Ohio State Men’s Gymnasts Set to Compete at 2006 Visa USA Championships Qualifier – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
July 13, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Four Ohio State men’s gymnasts will compete at the 2006 Visa USA Championships Qualifier Saturday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Kristopher Kline, Nicholaus Searcy and Eddie Hay will represent Ohio State at the qualifier in hopes of advancing to the National Team Trials at the 2006 Visa USA Championships Aug. 16-19 in St. Paul, Minn. Jimmy Wickham automatically qualified for the August championships after earning a spot on the U.S. National Team at the Winter Cup Challenge last February.
Former Buckeyes Raj Bhavsar (2000-03) and Ronald Ferris (2003-06) received automatic bids for the U.S. Championships through the point system from the 2006 Winter Cup Challenge.
Buckeye junior David Ortiz will travel to Colorado but is unable to compete because of injury.
The competition, which features 99 gymnasts, included two sessions, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Gymnasts were graded on videos to earn a spot at the qualifier. Kline (Sr., Westerville, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center) recorded the highest finish for the Buckeyes, landing in third ahead of former-Olympian Sean Townsend. The Buckeye senior will compete on all events except parallel bars.
“Kristopher (Kline) has really excelled since the end of the season,” Miles Avery, Ohio State head coach, said. “He has really worked hard this summer and it shows. This event should be exciting for all the guys who are competing at this level for the first time. Hopefully, sending a number of talented athletes to this qualifier will increase the awareness of the quality athletes in the Ohio State program.” “I’m excited because this is the first time I’m competing at an USA Gymnastics event,” Kline said. “This is a big opportunity for me, so I want to go out and do my best.”
The four remaining Buckeyes qualified to compete on two events each: Searcy (Sr., Dublin, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center), vault and parallel bars; Ortiz (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Queen City Gymnastics), vault and high bar; Wickham (Jr., Gulfport, Miss./Planet Gymnastics), floor and vault; and Hay (So., Butler, Pa./Butler Gymnastics), floor and vault.
