Completed Event: Men's Gymnastics versus Nebraska on April 18, 2025 , Loss , 323.460, to, 324.694
Final
Men's Gymnastics
323.460
vs Nebraska
324.694
University of Oklahoma Athletics
2009 Men's Gymnastics Preview
December 30, 2008 | Men's Gymnastics
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NORMAN, Okla. -- Since head coach Mark Williams came to the University of Oklahoma, the expectations for his program have always remained the same -- win the conference and national championships.
Those expectations were met again last year when the 2008 squad won the program's eighth overall national championship and ninth conference championship under Williams.
The Sooner squad won the titles in 2008 after leaving unfinished business on the floor of the 2007 NCAA Championships, finishing .08 of a point from the national title.
Oklahoma had outstanding senior leadership in 2008 with Olympic medalist Jonathan Horton and 2007 NCAA all-around champion Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons. Now the most decorated duo in Oklahoma men's gymnastics are gone and Williams will look towards new leaders to carry on the program's legacy.
The OU lineup is led by senior co-captains Chris Brooks and Jacob Messina. The Sooners' roster is also 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) are all back for OU in 2009.
The coaches around the country took notice of the Sooners' returners as OU was voted second in the preseason poll.
The defending 2008 NCAA National Champions will participate in 10 regular season meets, which includes six opponents that competed at the 2008 NCAA Championships. OU will also host five home meets at the Howard McCasland Field House, highlighted by matchups with Ohio State and Penn State.
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 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation 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.
The 2009 MPFS Championships will be hosted by Stanford, April 4, at the Burnham Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif. OU will be after its fifth straight conference crown and the 10th out of the last 11 years. Just like years past, the conference will be strong with all of the MPSF conference members ranked in the top-25 preseason poll.
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.
The following is an event-by-event breakdown of the 2009 Sooners.
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Floor Exercise |
• Final 2008 Team Rank: 1 (61.520)
• Top Returning Scorers: Legendre (15.700); Czeschin (15.320)
Steven Legendre will look to defend his 2008 individual national championship on floor in the 2009 season. All-American Russell Czeschin and Chris Brooks will look to bolster the lineup on floor as the Sooners will try to keep their number one ranking from a year ago. Sophomore Bobby Shortle, with a year of experence, will round out the floor exercise for the Sooners.
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Pommel Horse |
• Final 2008 Team Rank: 7 (56.000)
• Top Returning Scorers: Laughton (14.130); English (14.080)
All-American senior Jason Laughton will be the leader on the pommel horse for the Sooners. With his three years experience, Laughton will look to repeat as a All-American on the apparatus. Corey English and co-captain Jacob Messina will step up for the Sooners this year on pommel horse as the squad needs depth for the season.
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Still Rings |
• Final 2008 Team Rank: 1 (60.910)
• Top Returning Scorers: Messina (15.150); Jackson (14.730)
OU will have to replace two big holes left on rings by Jonathan Horton and Taqiy Abdullah-Simons. The Sooners will look for Senior co-captain Jacob Messina to be a leader on rings as well as junior Ian Jackson. OU could also count on freshmen Pat Piscitelli to round out the event for the Sooners.
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Vault |
• Final 2008 Team Rank: 1 (63.840)
• Top Returning Scorers: Legendre (16.080); Shortle (15.760)
The Sooners will be strong on vault this year with the return of a trio of All-Americans in seniors Russell Czenchin, Chris Brooks and sophomore Steven Legendre. Bobby Shortle will give depth to an already talented group and make the vault the Sooners' strongest event. The vault was one of three events the Sooners were ranked number one in at the end of the year.
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Parallel Bars |
• Final 2008 Team Rank: 2 (59.760)
• Top Returning Scorers: Brooks (15.030); McNamara (14.880)
A solid event for the Sooner during the 2008 season, OU will work to to maintain that consistancy this year with the help of All-American Chris Brooks and Kyle McNamara. The squad will call upon other gymnasts Jackson, Englsh and Laughton to bolster the lineup.
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High Bar |
• Final 2008 Team Rank: 4 (57.300)
• Top Returning Scorers: Brooks (14.380); Lagandre (14.110)
A solid outlook awaits the Sooners on high bar in 2009. NCAA Championship Finalists Steven Legendre and Chris Brooks hope to improve on the number four ranking from `08 this year. The Sooners will also look for help from Kyle McNamara, Ian Jackson, Jason Laughton and Jacob Messina to round out a good group of high bar competitors.
MGYM Highlights: NCAA Qualifier
Friday, April 18
MGYM Highlights: OU 325.250, William & Mary 311.450, Greenville 298.750
Saturday, March 15
MGYM Highlights: OU 323.200, California 308.500, Nebraska 317.100
Friday, February 28
MGYM Highlights: Winter Cup (Day One)
Friday, February 21
