No. 1 Men’s Gymnastics Travels to UIC – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Feb. 8, 2006
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The No. 1 Ohio State men’s gymnastics team faces No. 13 UIC in Chicago for the second time this season. The 21st dual meet between the Buckeyes (6-0; 5-0 Big Ten) and the UIC Flames (1-9; 1-2 Eastern College Athletic Conference) is set for 8 p.m. EST Saturday at the UIC Physical Education Building on the campus of UIC. Last time in Chicago, Ohio State won the Windy City Invitational title with a score of 211.650.
“This is the time in our season when we shut down and continue to practice through meets,” Miles Avery, Ohio State head coach, said. “We anticipate a drop in the national rankings, but we are focusing on the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.”
BUCKEYE NAMED TO U.S. NATIONAL TEAM
After outstanding performances on floor and vault Saturday, Ohio State’s Jimmy Wickham was named to the U.S. National Team at the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas. Wickham (So., Gulfport, Miss./Planet Gymnastics) was the only Buckeye to earn a spot on the national team after the Winter Cup Challenge. He topped competition on floor with a first-place finish (15.650). Wickham’s score of 15.650 was the highest score awarded on floor during the two-day challenge and .450 higher than the closest competitor.
With a two-day combined total of 32.450, Wickham is the U.S. National Champion on vault and is fourth on floor scoring 29.950. “Jimmy was amazing,” Avery said. “After not performing well on floor on the first day of competition, he did what he needed to do on the second day in order to make the U.S. National Team.”
SCOUTING UIC
Last week, UIC finished third of four teams at the James Madison Open in Harrisonburg, Va., with a team score 195.150. Junior Tim Morrison led the Flames with three Top 3 finishes including a second-place finish on floor (8.900), a third-place finish on vault (8.900) and an all-around score of 48.450 to earn him second at the open.
Senior Nick Stavros (Hawthorne Woods, Ill./Stevenson High School) leads the Flames on pommel horse and rings. At the Windy City Invitational, he won pommel horse with a 9.550. Stavros placed first on rings (9.100) in dual meets against both Iowa and Minnesota. Stavros became the first UIC gymnast to compete in the Winter Cup Challenge for a spot on the U.S. National Team last Saturday. At the competition, Stavros finished 23rd of 63 gymnasts on pommel horse.
In the loss against Minnesota, Tim Morrison (Jr., Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East High School) won floor with a score of 8.950. Morrison also tallied a second place finish in the all-around (48.400) in UIC’s dual against Iowa. In the loss to Iowa, he tallied a team-high 9.15 for second on high bar. Last season, Morrison was the team’s best conference finisher on high bar.
BUCKEYES VS. FLAMES
Ohio State leads UIC in the all-time dual meets 18-2 and totes a 27-2 overall record. The last time the Buckeyes dropped a dual meet to the Flames was Feb. 22, 1980. Ohio State lost 266.050-261.850.
LOOK BACK- OSU VS. UIC (2005)
Last year the No. 2 Buckeyes topped No.12 UIC, 223.875-198.250, in their home opener. With the win, Ohio State captured all six events and recorded team all-time records on pommel horse (37.400), rings (38.475) and high bar (38.400).
Willie Ito tallied an Ohio State individual all-time record on rings with a score of 9.9.
“It was a better meet than anything we did last year,” Avery said after the meet. “I think that is a testament to the potential this team has and how far this team can go. It was good to see those high scores. They get the guys excited.”
ITO EARNS BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES
Ohio State junior Willie Ito (Huntington Beach, Calif./South Coast Gymnastics) earned a score of 9.700 twice in the dual against Big Ten foe Illinois to support the Buckeye win, 213.350-206.900. With Ito’s 9.700 on both parallel bars and high bar, he claimed first on both events in the meet. The 9.700 on parallel bars marks Ito’s career high on the apparatus.
Nationally, Ito tops the GymInfo rankings on high bar averaging a 9.650. His closest competitor holds a score of 9.250 for second.
OHIO STATE IN THE RANKINGS
The Buckeyes’ (6-0; 5-0 Big Ten) team score of 212.500 earns Ohio State the No.1 spot in the nation. The Buckeye squad also leads the nation on parallel bars (36.250) and high bar (36.875) in the GymInfo national rankings.
Ohio State claims the No.1 spot on three of six events in the individual rankings. Sophomore DJ Bucher (Mason, Ohio/Queen City Gymnastics) tops the country on parallel bars (9.475), junior Willie Ito leads on high bar (9.650) and sophomore Jimmy Wickham holds the top spot on floor exercise (9.400).
IN THE BIG TEN
In the league, Ohio State is No. 1 in three of six events. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten on floor (36.025), parallel bars (36.250) and high bar (36.875).
BIG TEN SQUADS IN THE RANKINGS
All six Big Ten men’s teams placed in the Top 10 in GymInfo’s national rankings. Ohio State leads the pack with 212.500. Following the Buckeyes are No. 3 Illinois (208.233), No. 5 Iowa (207.025), No. 6 Michigan (205.917), No. 6 Penn State (206.312) and No. 9 Minnesota (202.250).
UP NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
After two weeks on the road, Ohio State returns to St. John Arena for a tri-meet against No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 7 California at 7 p.m. Feb. 18.
