Men’s Gymnastics Names Captains – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Dec. 21, 2000
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio— The Ohio State men’s gymnastics program took an unprecedented step by naming three captains to lead the squad this year. The captains for the 2000-2001 season are Jamie Natalie (Sr., Hockessin, Del.), Daren Lynch (Sr., Londonderry, N.H.), and Earnest Nelson (Jr., Rowlett, Texas.), Miles Avery, OSU head coach, announced.%^$
%^$In the 88-year history of Ohio State men’s gymnastics, no team has ever had more than two team captains. The three captains, selected by their teammates, agree the historic move will only make the team stronger as they vie for a national championship this season.%^$
%^$Natalie was one of the nation’s premier gymnasts last season, claiming two NCAA titles and competing in the Pontiac International Team Championships during the summer. Natalie was the alternate on the U.S. Gymnastics Team during the Sydney Olympic Games and won All-America honors in three events at the 2000 NCAAs.%^$
%^$”Hopefully, we can go out this season and prove how good we are and bring home a national championship,” Natalie said. “We don’t even know what we’re capable of yet.”%^$
%^$Lynch was named an All-American in the vault for the second-consecutive year and was an All-Big Ten honoree after winning the event in the conference championships. He set a career-high on the vault last season with a score of 9.875 against Penn State and placed sixth in the NCAA championships. This is Lynch’s second term at the helm of the team.%^$
%^$”It’s always an honor to be a captain, but now that we have tri-captains, we should be able to balance the power a little bit better and hopefully utilize all of our experiences to lead the team,” Lynch said.%^$
%^$Nelson competed in four events last year, setting career highs in each. He scored a 9.775 on high bar in the quad-meet against Iowa, Minnesota and BYU last season.%^$
%^$”I didn’t expect this at all, but it’s definitely an accomplishment to be named captain of this team,” Nelson said. “It means your teammates look up to you. They want you to help lead the team. They think you’re going to be a good person to lead the team to the national championship,” Nelson said.%^$
%^$The team, which placed sixth in the 2000 NCAA championships, is looking forward to competing for the title this year on their home floor at St. John Arena (April 5-6).%^$
%^$”It’s kind of a double-edged sword.” Avery said. “I love to have the home crowd, but there are other things to worry about. The kids are at home. They are hanging out with their friends and worrying about school and a whole bunch of other things. But we’ll do well. This is a seasoned team.”%^$
%^$The Buckeyes open their season on Jan. 6 with the Alumni Exhibition at Larkins Hall. Regular season competition begins on Jan. 13 in Chicago with the Windy City Invitational.
