Current, Former Buckeyes Head to Vegas This Week – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
Feb. 1, 2012
Schedule of Events (All Times PST)
Thursday, Feb. 2 – Session 1 (Prelims) – 1-4 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 2 – Session 2 (Prelims) – 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 3 – Session 3 (Finals) – 7:15-9:30 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – One current and three former members of the Ohio State men’s gymnastics team will be competing at the 2012 Winter Cup Challenge Thursday-Saturday at the LV Sports Center in Las Vegas, Nev. Senior co-captain Ty Echard along with former Buckeyes Brandon Wynn, Tai Lee and Sean Regan will be competing for a spot on the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Senior National Team.
First-year head coach Rustam Sharipov will lead the group this weekend and is excited to see how the Buckeye squad will do at the elite international event.
“The main goal for everybody is to try and make the U.S. national team with the eight spots available,” Sharipov said. “It will be a challenge since this is an Olympic year. For Brandon, this event is important for VISA Championships and then the Olympic trials this summer. I think everyone is capable of making an impact at this national competition.”
BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN
Ty Echard (2009-Present)
A native of Carroll, Ohio, Echard has started off his senior season strong with a second-place finish at the Windy City Invite Jan. 14 on pommel horse as well as a first-place finish with a season-high 15.05 against Oklahoma Jan. 21. He currently ranks second in the GymInfo rankings on pommel horse. This past summer, Echard made his first appearance in a U.S. men’s senior championship event at the 2011 VISA Championships where he qualified for the finals after scoring the second-highest score in preliminaries with a 15.0. In the finals, Echard finished second overall to claim his first U.S. silver medal with a score of 15.35 for a two-day total of 30.35 on pommel horse.
“This is a big meet with a lot on the line on making a national team spot,” Echard said. “I think I have a lot more confidence going into this meet this year after being close to making it last year. It’s great to travel with three other guys that I’ve trained with several years now.”
Brandon Wynn (2008-11)
Wynn, a native of Voorhees, N.J. claimed back-to-back NCAA national rings titles in 2010 and 2011 and won the U.S. national rings titles back-to-back in 2010 and 2011. The former All-American and 2011 Nissen-Emery Finalist was the first Buckeye in program history to win back-to-back national titles since former Buckeye B. Wilson. Wynn most recently won the gold medal on rings at the 2011 Pan American Games. Wynn, who will look to make his third U.S. national team, begins his journey to make the U.S. Olympic squad for the 2012 Summer Games in London.
“Everything that I’m doing right now is a step towards the Olympic trials this summer,” Wynn said. “This Winter Cup is super important. I just came back from a national team camp last week and just stepping into that gym was important. Everything has to be on point from here on out, but I try not to think about that too much and just do gymnastics like I’ve always done.”
Tai Lee (2007-10)
Lee earned two Top 20 finishes at the 2011 VISA Championships – his first U.S. men’s senior championship event. Lee tied for 19th overall on vault (30.4) and 19th on rings (27.9) en route to his 82.5 all-around score for 23rd overall. At the 2010 NCAA championships, Lee competed on all six events, including a team-high 14.05 on parallel bars, while also finishing second in the all-around competition with an 85.15 in the NCAA qualifier. Lee, a 2007 First Team All-Big Ten selection, holds the program record on high bar with a 15.3.
“We have definitely worked hard these past four to five months in the gym with the new coaching staff,” Lee said. “I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life and we have high expectations heading into this weekend.”
Sean Regan (2008-11)
Regan performed at his first U.S. men’s senior championship event at the 2011 VISA Championships where he claimed 19th overall on floor exercise with a two-day total of 29.0, while posting a 77.4 in the all-around competition. Regan represented the Buckeyes in the all-around competition in the 2011 NCAA qualifier in Columbus, posting a career-high 83.35. In 2011, the native of Libertyville, Ill., claimed career highs on multiple events, including floor exercise (15.2), rings (14.95) and vault (15.6).
“This is my last Winter Cup so I’m going as hard as I can this weekend,” Regan said. “I haven’t had as much training as some of the other competitors, but I feel confident heading into the event. I’m going to go out there and do the best I can.”
The Winter Cup competition begins with preliminary rounds with the Top 42 gymnasts from the points ranking system, as well as the top three gymnasts on each apparatus advancing to finals on Saturday.
