na- • 1994 NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year tional team members including: Casey Bryan (1994 World Team member); Darren Elg (1987 U.S. Junior champion); • 11-time USA International Team Coach Dan Fink (1998 NCAA champion on rings); John Goodwin, Matt Hervey, Jarrod Hanks (1991 World Team members); Jeremy Killen (1997 NCAA champion on floor exercise); Josh Landis (NCAA Champion on floor exercise and pommel Coaching Accomplishments • Athlete on U.S. Olympic Team horse); Jeff Lutz (1991 University Games Team member); Heath Mueller, Curtis O’Rorke, and Jock Stevens (2001 • Two Athletes on World Champ.Teams U.S. National Championships participants); Jamie Henderson and Mueller (2004 U.S. National Championships par- • Athlete on Pan American Games Team ticipants) Mike Racanelli, Guard Young (2001, 2002 and 2003 World Championships Team member); and Jonathan • Athlete on Pan American Champ. Team Horton (2005 Pan Am and 2006 and 2007 World Championship team member). • Athlete on World University Games Team • Nine Athletes on USA Senior National Team In addition to his coaching prowess, Williams is a nationally and internationally certified judge. He has also served as • Seven Athletes on Junior National Team • 81 NCAA All-America Athletes the vice president for the U.S. Men’s Elite Coaches Association, as a member of the Men’s Program Committee for • 11 NCAA National Champions USA Gymnastics (USAG) and on the USAG Board of Directors. Williams was also a member of the 2000 Olympic • Two USA Junior National All-Around Champions Selection Committee. Gymnastics Activities Williams’ career as an athlete was equally impressive. A high school standout from La Grange Park, Ill., he went on • NCAA Rules Committee Chair (2005) to compete at Nebraska (1977-1980). He received All-America honors on the high bar (1978) in addition to the two • NGJA Nationally Certified Judge (1984-2001) • F.I.G. Certified Judge (1998-2004) national championship titles he earned with his team (1979, 1980). • USAG Men’s Program Committee Member (1994-2000) • U.S. Men’s Elite Coaches Association Williams graduated from Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education/English and completed his Sec./Treas. & V.P. (1991-98) master’s degree in journalism at OU. • USAG Board of Directors Sr. Rep (1996-98) Williams was married to the former Susan Southhall in May of 1998. The couple welcomed their first child, son • Coached on six NCAA National Championship Teams (1981, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) Cooper, in 2007. oklahoma men’s gymnastics notes | Soonersports.com page