Men’s Gymnastics Places Sixth at NCAA Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/31/2000 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
March 31, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s gymnastics team placed sixth and Jamie Natalie (Jr., Hockessin, Del.) claimed the all-around title, earning All-America honors, at the NCAA Championship Team and All-Around Finals, Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. In a close meet, Penn State won the national championship with a score of 231.975, while defending-champion Michigan was the runner-up with a team total of 231.850. Iowa was third (231.525), followed by Oklahoma (230.850), California (230.825) and the Buckeyes with a season-high 230.800. Three Buckeyes qualified for Saturday’s individual event finals.
The Buckeyes entered the fifth of six rotations in second place, only 1.15 points behind first-place Iowa. However, Ohio State scored a 38.050 on the high bar to drop to sixth place. The team ended the meet by scoring a 38.800 on the floor exercise. The team did put together a season-high 38.625 in the still rings.
Natalie scored a 58.375 in the all-around to claim the championship and earn All-America honors. He qualified for the individual event finals in three events by tying for second on the floor exercise (9.875), tying for sixth on the still rings (9.800) and placing fifth on the parallel bars (9.825).
Raj Bhavsar (Fr., Houston, Texas) placed 13th in the all-around with a career-high 57.225, while Michael Morgan (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio) was 15th (56.650).
Bhavsar tied for sixth on the parallel bars and tied for ninth on the still rings (9.750) to advance to the finals. Each team is allowed a maximum of three competitors on each event and Bhavsar replaced a Michigan gymnast on the rings, as four Wolverines placed in the top eight. Daren Lynch (Jr., Londonderry, N.H.) will compete on the vault after scoring a 9.675 to tie for fifth and advance. “This was the best national championship in 10 years,” Lynch, a team co-captain, said. “Our team was honored to be a part of it.”
The NCAA individual event finals will be held at 3 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
NCAA Championship Iowa City, Iowa, March 31, 2000 Team FX PH SR V PB HB Total Penn State 38.950 39.075 38.750 38.000 38.425 38.775 231.975 Michigan 38.975 38.125 39.325 38.825 39.275 37.325 231.850 Iowa 38.550 39.225 38.250 38.000 39.325 39.075 231.525 Oklahoma 38.275 39.050 38.150 37.825 38.725 38.825 230.850 California 38.650 39.425 37.900 37.650 38.200 39.000 230.825 Ohio State 38.800 38.425 38.625 38.325 38.575 38.050 230.800
Individual Events Top finisher plus Ohio State results Top eight individuals on each event advance to individual event finals
All-Around (Top six earn All-America honors) 1. Jamie Natalie, Ohio State 58.375 – NCAA Champion 13. Raj Bhavsar, Ohio State 57.225 15. Michael Morgan, Ohio State 56.650
Floor Exercise 1. Cody Casey, Santa Barbara 9.900 2t. Jamie Natalie, Ohio State 9.875 10t. Michael Morgan, Ohio State 9.750 18t. Raj Bhavsar, Ohio State 9.650 26t. Dick Huntwork, Ohio State 9.525 26t. Michael Evans, Ohio State 9.525 36t. Daren Lynch, Ohio State 9.300
Pommel Horse 1. Michael Ashe, California 9.950 13t. Jamie Natalie, Ohio State 9.775 25t. Adam Elliott, Ohio State 9.625 25t. Jay Nardelli, Ohio State 9.625 33t. Michael Morgan, Ohio State 9.400 31. Ryan Schwartzkopf, OSU 9.150 43. Raj Bhavsar, Ohio State 9.000
Still Rings 1. Cortney Bramwell, BYU 9.950 6t. Jamie Natalie, Ohio State 9.800 9t. Raj Bhavsar, Ohio State 9.700 11t. Daren Lynch, Ohio State 9.700 31. Jay Nardelli, Ohio State 9.375 41t. Dick Huntwork, Ohio State 9.100 44t. Michael Morgan, Ohio State 8.900
Vault 1. Scott Vetere, Michigan 9.875 5t. Daren Lynch, Ohio State 9.675 9t. Michael Evans, Ohio State 9.600 15t. Dick Huntwork, Ohio State 9.525 15t. Raj Bhavsar, Ohio State 9.525 19t. Jamie Natalie, Ohio State 9.500 30t. Michael Morgan, Ohio State 9.400
Parallel Bars 1. Scott Vetere, Michigan 9.900 Justin Toman, Michigan 9.900 Guard Young, BYU 9.900 5. Jamie Natalie, Ohio State 9.825 6t. Raj Bhavsar, Ohio State 9.800 28. Michael Morgan, Ohio State 9.550 34. Daren Lynch, Ohio State 9.400 38t. Jay Nardelli, Ohio State 9.300 46. Dick Huntwork, Ohio State 8.600
High Bar 1. Michael Ashe, California 9.950 18t. Michael Morgan, Ohio State 9.650 24. Jamie Natalie, Ohio State 9.600 29. Raj Bhavsar, Ohio State 9.500 32t. Jay Nardelli, Ohio State 9.300 35t. Earnest Nelson, Ohio State 9.150 45. Michael Evans, Ohio State 8.250
–GO BUCKS!–
