COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s gymnastics program added three to its ranks on Wednesday as part of national signing day.
“We are really excited for our 2023 recruiting class,” Head Coach Rustam Sharipov said. “Each of these young men will bring a strong academic and athletic background to our Buckeye family. We are expecting them to make an immediate impact with our program both academically and athletically.”
Chase Davenport-Mills | All-Around | John Creek, Ga.
Chase Davenport-Mills comes to Columbus from John Creek, Ga., where he attended Northview High School. Davenport-Milles has been a member of Roswell Gymnastics for the last 10 years, competing in the all-around. At the USA Championships this past summer, Davenport-Mills made the junior national team, after winning the high bar competition (27.057, top score of 13.688), finishing second on floor (26.838, top score of 13.619) and finishing third in the all-around (156.867, top score of 79.426) and on vault (28.400, top score of 14.250).
“I’m joining the TEAM that has always made a strong effort to make me feel comfortable and never questioned my value!” Davenport-Mills said.
Michael Nguyen | All-Around | Fort Dodge, Iowa
Michael Nguyen attended Saint Edmond Catholic School in Fort Dodge, Iowa before becoming a Buckeye. Nguyen competed with Chow’s for the past 10 years and went to the Men’s Development Program’s National Championships the past two years, where he finished seventh in the all-around both times, won the floor competition this year and finished second on floor in 2021. Nguyen also qualified for the elite team cup in 2021. He is a four-time Iowa State Meet Championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022), scoring a career-best 80.03 at the state meet.
Outside of the gym, Nguyen is active in the community, volunteering at Lord’s Cuppard (food pantry), Almost Home Animal Shelter and delivered meals for Thanksgiving. He also volunteered through Saint Edmond as apart of the annual spaghetti dinner, pancake breakfast and roast beef dinner.
“I chose Ohio State because of the positive energy, and the feeling of a supportive family atmosphere,” Nguyen said. “I also chose Ohio State because of their Biology department. I am excited to explore my career opportunities at The OSU! Go Buckeyes!!!”
Zach Snyder | All-Around | Swisher, Iowa
Zach Snyder joins the Buckeyes from Swisher, Iowa, where he was involved with the Marion Homeschool assistance program. He competed with the Emerge Academy for the past four years, qualifying for the elite team cup in 2019 and 2020. In 2022, Snyder qualified for JE Nationals and was the Region 4 All-Around Champion. He coaches level three and four gymnasts at the Emerge Academy.
Snyder is a member of the EKE honors society for English.
“I chose Ohio State because of the impressive campus and education they can provide to me as a student-athlete,” Snyder said. “The team and coaches were very welcoming.”
#GoBucks
