MGYM: Buckeyes Celebrate 2009 Achievements at Banquet – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Jake Bateman earns second-consecutive MVP honor; Justin Myers receives Coaches’ Award
COLUMBUS, Ohio Miles Avery, 12th-year Ohio State men’s gymnastics head coach, and his staff awarded seven 2009 team honors at its year-end banquet Saturday at the OSU Golf Course with former Buckeye Adam Elliott serving as the emcee.
In addition to the laurels, the Buckeyes’ five seniors in Jake Bateman, Kevin Brown, Pejman Ebrahimi, Eddie Hay and Andy Saurber were recognized for their dedication to the program. The following day, Bateman, Brown, Hay and Saurber received their undergraduate degrees at Ohio Stadium, finishing their class work in four years. Ebrahimi, a fifth-year senior, graduated in March with a double major.
The 2009 team accomplished a great deal this season as they made it back to the NCAA’s Super Six after a three-year absence, extended its streak of Top 3 Big Ten championships finishes to 22 in a row and had four Buckeyes, including two freshmen, grab All-America honors. Also this season, Ohio State’s Philip Onorato was tabbed Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming just the sixth Buckeye and the first since Bateman in 2006 to earn the distinction.
“The culmination of this 2009 season with the Buckeyes ranks as one of my proudest in my collegiate and Olympic coaching career because of the way this team came together as a family,” Avery said. “We were faced with adversity early in the year and it was only because this team was able to reunite as a family that we accomplished things people never thought we would be able to do.”
Earning the team’s MVP honors for a second-consecutive year was Jake Bateman. The Kingsport, Tenn., native ended his Ohio State career as a two-time All-American, All-Big Ten first-team selection and team captain. Bateman finished third in the all-around at the Big Ten championships and placed on four-of-five qualified event finals. At the NCAA championships, the 2009 Nissen-Emery Award finalist led the squad in the all-around at the qualifier and earned All-America status on rings, placing fourth. He graduated Sunday with a degree in biology after being selected a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, three-time Academic All-Big Ten and two-time Academic All-America honoree.
“What a journey,” Bateman said. “These four years have been amazing. I want to thank Doug (Stibel), Blaine (Wilson) and Miles. It has been an honor to be coached by you.”
Junior Justin Myers, after earning the Most Improved Award the past two seasons, nabbed the Coaches’ Award in 2009 for his continual hard work and dedication to the program in the gym. Myers was a mainstay for the squad on floor, vault, parallel bars and high bar this year.
The Most Improved laurel went to sophomore Brandon Wynn. The Voorhees, N.J., native posted an NCAA-high and Buckeye program record 16.1 on rings vs. Michigan (March 21) and went on to finish third on the event at the Big Ten championships. Wynn earned his first All-America honor in April, placing eighth in the all-around.
In 2009, accolades continued to pile up as eight gymnasts were named Academic All-Big Ten and 11 were OSU Scholar-Athletes. Bateman earned his second-consecutive CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honor, moving up to the first-team this season, as well as an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.
The team’s upperclassman scholar-athlete honor was given to Michael Bell for a second year in a row while freshman Matt Rayl received his first team honor as the underclassman recipient.
Bateman, Tai Lee and Pejman Ebrahimi were recognized for their work as captains of the 2009 squad.
2009 Ohio State Men’s Gymnastics Team honors
Captains Award Jake Bateman, Pejman Ebrahimi and Tai Lee
MVP Jake Bateman
Coaches’ Award Justin Myers
Most Improved Brandon Wynn
Upperclassman Scholar-Athlete Michael Bell
Underclassman Scholar-Athlete Matt Rayl
Senior Awards Jake Bateman, Kevin Brown, Pejman Ebrahimi, Eddie Hay and Andy Saurber
