Gymnastics Compete in Mixed Pairs Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Dec. 3, 2003
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Ohio State men’s and women’s gymnastics teams will preview the 2004 season in the co-ed Mixed Pairs Championship at 6 p.m. Saturday in St. John Arena. Ten teams of one women’s and one men’s gymnast each were randomly selected by a computer to compete in the event. The pairs will compete in three rotations, with the top seven pairs advancing to the second rotation and the top four moving to the final rotation.
GRAB A PARTNER
Nine gymnasts from both the men and women’s squad will be participating in an exhibition meet Saturday, gearing up for the upcoming season – Grant Osborne and Elizabeth Ahlberg, Ronald Ferris and Jill Weber, Kristopher Kline and Bethany Groskopf, Jamie Shepard and Brittany Livingston, Eric Van Sickle and Leah Boccaccio, Randy Monahan and Liz Meaney, Kerry Adderly and Shelby Warner, Jamey Houle and Kaylin Schlecht and Willie Ito and Tiffanie Janke.
Individually, three men gymnasts and four women gymnasts – Jahir Johnson, Nicholaus Searcy, Tim Saxton, Jenni Lymanstall, Megan Porter, Shelley Harris and Emily Sineway will perform as individuals in the mixed pairs competition.
DEFENDING THEIR CROWN
Kerry Adderly and Shelby Warner are looking to defend their mixed pairs championship crown, as the two are paired up once again for the competition this year.
During the meet last year, Adderly and Warner won the contest with a score of 55.225.
2003-04 MEN’S SEASON OUTLOOK
The 2004 men’s gymnastics team is primed for an outstanding and successful season. After finishing second in both the Big Ten and NCAA championships last season, the Buckeyes are comprised of some of the top gymnasts in the country. All-Americans Randy Monahan and Kerry Adderly look to lead the team to the Big Ten and national championships, while Jamey Houle and Cody Trobaugh’s consistent routines will help OSU remain a solid national competitor.
Houle spent the early part of the summer competing in the U.S. Gymnastics championships, refining his techniques and skills and according to head coach Miles Avery is unquestionably the leader of this year’s team. Trobaugh completed the 2003 season just shy of All-America status, finishing eighth on both floor and rings at the NCAA Championships.
Freshmen who will provide an immediate impact include Willie Ito, Kristopher Kline and Grant Osborne. All three competed at the Junior Olympic National Championships this past summer. Ito and Osborne finished the year as two of the top junior gymnasts in the country, with Ito the junior national champion on the high bar and parallel bars in 2003.
Osborne claimed the all-around title in 2002, while Ito placed second in the all-around in 2003.
Kline earning the title of best male gymnast in the state of Ohio in 2003 rounds out the talented freshman class at OSU.
After falling short of their goals to win the Big Ten and NCAA championships, this highly talented squad will have to be at its best to secure both titles.
“This team is one of the more talented teams I’ve had, so there is no reason why we should not have a great opportunity to get to those two championships.” Ohio State head coach Avery said. “But it’s sport and anything can happen on any given day. We will certainly be good enough to do it, now we just have to go out there and do it.”
Also returning to the Buckeye line-up is Jamie Shepard, Eric Van Sickle and Ronald Ferris. Shepard is a fifth-year senior who posted season high marks in four events in 2003 – floor exercise: 7.800 (Jan. 11); vault: 9.000 (Jan. 25); high bar: 8.650 (Feb. 14); rings: 9.150 (March 15).
Van Sickle, a senior, brings strength and depth to the Buckeye squad as a pommel horse specialist. Last season, Van Sickle posted a season high 9.200 on the pommel horse against Nebraska.
As a freshman last year, Ferris, was a parallel bars finalist at the 2003 NCAA championships. Ferris also won the parallel bars crown with a 9.150 against Illinois.
Following their redshirt seasons of a year ago, redshirt-sophomore Tim Saxton and redshirt-freshmen Matthew Dwork and Nicholaus Searcy are expected to compete in certain events and provide depth in others. Once added to the Buckeye rotation, they will help keep the team solid, fresh and healthy.
MEN’S HEAD COACH MILES AVERY
In six years under the direction of head coach Miles Avery, the Buckeyes have consistently been 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 12 All-Americans.
Avery has garnered one national coach of the year honor (2001) and earned back-to-back Big Ten Coach of the Year awards (2001, ’02). He also was named the 2002 Central Region Coach of the Year.
After serving nine years as an assistant coach at Ohio State, Avery was named head coach in 1998. In his tenure, the Buckeyes have extended their record streak of NCAA appearances to 23.
Avery is a graduate of Temple University and has compiled a 64-18 OSU and career record.
PREVIEWING THE WOMEN’S TEAM
The Ohio State women’ s gymnastics team enters the 2004 season looking to build off the success of 10-4 season in 2003. The Buckeyes will face some tough competition this year with meets against Nebraska, North Carolina State and Louisiana State all whom finished ranked in the Top 25 nationally in 2003.
“We have a difficult schedule again this year,” Larry Cox, head coach, said. “But with our talent and leadership know we will handle ourseleves and get back into the national scene.”
“We entered last season with a three-year success plan,” Cox said. “Our goals over three years were to gain a Top 16 ranking nationally, a Top 2 rank in our region and a Top 2 rank in the Big Ten. We completed two of those three last year. Our goal now is to continue on the right track, continue to get better and go back to the NCAA chmpionships.”
The squad is led by senior Tiffanie Janke and sophomore Jill Weber, both First Team All-Big Ten selections last year. Both Janke and Weber posted a perfect 10 on vault at the All-Ohio Championships last season.
The junior class is led by Elizabeth Meaney, the Most Inspirational, Most Dedicated and Coach’s award winner of last year. Meaney, who posted a 9.8 or better in 12 of the last 13 meets will be joined by fellow junior Shelley Harris. Harris scored a 9.75 in four of the last five meets.
WOMEN’S HEAD COACH Larry Cox
Larry Cox, the three-time regional Coach of the Year, heads into his 25th season as the Ohio State women’s gymnastics coach.
One of the country’s most prominent women’s gymnastics collegiate coaches, Cox has guided OSU to a NCAA Regional appearance in each of his 23 seasons at the helm. He led the Buckeyes to five-consecutive Big Ten titles between 1983-87. During that same decade, Cox’s squads finished no lower than third in the Big Ten, except in 1980 and 1988. His teams also won six NCAA Regioal titles, advancing to the NCAA Championships between 1983-90.
In 2003, Cox guided his squad to a 10-4 regular season, capped by a fifth place finish at the Big Ten Championships.
Cox holds a career record of 242-132-2.
UP NEXT
Next week the men and women’s squads will be preparing for their team intersquad competitions.
The women’s meet is at 7 p.m., Dec. 13 at the Steelwood Athletic Center, while the men will compete at 2 p.m., Dec. 19 in St. John Arena.
Following the team contests, the women’s squad will commence its regular season schedule at home in St. John Arena against Kentucky at 7 p.m. Jan. 4.
The men will compete in the Varsity Exhibition at 2 p.m. Jan. 3 in Steelwood before they kick-off their season in Chicago at the Windy City Invitational at 2 p.m. in the UIC Physical Education Building.
