Men’s Gymnastics Battles 2000 Champs Penn State – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Feb. 20, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State will celebrate senior day as it battles defending national champsion, Penn State Feb. 24. at 7:00 p.m. in St. John Arena.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Return Home
%^$The Buckeyes will have revenge on their minds when they take on the No. 9-ranked Nittany Lions Saturday. The heavily favored Buckeyes were forced to watch as Penn State ran away with the 2000 NCAA Championship trophy. Ohio State came in a disappointing sixth in the finals. This meet will be the first meeting between the two teams since the championships.%^$
%^$A Closer Look at the Lions
%^$Penn State has struggled somewhat in defense of its NCAA championship trophy. The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 9 in the country with a record of 9-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten. Penn State lost its opener to Massachusetts, but rebounded to finish first in the West Point Open. The Lions followed with a victory over Army before losing to the Michigan Wolverines. Most recently, the Lions traveled to Philadelphia, Pa., where they defeated Temple and William & Mary in a tri-meet.%^$
%^$Meet The Coach
%^$Penn State head coach Randy Jepson has led the Nittany Lions to an 81-20 record in his 10 years in command. The squad has finished in the Top Six in five of those 10 years, including its run through the NCAA Championships last season. The championship was the first in 24 years for the Penn State program. Jepson was named the 2000 National Coach of the Year. He also received Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 1991.%^$
%^$Noting The Teams
%^$Ohio State overcame back-to-back challenges against Minnesota and Iowa Feb. 16 and 17, respectively. The Buckeyes dropped the No. 8-ranked Gophers, 211.325-209.775, then lept to Iowa City, Iowa to take out the No. 7-ranked Hawkeyes, 211.550-206.200. Penn State took out Temple and William & Mary Feb. 17, tallying a score of 204.650. Senior rings specialist Chris Lakemen was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week alongside Buckeye Jamie Natalie (Sr., Hockessin, Del.). Lakeman is No. 2 in the nation on rings, trailing Ohio State’s Daren Lynch (Sr., Londonderry, N.H.) by .050 points. Penn State sophomore Kevin Donohue is ranked No. 3 on vault, .025 points ahead of Ohio State’s Michael Evans (So., Houston, Texas) and Jamie Natalie.%^$
%^$Getting to Know Miles
%^$Miles Avery is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Buckeyes. Last year, he led OSU to a sixth place finish at the NCAA Championships and a runner-up spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Before being named head coach, Avery had been an assistant coach at OSU for nine years. In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, Avery also has been on the coaching staff for many international competitions, including the 1998 Goodwill Games, the 1996 Olympic Games and the 1994 World Championship.%^$
%^$Where Are They Ranked?
%^$Ohio State held firm to its No. 2 ranking in the most recent GymInfo National Poll. With an average score of 214.125, Ohio State trails only Oklahoma, who took the top spot from Michigan two weeks ago. Michigan remains at No. 3 in the nation, followed by California and Michigan State.%^$
%^$Penn State remained at No. 9, posting an average score of 206.925. The Lions have yet to defeat a Top 10 opponent in a dual meet this season, dropping matches to No. 10 Massachusetts and Michigan, who was No. 1 at the time.%^$
%^$Buckeyes In The Rankings%^$Seniors Daren Lynch and Jamie Natalie are among several Buckeyes appearing in the Top 5 spots in individual events. Lynch leads the nation on still rings with an average of 9.625. Natalie is tops on all-around and parallel bar, tied for No. 4 on vault (with teammate Michael Evans) and No. 5 on high bar. Raj Bhavsar holds the No. 4 spot on all-around, while Jay Nardelli (Sr., Centreville, Va.) sits No. 4 on high bar.%^$
%^$Senior Day for the Buckeyes
%^$The Buckeyes will recognize the contributions of their seniors at the Penn State meet. The final regular season home meet of the year is historically a chance for the fans to show their appreciation one last time to the departing seniors. However, this season will be a little bit different. Although Jamie Natalie, Daren Lynch and Jay Nardelli (Sr., Centreville, Va) will be honored, it will not be their final appearance in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes intend to be back competing when Ohio State hosts the NCAA Championships March 5-7, giving Buckeye fans one more opportunity to see the seniors in action.%^$
%^$New Rules In 2001
%^$Every four years, or quadrennium, the International Gymnastic Governing Council alters the routines and judging criteria of the sport, forcing gymnasts worldwide to learn different routines. The lack of familiarity with the new routines often leads to lower scores in the early meets of every quadrennium. OSU head coach Miles Avery predicts growing pains for every collegiate team, including the Buckeyes this season.%^$
%^$”It takes a little while to catch up with the new rules.” he said, “So it’s a little slow right now, but it’s a little slow for everyone in the world. Fortunately, this is a seasoned team. We’ll do well.”%^$
%^$The 2001 Captains
%^$Daren Lynch, Jamie Natalie and Earnest Nelson were chosen by their teammates to lead the 2001 squad to the national championship. The tri-captain format is a first in the 122-year history of OSU men’s gymnastics.%^$
%^$Lynch was named to the All-America team for the second time last season after placing sixth on the vault at the NCAA Championships. He has been an academic All-American, an academic all-Big Ten selection and an OSU scholar-athlete honoree.%^$
%^$Natalie won two titles at the NCAA Championships last year and was named an All-American in three events. He was the alternate on the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Team for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Natalie is considered a strong contender for this years Nissen-Emory Award.%^$
%^$Nelson competed in four events last year, setting career highs in each. He scored a 9.775 on high bar in the quad-meet against Iowa, Minnesota and BYU last season.%^$
%^$Understanding the Rankings
%^$Unlike most sports, win-loss records count for very little in collegiate gymnastics. Instead, the highest scores for each individual team carry the most weight. Early in the season, weekly rankings are determined using the single highest team scores. In February, the highest home score and highest away score are averaged together to produce the rankings. By March, rankings are determined using the top two away scores and possibly the highest home score. The average of the three scores determines which teams will top the rankings. Ohio State sits at No. 2 in the nation with a an two meet average of 214.125. Only Oklahoma, who holds an average of 215.650, boasts a higher average.%^$
%^$Hosting Championship
%^$The men’s gymnastics team will have the honor of hosting the 2001 NCAA Championships in historic St. John Arena. The National Qualifier will be held April 5, with the National Finals April 6-7. The 13,276-seat venue will give many Columbus residents the opportunity to see top-level NCAA men’s gymnastics.
