Brown, Ito Win Ohio State Gymnastics Mixed Pairs Championship – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Dec. 4, 2005
Senior Brittany Brown and junior Willie Ito combine to win the mixed pairs championship Sunday in St. John Arena as the Ohio State men’s and women’s gymnastics teams began the 2005-06 season. The duo posted a 55.00 combined score to win the title.
The event had eight teams, which went through three rotations each. Included in the competition were intermission routines performed by various gymnasts.
In the first rotation, Brown (Wheaton, Md./Good Counsel) scored a 9.5 on vault to go with Ito’s (Huntington Beach, Calif./South Coast Gymnastics) score of 9.7 on the high bar to take the lead in the first rotation. In the following two rotations Brown scored a 9.85 on the both the floor exercise and the uneven bars, while Ito scored an 8.9 on the parallel bars in the second rotation and finished with a 7.2 on the pommel horse.
“Overall, I’m really happy with the outcome of today,” Miles Avery, Ohio State men’s gymnastics head coach, said. “Willie Ito is as ready this year as he was last year. I am worried about the problems the judges had today with the new scoring system.”
“I think the highlight of the meet was Kaylin Schlecht.” Carey Fagan, OSU women’s gymnastics head coach, said. “She’s been working really hard in the gym. Even though she didn’t win the meet she did on the women’s side. We had a few freshman mistakes today and a few girls are missing from the line up. We weren’t in full strength and have work to do before January 7 (in the season opener).”
The pair of senior Kaylin Schlecht (Marion, Ohio/River Valley) and freshman Eddie Hay (Butler, Pa./Butler) took second place with a combined score of 53.65. The pairs of senior Emily Sineway (Norcross, Ga. /Norcross) and sophomore DJ Bucher (Mason, Ohio/Queen City Gymnastics) and freshman Amanda Surine (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) and freshman Jake Bateman (Kingsport, Tenn./Dobyns-Bennett) tied for third with a score of 52.80.
Schlecht scored a 9.85 on floor and a 9.75 on both bars and beam. In addition, sophomore Maalika Moore-Thomas (Tampa, Fla./King) scored a 9.7 on floor. Bucher scored a 9.8 on parallel bars.
The Ohio State men are in action next Dec. 16 for the Scarlet and Gray exhibition at 2 p.m. in St. John Arena. The OSU women will return to action with their season opener Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. at Ball State.
