Gymnasts Advance to 2000 John Hancock U.S. Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/2/2000 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
July 2, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State men’s gymnasts Jamie Natalie (Sr., Hockessin, Del.) and Raj Bhavsar (So., Houston, Texas) each placed among the top 10 gymnasts at the GymJam Men’s National Qualifying Competition Saturday in Santa Barbara, Calif. to qualify for the 2000 John Hancock U.S. National Championships. Former Buckeyes and current U.S. National Team members Blaine Wilson (1994-97) and Doug Stibel (1996-99) also competed in the meet but had already qualified for the national competition.
Natalie placed first in the second session of the meet with a score of 55.55, his career best score in an Olympic-type meet. He also claimed the high bar title in the event. Bhavsar placed fifth with a total of 53.05, a personal high in this type of meet. Wilson placed first in the opening session, which was comprised of gymnasts who had already qualified for the national event. Natalie’s score would have ranked sixth among the gymnasts in that session.
“In this high-pressure competition, it was good to see Jamie rise to the occasion,” coach Miles Avery said, “He wanted to make an impression and show that he is one of the best and is ready to compete for a spot on the Olympic team.”
Current Buckeye Daren Lynch (Sr., Londonderry, N.H.) also competed in the meet but did not advance to the national competition.
The 2000 John Hancock U.S. National Championships will be held July 26-29 in St. Louis, Mo. The top 14 gymnasts from the national championships will advance to the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Boston, Aug. 17-20, where the Olympic Team members will be determined.
–GO BUCKS!–
