No. 2 Sooners host No. 5 Ohio State Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Field House on Sooner Sports TV.
| |
 |
| |
2003 National Champions
|
NORMAN, Okla. - The 2003 national champion men's gymnastics team, one of the most dominant in OU Athletics history, will be honored Saturday during the No. 2 University
of Oklahoma's meet against No. 5 Ohio State at the Field
House. The Sooners' two seniors will also be recognized and the contest will air live on Sooner Sports TV at 7 p.m. CT.
The 2003 NCAA Champions, celebrating their 10-year reunion this weekend, will be recognized during Saturday's meet. The 2003 squad claimed the fifth of OU's eight national titles and their second consecutive NCAA crown. The Sooners were led by Nissen Emery Award winner Daniel Furney, who was named the nation's top gymnast and won two individual titles that season. Oklahoma gymnasts won a total of 11 All-American honors and four individual national titles. OU also won its fifth consecutive conference championship.
"The 2003 Oklahoma national championship team was an incredibly dominant group," OU head coach Mark Williams said. "They went undefeated and finished the NCAA team championships with no doubt about being the best team in the nation. Led by Daniel Furney, who won the 2003 all-around and the Nissen-Emery Award, this team was one of the best teams in Oklahoma's storied history."
OU seniors Troy Nitzky and Chris Stehl will also be honored as part of the Senior Day celebrations. Nitzky is a two-time All-American on still rings, while Stehl claimed All-America honors on rings last season. Both have helped the Sooners win two conference titles and finish in the top three at the NCAA Championships every season.
Free OU foam fingers will be given to fans while supplies last, and the first 250 fans will receive a free small popcorn and soda.
Additionally, t-shirts will be thrown into the crowd throughout the meet. At the conclusion
of the competition the Sooners will be available to sign autographs.
The meet will be broadcast by Sooner Sports TV and air on Fox Sports Southwest
+ and Fox College Sports Central. Chad McKee and former Oklahoma gymnast Jason Laughton will call the action. Laughton was a member of OU's 2006
and 2008 national championship teams, helped the Sooners win three conference
titles and earned All-American honors on pommel horse in 2008.
Saturday's contest will re-air on Feb. 26 at 10 p.m. CT, on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
The live broadcast will not be available on DirectTV. A complete channel listing is available here.
Single-meet tickets are available for $8 for
adults and $5 for youth. 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.
Ranked second in the latest GymInfo rankings, OU is 14-1 after the then-No. 3 Sooners pulled off a 432.100-431.250 upset win at then-second-ranked Michigan. All but two of OU's 14 victories
have come against teams ranked in the top 11. Oklahoma has the No. 1 floor and
No. 2 pommel horse and high bar team and is ranked in the top six nationally
on every event.
For complete news and behind-the-scenes updates on the Sooners, follow them
on Twitter at @SoonerGymnasts, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SoonerGymnasts
and on Instagram at Instagram.com/OU_MGymnastics.
