No. 3 Men’s Gymanstics Face Illinois-Chicago in Dual Match – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Jan. 21, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After a first-place finish at the Windy City Invitational and a week off, the Buckeyes open the home and dual season 7 p.m. Saturday in St. John Arena against the Illinois- Chicago Flames.
2003 TEAM CAPTAINS
During the Alumni Scrimmage Saturday Jan 4, OSU head coach Miles Avery took the opportunity to announce senior Raj Bhavsar (Houston, Texas), senior Dick Huntwork (Pickerington, Ohio) and junior Jamey Houle (Enfield, Conn.) as team captains for the upcoming season.
Bhavsar was crowned the 2002 NCAA and Big Ten All-Around Champion and the 2002 OSU Male Athlete of the Year. Houle was an All- American on floor last year and is a solid competitor on pommel horse. Huntwork also was an All-American on floor and is a vocal leader during practice and events.
BUCKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll behind defending national champion Oklahoma. After the opening two weeks of the season, the Buckeyes dropped to third after posting 213.0 points at the Windy City Invitational. Penn State moved into first place after recording 217.25 points while claiming the Navy Open Title. Oklahoma slipped to second after it compiled 214.275 in a victory over No. 5 Michigan.
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.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
Ohio State returns all five 2002 All-Americans this season. Bhavsar was an All-American on allaround, vault and pommel horse. Kerry Adderly (So./Orlando, Fla.), Houle and Huntwork were All-Americans on floor and Randy Monahan (So./ Elizabethtown, Pa.) was an All-American on high bar.
HEAD COACH MILES AVERY
In five years under the direction of head coach Miles Avery, the Buckeyes have remained among the nation’s elite. Under Avery’s guidance Ohio State has produced one NCAA title, two Big Ten titles, three NCAA all-around champions and 11 All-Americans.
Avery has garnered one national coach of the year honor (2001) and two-consecutive Big Ten Coach of the Year awards (2001, ’02). He also was named the 2002 Central Region Coach of the year.
In addition to his work at Ohio State, Avery serves as a clinician for the U.S. Junior and Senior National Teams and is on the coaching staff for the U.S. Junior and Senior National Teams.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS-CHICAGO
Illinois-Chicago is ranked No. 12th nationally and returns the 2002 Eastern College Athletic Association Freshman of the Year, Neil Faustino (Stockton, Calif.). At the Jan. 11 Windy City Invitational, which UIC played host to, the Flames placed sixth with 199.450 points. Faustino placed seventh in the all-around with a score of 50.6 and is nationally ranked No. 12 in all-around.
ALL-AROUND HONORS
Randy Monahan won multiple honors after his first place all-around finish at the Windy City including Big Ten Men’s Gymnast of the Week and NCAA Men’s Gymnast of the Week named by Inside Gymnastics collegiate editor Jerry Wright. Monahan placed in the Top 10 on all six events and placed third in three events by scoring a 9.0 on rings, a 9.35 on vault and a 9.0 on high bar. In the competition, he compiled 53.850 points to claim the all-around title by one point. He also placed fourth on floor exercise (9.100)
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN ST. JOHN
The Buckeyes will play host to the Big Ten Tournament March 28-29 at St. John Arena. Ohio State will defend its back-to-back 2001 and 2002 championships, which were held in State College, Pa., and Minneapolis, Minn., respectively. A thirdconsecutive victory will mark the first Big Ten three-peat in school history.
