No. 4 Men’s Gymnastics Battles The Sooners – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
March 7, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State hopes to knock off the top-ranked Sooners in their house at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 10 at 7:00 p.m.%^$
%^$About The Sooners
%^$Oklahoma started the season ranked No. 3 in the country, but moved up to No. 1 after four weeks, knocking Michigan out of the top spot. The Sooners have only one loss on the year, placing second behind Michigan Feb. 18 in a tri-meet. The Buckeyes will be the last of four dual meets this season for the Sooners, who have defeated Air Force, Iowa and Nebraska already.%^$
%^$Noting The Teams
%^$Ohio State blasted No. 17 UC Santa Barbara 211.350-202.200 March 2. Ohio State took first on every apparatus, and claimed the first spots in the all-around competition. Each of the six events was won by a different Buckeye, including Raj Bhavsar (So., Houston, Texas), Jay Nardelli (Sr., Centreville, Va.) and Dick Huntwork (So., Pickerington, Ohio).%^$
%^$Oklahoma defeated Michigan State, Penn State and Stanford in the Southwest Cup over the weekend. Arizona State’s club team and the Mexican National Team also participated in the meet.%^$
%^$Where Are They Ranked?
%^$Ohio State dropped to No. 4 in the latest GymInfo National Poll with a two score average of 211.675. Illinois moved up one position to replace the Buckeyes at No. 3. Oklahoma still holds firm control of the No. 1 spot, with an average score of 215.400. Michigan also remains stable at No. 2 with a score of 214.637. Michigan State, Iowa, California, Penn State, Massachussets and Minnesota round out the Top 10. As a team Ohio State remains No. 1 on vault and high bar and No. 2 on floor exercise. The Buckeyes are No. 3 on parallel bars, No. 4 on rings, and No. 6 on pommel horse.%^$
%^$Buckeyes In The Rankings
%^$Buckeyes rank highly on just about every apparatus in the GymInfo poll. Most notably are seniors Jamie Natalie (Sr., Hockessin, Del.), Daren Lynch (Sr., Londonderry, N.H.) and Jay Nardelli. Natalie is ranked No. 2 in the all-around competition, No. 5 on high bar, No. 6 on floor exercise and No. 8 on pommel horse. Lynch is No. 3 on rings with an average of 9.525 after leading the nation in the event for most of the season. Nardelli ranks No. 3 on high bar. Bhavsar holds the No. 3 position on parallel bars and No. 10 on both rings and pommel horse.%^$
%^$The Sooners have the No. 1 athlete in three of the six events. Brendan O’Neil holds the top spot on floor exercise. Brett Covey is tied for No. 1 on rings, leading Lynch by only .050 points. Steve Van Etten is tied for No. 1 on high bar with a score of 9.225. Jock Stevens and Daniel Furney claim No. 2 on floor exercise and parallel bars, respectively.%^$
%^$Getting to Know Miles
%^$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. 4 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 211.285 points in the more heavily weighted away meets, however. Oklahoma, Michigan and Illinois boast a higher average than Ohio State, posting 215.400, 214.637 and 212.025 points respectively in the latest GymnInfo National Poll.%^$
%^$The 2001 Captains
%^$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.%^$
%^$Lynch was named to the All-America team for the second time last season after placing sixth on the vault at the NCAA Championships. He has been an academic All-American, an academic all-Big Ten selection and an OSU scholar-athlete honoree.%^$
%^$Natalie won two titles at the NCAA Championships last year and was named an All-American in three events. He was the alternate on the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Team for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Natalie is considered a strong contender for this years Nissen-Emory Award.%^$
%^$Nelson competed in four events last year, setting career highs in each. He scored a 9.775 on high bar in the quad-meet against Iowa, Minnesota and BYU last season.%^$
%^$New Rules In 2001
%^$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.%^$
%^$”It takes a little while to catch up with the new rules.” he said, “So it’s a little slow right now, but it’s a little slow for everyone in the world. Fortunately, this is a seasoned team. We’ll do well.”%^$
%^$Young Bucks Shaping Up
%^$Several of the younger Buckeye gymnasts are slowly starting to come into their own. Buckeye freshmen and sophomores are making their presence felt and becoming an invaluable asset in the team’s run for the 2001 NCAA Championships.%^$
%^$With most of the Buckeye leaders nursing injuries last week against UC Santa Barbara, OSU head coach Miles Avery allowed some of the underclassmen to run the show. Senior Jay Nardelli and juniors Mitch Claman (Jr., LaPalma, Calif.) and Earnest Nelson were the only upperclassmen to compete in more than one event against the Gauchos. However, all five sophomores and both freshmen took the floor and stepped up their performances for the occasion.%^$
%^$Three of the six events were won by Ohio State sophomores. Bhavsar shattered his season high on parallel bar with a 9.600, the highest single score in the nation this season. His previous high had been 8.950. Huntwork recorded season bests on rings, high bar and all-around, which he won with a score of 52.900. Jamey Houle placed second on parallel bars and all-around, claiming new season highs in all-around and rings. Also recording new season highs in Santa Barbara were Ryan Schwartzkopf (So.,Columbus, Ind.) and Eric Van Sickle (Fr., Hilliard, Ohio), in pommel horse and rings, respectively. Schwartzkopf placed first on pommel horse, with Van Sickle not far behind in third place.%^$
%^$Hosting Championship
%^$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.
