Big Ten Championships Up Next for No. 9 Ohio State – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
March 26, 2015
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | LIVE RESULTS – DAY 1 | LIVE RESULTS – DAY 2| WEEKLY RELEASE
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 9 Ohio State men’s gymnastics team opens the postseason at the 2015 Big Ten Championships March 27-28 at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. The team championships are scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Friday followed by individual event finals at 7 p.m. ET Saturday.
WATCH LIVE ON BTN
BTN will air live coverage of the 2015 Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics Championships with Bernie Guenther (play-by-play) and John Roethlisberger (analysis) on the call. Check your local listings for channel info.
BUCKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
TEAM
Ohio State remained No. 9 in the CGA Week 11 rankings following a bye week. The Buckeyes own the No. 3 team average in the nation on high bar (72.800) and are ranked sixth on vault (73.100). The team is ranked in the Top 10 in three additional events: rings (seventh – 72.700), pommel horse (seventh, 70.400) and parallel bars (eighth, 71.517). In average all-around score, OSU is ranked ninth with a four-score average of 429.767.
INDIVIDUAL
Senior Drew Moling ranks fifth nationally on high bar with a four-score average of 15.053 and eighth nationally on rings with a score of 15.283. Senior Alex Nork is sixth on high bar (14.950), while senior Larry Mayer is tied for eighth on vault (15.017). Sophomore Andrew Rickly sits in a tie for ninth on high bar with a four-score average of 14.833.
LAST TIME OUT
Ohio State fell to No. 1 Oklahoma by a score of 449.500-425.700 March 14 at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.
Sooner athletes won all six event titles and posted 16 scores of 15.000 or better on the evening. As a team, Oklahoma outscored the Buckeyes on each event as well.
OSU B1G HISTORY
Ohio State has won a total of 12 Big Ten team championships, the last coming in 2007. Buckeye athletes have earned a total of 74 Big Ten event titles.
Former Buckeye Blaine Wilson owns the most individual titles with 11, while Drew Durbin claimed five and Raj Bhavsar and Kip Simons each earned four. Five Buckeye gymnasts have earned Big Ten Gymnast of the Year honors and seven Buckeye gymnasts have earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades, including Sean Melton last season. Three coaches have received Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
Last season, OSU placed second overall behind eventual national champion Michigan, the team’s best finish at the conference meet since winning the league crown in `07. Melton won titles on parallel bars and high bar, while Jake Martin earned a gold medal on vault.
BUCKEYE REDSHIRTS
Injuries and illness forced the Buckeyes to redshirt three of their top returning gymnasts for the 2015 season.
Melton, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and an All-American and Big Ten champion, has dealt with a lower back issue throughout the year. He last saw action against Illinois in January.
Martin, also an All-American and Big Ten champion, is recovering from illness early in the season. He last competed against Penn State in February.
Jake Dastrup, an NCAA qualifier on four events in 2014, has been held out of action in all competitions this season after suffering an injury in the preseason.
FIVE UP, FIVE COUNT
Through Winter Cup, six gymnasts were allowed to perform on each event with the Top-5 scores counting toward the final team score. As of meets beginning the weekend of Feb. 28, only five gymnasts are allowed to perform on each event with all five scores counting toward the overall team score.
UP NEXT
Ohio State travels to Norman, Okla., for the NCAA qualifier and NCAA championships April 9-11.
