COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 7 Ohio State men’s gymnastics team won at the Navy Open on Saturday with a team score of 405.350, beating the other five teams in attendance. The Buckeyes improved five of their six event scores from last weekend’s Windy Invite performance.
Caden Spencer earned the first stick of the day for the Buckeyes on high bar, scoring a career-high 13.900. Jacob Harmon stuck the final pass of his floor routine to earn a personal-best 13.450. Matthew Piekarski stuck his rings dismount for the second-straight meet, earning a personal-best 13.350. Justin Ah Chow also stuck his rings dismount for a personal-best 13.450. Kameron Nelson had the final stick of the competition for the Buckeyes, earning a personal-best 13.900 on parallel bars.
How it Happened
High Bar
The Buckeyes began the meet with a 66.500 as a team on high bar. Spencer stuck his dismount to earn a career-best 13.900, leading the team. Kazuki Hayashi matched his score from last week (13.600), while Tyler Rockwood earned a career-best 13.150. Kristian Grahovski (13.100) and Kameron Nelson (12.750) both competed on high bar for the first time.
Floor
Ohio State earned a team score of 67.600 on floor. Jesse Pakele made his collegiate debut as he and Hayashi each earned a 13.650 to lead the Buckeyes. Nelson had a 13.600, while Harmon earned a career-best 13.450 and stuck his final pass. Spencer rounded out Ohio State’s showing with a 13.250.
Pommel Horse
The Buckeyes totaled 68.250 as a team on pommel horse. Freshmen Grahovski (14.250) and Parker Thackston (14.000) led the way with the first 14+ scores of their collegiate careers. Justin Ah Chow earned a 13.900, followed immediately by Luke Smigliani’s 13.800. Rockwood wrapped up the Buckeyes’ lineup with a 12.300.
Rings
Ohio State earned a 66.900 as a team on rings. Ah Chow (13.450) and Piekarski (13.350) both stuck their dismounts to earn personal-best scores. Arthur Ashton also had a personal-best score of 13.300. Rockwood and Donovan Hewitt each earned a 13.400.
Vault
The Buckeyes totaled 70.350 on vault with four scores of 14+. Nelson led the way with a 14.500, followed by Hayashi’s 14.450. Ah Chow earned a 14.150, while Harmon got a 14.050 and Hewitt wrapped up the Buckeyes’ showing with a 13.200.
Parallel Bars
Ohio State wrapped up the meet with a 65.750 on parallel bars. Nelson led the way with a stuck dismount, earning a personal-best score of 13.900. Jakob Murray made his season debut, earning a 13.750. Hewitt (12.800), Rockwood (12.650) and Spencer (12.650) wrapped up the Buckeyes’ rotation.
What They Said
Head Coach Rustam Sharipov: “I’m very proud of the guys and how they handled the competition. Today’s performance showed their passion and heart! We will enjoy the win but will look forward to beginning the Big Ten season next weekend in Ann Arbor.”
Up Next
Ohio State travels to No. 5 Michigan next Saturday for the Big Ten opener. The dual meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on B1G+.
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