No. 3 Men’s Gymnastics Travels To California – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Feb. 27, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State looks to continue improving as it meets UC Santa Barbara March 2 at 11:00 p.m. EST.%^$
%^$Who Are The Gauchos?
%^$The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have been in and out of the GymInfo National Poll all season, but enter the week at No. 17. The Gauchos, named after free-spirited South American cowboys, are 1-5 going into this Friday’s meet with the 10-3 Buckeyes.%^$
%^$Noting The Teams
%^$Ohio State defeated defending national champs Penn State, 217.200-208.200, Feb. 24 in St. John Arena, setting a new season high score in the process. Almost 2,000 fans arrived to recognize the Buckeyes’ three seniors in their final regular season home meet. Jamie Natalie (Sr., Hockessin, Del.), Daren Lynch (Sr., Londenderry, N.H.) and Jay Nardelli (Sr., Centreville, Va.) responded by leading the team to a dominating performance. Ohio State won four of the six events and swept the Top 5 spots in three events.%^$
%^$UC Santa Barbara took two tough losses to Air Force on the road, losing 197.8-194.750 Feb. 23 and 201.250-197.350 Feb. 25. The Gauchos’ lone victory, a 200.2-198.2 win over Air Force, came Feb. 16. The Gauchos finished the 2000 season 1-14, placing seventh in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.%^$
%^$Buckeyes Talk About the Meet
%^$The Buckeyes remain focused as they prepare to take on the Gauchos. This will be the first time the squad meets a team ranked lower than No. 11 all season and the Buckeyes will use this opportunity to perfect routines, strengthen their bench production and give some players a brief rest.%^$
%^$”We’ve had a hard week of practice as usual. We’re still looking for quality sets and quality practice.” Co-captain Earnest Nelson (Jr., Rowlett, Texas) said, “Coach Avery is going to use different people for different events, but he wants each person to still hit.”%^$
%^$”We’re going to try and give some people some time off,” co-captain Lynch said. “We want to rest those people with fatigue-related injuries. Jamie Natalie does all six events and he’s doing some of the hardest routines in the country. I’ve done still rings every week and that starts to effect my shoulders. So some people need some time to breathe.”%^$
%^$OSU head coach Miles Avery said he intends to give several players, including Natalie, Lynch and sophomore Raj Bhavsar (So., Houston, Texas) one event each. Less experienced players will compete in their place, a move Avery hopes will pay dividends come tournament time.%^$
%^$Where Are They Ranked?
%^$Ohio State dropped one position in the most recent GymInfo National Poll, moving to No. 3 with an average score of 211.675. Oklahoma remains No. 1 with an average of 215.275, while Michigan takes over the No. 2 spot (212.375). Illinois (210.725) and Michigan State (209.625) round out the Top 5.%^$
%^$Santa Barbara, sporting an average of 198.775, holds the No. 17 position, trailing No. 16 Air Force by .325 points. Once again, every Big Ten program finds itself ranked in the Top 10. Ohio State is ranked in the Top 4 of every individual event as a team, with No. 1 rankings on vault and high bar.%^$
%^$Buckeyes In The Rankings
%^$There is at least one Buckeye ranked in the Top 5 in every individual category in the latest GymInfo National Poll. Lynch continues to pace the nation on rings, with a 9.525 average. However, this week he is tied for the top spot with Penn State’s Chris Lakeman. Nelson holds the No. 3 spot on vault with 9.175. Lynch is not far behind, in the middle of a four-way tie at No. 4. Nardelli is in sole possession of the No. 2 ranking on high bar, recording a 9.175. All-American Jamie Natalie is in the Top 5 in four of six events, as well as the all-around. Natalie was overtaken for the top all-around spot this week by Minnesota’s Clay Strother. Natalie also is ranked No. 3 on parallel bars and high bar and holds the No. 5 spot on floor exercises and pommel horse.%^$
%^$Meet The Coach
%^$The Gauchos are coached by 16-year veteran Mircea Badulesco, who has turned the team into a solid Top 20 qualifier. Badulesco coached in his native Romania for 25 years before taking the reins at UCSB. Half of those years were spent with the Romanian national team, helping them win over 100 national titles.%^$
%^$While at UCSB, Badulesco has been named West Regional Coach of the Year by the NCAA three times, in 1987, 1988 and 1998. Every UCSB gymnastics record has been broken during Badulesco’s time at the helm.%^$
%^$Getting to Know Miles
%^$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.%^$
%^$Understanding the Rankings
%^$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. 3 in the nation with a two meet average of 211.675. Ohio State’s two highest scores have come in St. John Arena, a 216.400 showing against Michigan State, and a 217.200 Feb. 24 against Penn State. The Buckeyes are averaging 211.400 points on the road this season, however. Oklahoma and Michigan are the only teams this season with a higher average than Ohio State, posting 215.275 and 212.837 respectively in the latest GymnInfo National Poll.%^$
%^$Hosting Championship
%^$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.%^$
%^$Also In The News
%^$Former OSU standout Blaine Wilson won the Visa America Cup over the weekend, becoming the only gymnast in history to win the competition four straight years. Wilson tallied 56.300 points to edge out Sean Townsend (56.200) and defending champion Eric Lopez (53.100).%^$
%^$The Visa America Cup was broadcast live Feb. 24 on NBC Sports. The competition offers over $70,000 in total prize money to winners. In the women’s competition, Russian Elena Zamolodchikova took first.%^$
%^$The 2001 Captains
%^$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.%^$
%^$Lynch was named to the All-America team for the second time last season after placing sixth on the vault at the NCAA Championships. He has been an academic All-American, an academic all-Big Ten selection and an OSU scholar-athlete honoree.%^$
%^$Natalie won two titles at the NCAA Championships last year and was named an All-American in three events. He was the alternate on the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Team for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Natalie is considered a strong contender for this years Nissen-Emory Award.%^$
%^$Nelson competed in four events last year, setting career highs in each. He scored a 9.775 on high bar in the quad-meet against Iowa, Minnesota and BYU last season.%^$
%^$HomeComing of Sorts
%^$Two Ohio State Buckeyes are returning to their home state of California for this weekends meet. Junior Mitch Claman hails from La Palma, while freshman Isaac Monicle resides in Rescue.%^$
%^$New Rules In 2001
%^$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.”
