No. 2 Ohio State Men’s Gymnastics Defeats No. 4 Penn State, 216.300-209.050 – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Feb. 25, 2006
The No. 2 Ohio State men’s gymnastics team outscored Big Ten rival No. 4 Penn State, 216.300-209.050, Saturday in front of a crowd of 1,891 at St. John Arena. The Buckeyes (9-1; 6-0 Big Ten) captured five of six events on their way to recording a season-high team total of 216.300.
“I am proud of how the team is improving each week,” Miles Avery, Ohio State head coach said. “However, we didn’t finish the meet tonight. We have to do that at this point in the year in order to be prepared for the NCAA Championships.”
In the first rotation, Eddie Hay (Fr., Butler, Pa./Butler Gymnastics) earned a career high 9.750 to capture first on floor. Jimmy Wickham (So., Gulfport, Miss./Planet Gymnastics) added a 9.600 to place second. Freshman Jake Bateman (Kingsport, Tenn./Premier Gymnastics) scored a career high 9.150 to help Ohio State notch a season high 37.150 on the event.
The Buckeyes won pommel horse and recorded a season-high team score of 34.950. Ohio State swept the event with a first place score of 9.200 by sophomore DJ Bucher (Mason, Ohio/Queen City Gymnastics). Juniors Grant Osborne (Fort Collins, Colo./Fort Collins) and Kristopher Kline (Westerville, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center) rounded out the Top 3. Osborne finished second with an 8.800 and Kline finished third with an 8.700. On rings, Bateman led Ohio State with a career high 9.200. Kline and sophomore Pedro Pineda (Galloway, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center) followed each scoring a 9.000. Penn State won this event turning in two scores of 9.550 by Matt Cohen and Tommy Ramos to tie for first. The Nittany Lions’ Derek Helsby rounded out the Top 3 with a 9.350.
Ohio State won vault in the fourth rotation with a score of 36.950. Wickham won the event, posting a career high 9.700, and Bateman finished third with a 9.350. Penn State’s Chad Buczek placed second with a 9.400.
Co-captain Nicholaus Searcy (Jr., Dublin, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center) led the Buckeyes on parallel bars. Searcy won the event tallying a 9.200. Bateman finished second with a 9.100 and Mike Marino (So., Ellington, Conn./Tim Daggett’s Gold Medal Gymnastics) tied Penn State’s Shaun Antonio with an 8.800 for third. The 8.800 is career record for Marino. The team won parallel bars with a combined score of 35.800.
In the final rotation, Ohio State captured high bar with a team total 35.900. Co-captain Willie Ito (Jr., Huntington Beach, Calif./South Coast Gymnastics) tied the Nittany Lions’ Tommy Ramos with a 9.450 for first on the event. Osborne scored a 9.100 to place second. Penn State’s Matt Cohen rounded out the Top 3 with an 8.800.
The Buckeyes finish their 2006 regular season against Big Ten foe Michigan March 11 at 7 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich.
