Mark Williams has a lot good memories of his days as a Nebraska gymnast.
For starters, he and Chuck Chmelka were part of the program's first national championship team in 1979.
"It was a heck of a ride," Williams said this week. "Being part of the first national championship team, being in the fieldhouse for the (Oklahoma)-Nebraska meet in 1979, I think, when 5,000 people unexpectedly showed up for a dual meet. It was crazy."
The Husker-Sooner moments haven't stopped for Williams, who is in his 19th season guiding the powerhouse program in Norman, Oklahoma. Under Williams, the Sooners have won eight national championships, including the past three. They haven't lost a home meet or dual since 2007.
And now Williams' Sooners welcome a confident bunch of Huskers for a 7 p.m. meet Saturday, which also includes gymnastics blue blood Stanford. The Huskers, ranked second in the latest College Gymnastics Association poll, have returned to its spot among the national powers like Oklahoma.
Chmelka's Nebraska program reached the NCAA finals last year for the first time since 1999. Among those "thrilled" to see NU back in the spotlight at NCAAs last year was the former Husker Williams.
"Obviously, that took a lot for them to kind of get back to that level," Williams said. "I think it's good for gymnastics to have Nebraska and Oklahoma be good gymnastics teams. I'd like to have all the teams be very close in terms of parity so we don't lose any of them."
Under Williams' watch, the Sooners also have seven national runner-up finishes, and 34 individual national champions.
If you recall, NU volleyball coach John Cook talked last December about chasing Penn State as a starting point in building a national championship program. Alabama sets a bar for everyone to chase in football.
In gymnastics, it's Oklahoma.
"We model a lot of what they do, no doubt about it," said Chmelka, who along with Williams was one of the Huskers' top all-arounders in 1978 for legendary coach Francis Allen. "They're clearly the team to beat, they have been for eight years. They are very well-coached, they have very disciplined, solid, great athletes who hit routines and hit them well.
"There's no secret to it. They have the knack to be able to do it."
Nebraska hasn't defeated Oklahoma since the 2000 Rocky Mountain Open, but the gap continues to close. The Sooners won by nearly 20 points two years ago, and by nearly 12 points last year in Lincoln.
Chmelka said last year's close dual opened a lot of eyes on the team, proving to the Huskers they can go toe-to-toe with the best. The mindset continues to change.
"The difference is this year we're a way better balanced team, and I think mentally, we're in a really good place, and physically we're in a good place," Chmelka said. "And I think other years we psych ourselves out, just knowing it's OU and we're going down there and they're the home team and defending national champion.
"That win streak's got to end sometime. Might as well be this weekend, and might as well be us. That's kind of a simple mentality we have. We'll see how it plays out."
The Huskers are coming off a first-place showing at the season-opening Rocky Mountain Open — which vaulted NU to No. 1 nationally for two weeks — and a dual win against No. 3 Ohio State. Saturday's meet against the now-No. 1 Sooners and No. 4 Cardinal is a bigger test, and the Huskers are "fired up" for the challenge, Chmelka said.
"I'm hoping we do great and win, and prove our doubters that Nebraska totally is for real," Chmelka said. "I feel pretty good where we're at. I feel we're going to do a nice job. If we get beat because the other teams are better, well that's fine; we just got to keep working to get better. But if we give it away, that's what I don't want to see. I think if we hit and do our job, I think they are beatable."
Briefly
* Oklahoma scored a 411.650 in its first meet of the season last week at Michigan. NU is averaging 409.725 points and Stanford is averaging 407.333, though the Cardinal posted a season-high score of 414.100 in the Stanford Open last weekend.
* Chmelka said redshirt freshman Josh Martin broke his thumb in four places during a recent practice routine, and will miss four to six weeks. Martin had surgery to insert a plate and five screws. Otherwise, the Huskers are healthy heading into the weekend.
