QUICK PREVIEW The No. 2 University of Oklahoma men's gymnastics team hosts its home
opener against No. 6 Minnesota Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. The contest will be broadcast
live by Sooner Sports TV on Fox Sports Oklahoma and Fox College Sports Atlantic.
The meet, held at the McCasland Field House will feature several promotions
and highlights for all fans.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW • Saturday's meet against No. 6 Minnesota marks OU's first competition
at home this season after four meets on the road. In their season-opening road
trip, the Sooners went 10-1 and defeated eight teams ranked in the top 11.
• The Sooners look to extend their 19-meet regular-season home win streak. In
four regular season home meets in 2012, OU claimed titles in 23 of 24 events.
Oklahoma's last home loss came to Ohio State on March 3, 2007.
• In the team event rankings, both OU and UM are in the top nine of each event.
In addition to a No. 2 overall team ranking with a 437.167 three-score average,
Oklahoma has the nation's top floor score as a team with a 74.750 average, and
is ranked in the top four nationally on every event. Minnesota is sixth overall
with a 429.183 three-score average and has the No. 3 vault (73.850) and high
bar (71.283) team scores.
• With OU's depth its strength, Oklahoma is represented 16 times in the individual
event rankings and at least once on every event. Eleven Sooners are ranked in
the top 20 at least once, while seven earned top-10 rankings and four are ranked
on at least two events. Junior Presten Ellsworth is ranked on three events,
while sophomore Alec Robin is ranked in the top nine on two events, including
fourth on floor.
• Prior to last weekend off, Oklahoma won the previous two MPSF Conference Gymnast
of the Week honors. Sophomore Jacoby Rubin was honored for the second time of
his career on Jan. 29, while fellow sophomore Alec Robin earned his first league
accolade on Feb. 5.
SOONER SPORTS TV, LIVE RESULTS AND UPDATES
Saturday's top-six matchup will be broadcast by Sooner Sports TV and air live
on Fox Sports Oklahoma and Fox College Sports Atlantic. Toby Rowland and Jason
Laughton will call the action. Laughton was a member of OU's 2006 and `08 national
championship teams, and earned All-American honors on pommel horse in `08. The
meet will re-air the following day at 10:30 a.m. and again on Feb. 20 at 10
a.m. CT, both on Fox Sports Southwest.
Alec Robin | So. | All-Around • Named MPSF Gymnast of the Week after
six career-high scores at Iowa
• Posted six career highs and won the all-around
in OU's win at Iowa on Feb. 2
• Ranked nationally on floor (fourth) and high
bar (ninth)
• Will compete on floor, pommel horse, vault and
high bar against Minnesota
TICKETS AND HOME-OPENER PROMOTIONS
• Single-meet tickets for all regular-season home meets are available for $8
for adults and $5 for youth. Season and group ticket plans are also available.Tickets
can be purchased online here
or by calling the OU Athletics Ticket Office at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free
(800) 456-GoOU.
• All fans in attendance will receive a "Protect the Field House" fan, and OU
guitar key chains will be given to the first 250 fans. Additionally, hot dogs
and soda will be priced at 50 cents and t-shirts will be thrown into the crowd
throughout the meet. At the conclusion of the meet the Sooners will be available
to sign autographs.
• The top-six matchup is `Rock out with the Sooners' night and student night.
Rock and roll music will be played throughout the evening, and all OU students
will receive free admission.
HEAD COACH MARK WILLIAMS ON FACING MINNESOTA
"We're looking forward to competing at home for the first time in five weeks.
Since the season began we've been on the road, so we're expecting it to be an
exciting and emotional meet with our home fans, in our own arena. The guys expect
to continue to be very consistent and put on a good show. It's not so much about
competing against Minnesota, but adding a little bit more difficulty. This weekend
we want to be in a position to start getting prepared for the last half of the
season and the championship events at the end."
SCOUTING NO. 8 IOWA
• No. 6 Minnesota is 5-4 on the season, most recently having suffered a 3.300-point
loss at Iowa last weekend. The Golden Gophers posted a season-high 431.200 the
previous weekend at home in a win against Nebraska and UIC.
• Minnesota is ranked in the top nine nationally in all six events. They sit
third on vault (73.850) and high bar (71.283), fourth on floor (73.633), seventh
on rings (72.350) and parallel bars (70.350) and ninth on pommel horse (68.200).
• The Golden Gophers are represented 16 times in the individual top-20 rankings
on all six events. Sophomore Ellis Mannon is ranked on three events (13th on
pommel horse, tied for 13th on high bar and 15th on vault), while junior Adam
Kern is third in the nation on vault (15.033) and tied for 20th on floor (14.750).
• Minnesota is led by ninth-year head coach Mike Burns. The Gophers have been
to the NCAA Tournament every year since Burns' appointment and finished sixth
in 2007.
HOT AT HOME
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. Last season, OU rolled to four-straight
home wins over Iowa, Stanford, Michigan and Nebraska and Air Force, averaging
355.300 points a meet. Out of 24 events in the four meets, the Sooners claimed
titles in 23, failing to top an opponent only once (pommel horse vs. Stanford).
GYMINFO NATIONAL RANKINGS
Oklahoma moved up to second in this week's GymInfo
National Top 10 Rankings. The rankings are determined by averaging a team's
top three scores through the first five weeks of competition. Past and future
OU opponents are in bold.
1. Penn State (444.350)
6. Minnesota (429.183)
2. OKLAHOMA (437.167)
7. Illinois (427.167)
3. Michigan (436.800)
8. Iowa (422.617)
4. Stanford (430.867)
9. Nebraska (421.650)
5. Ohio State (429.817)
10. California (416.817)
ROBIN NAMED MPSF GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Alec Robin was named the MPSF Gymnast of the Week Tuesday after his
six career highs led No. 3 OU to a 436.550-420.200 win Feb. 2 at No. 8 Iowa.
Robin posted career-highs on five of six events, in addition to a career-high
and first-place 85.400 in the all-around at Iowa. He recorded career highs on
floor (15.300), pommel horse (13.800) and rings (13.200) and tied his career highs
on vault (14.800) and high bar (14.550). He added a 13.750 on parallel bars.
It is the first career conference honor for Robin and the second straight MPSF
award of the year for the Sooners. Fellow sophomore Jacoby Rubin earned the weekly
award on Jan. 29.
LAST TIME OUT: AT IOWA
• In its first road dual meet of the season, Oklahoma defeated Iowa 436.550-420.200
on Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The 16.350-point win was OU's largest margin
of victory of the season.
• The Sooners won team event titles on every event and claimed individual titles
on five of the six events while sophomore Alec Robin claimed the all-around
crown.
• Robin scored a career-high 85.400 in the all-around, highlighted by career
highs on five of his six events. He recorded career highs on floor (15.300),
pommel horse (13.800) and rings (13.200) and tied his career highs on vault
(14.800) and high bar (14.550).
UP NEXT
No. 2 Oklahoma returns home next weekend for a meeting with No. 14 Air Force.
The Falcons, members of the MPSF Conference, come to Norman with a 3-3 record
on Feb. 23. The meet will start at 7 p.m. at the McCasland Field House and will
be broadcast on Sooner Sports TV and air live on FS Southwest+ and FCS Atlantic.
Ticket information and a list of promotions for all home meets at the OU Field
House can be found here.
