Big Ten Network : Gymnastics Top Stories

No. 5 Ohio State men drop No. 8 California

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 17:03:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Starting to peak at just the right time, the No. 5 Ohio State men's gymnastics team downed No. 8 California, 351.800-346.00, Saturday afternoon in St. John Arena as six different Buckeyes recorded first-place finishes on five the six events. Senior Justin Myers won floor with a career-best 15.35, sophomore Steven Spencer won pommel horse with a season-best 15.4, junior Brandon Wynn took rings with a 16.0, sophomore Mike Behles placed first with a 15.85 on vault while senior Tai Lee and junior Sean Regan tied for first on high bar with matching scores of 14.95. Overall, Miles Avery, 13th-year Ohio State head coach, saw his Buckeyes place two athletes in the Top 3 of four event standings. Starting on floor, Buckeye captains Myers and Wynn led the way, scoring a 15.35 and 14.25, respectively. For Myers, his first-place 15.35 was a career best and the second time this season he has scored above a 15.0. Sophomore Mike Behles also scored well for Ohio State, notching a 14.0 for sixth. In all, the Scarlet and Gray had a 57.05 on the event while the Golden Bears scored a 57.5 for the event win. Ohio State took over the meet lead in the second rotation and never looked back. Thanks to two Top 3 finishes from sophomores Spencer and Matt Rayl, the Buckeyes tallied a 59.0, a 2010 event high mark, to outscore the Bears' 56.9. Spencer won the event with a season-high 15.4 while Rayl hit a personal-best 14.6. Classmate Ty Echard took fourth with a 14.55 and freshman John Laing had a 14.45 for fifth. On rings, Wynn, the best in the NCAA on the event, took first for the fourth-consecutive time with a score of 16.0 while teammate Tai Lee had a career-best 15.6 for second. Ohio State won the rotation, 60.85-55.6, with Cal only competing four gymnasts. Behles added a 14.7 for fourth while junior Sean Regan had a 14.55 for fifth as the team scored an event season-high 60.85 on rings. With a 62.05 on vault, the Buckeyes extended their lead to 238.95-231.85 after the Golden Bears scored a 61.4. Behles won vault for Ohio State with a 15.85 and Myers added a 15.75 for second, marking the third rotation OSU had two Buckeyes in the Top 3 of the event standings on the day. Wynn helped the team score with 15.45 for fifth. California won back some points in the final two rotations but Ohio State had built too large of a lead through the first four rotations. The Buckeyes scored a 57.45 on parallel bars behind a career-best 15.0 from Wynn. Still the Voorhees, N.J., native finished in third as the Bears saw Dennis Mannhart notch a meet-best 15.25 while Glen Ishino had a 15.05 to finish first and second, respectively. Cal won the event with a 58.0. Continuing to have a successful meet for OSU were Myers (14.4), Behles (14.05) and Regan (14.0). Regan and Lee shared co-honors with a pair of meet-high 14.95s on high bar, helping Ohio State to a 55.4 on the event and 351.800 final score. For Regan, the tally served as a career high. The Bears finished with a 56.6 to win high bar and end the day with a 346.000. The Buckeyes hold their final regular-season meet against Oklahoma next Saturday, a co-ed meet with the women's program held at 4 p.m. in St. John Arena. Admission to regular-season meets is free of charge. Postseason action is coming to Columbus soon! Ohio State will host the 2010 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships at 7 p.m. April 2-3 in St. John Arena. For tickets, call 1-800-GO-BUCKS.

No. 4 Illinois men beat No. 10 Iowa

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:44:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The fourth-ranked Illini men's gymnastics team posted a new season-high team score and improved to 10-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten after defeating No. 10 Iowa (5-9, 1-5 Big Ten), 357.500-346.600 Sunday afternoon at Carver Hawkeye Arena. Illinois won five of six team and individual events and set a new season-high score on vault (63.550). "Our performance on vault was exceptional today, so that was exciting to see," associate head coach Justin Spring said. "Our scores keep building and as we get closer to Michigan next weekend and the Big Tens, we want to keep pushing and keep raising those scores. We had some misses today on a couple events, but the second, third and fourth guys really stepped up and carried their weight. I'm excited for the guys. It was a great win." Junior Paul Ruggeri led the way with event titles on parallel bars (15.300) and high bar (16.100), on which he tied the career-high and school-best score he set earlier in the season. Additionally, his score on parallel bars ranks second in school history under the FIG Open Ended "Code of Points" introduced in 2008. Senior Luke Stannard won his second straight pommel horse title with a career-high score of 15.700, which ties for fifth in school history, while sophomore Tyler Mizoguchi won on rings (15.000) and the all-around (88.850) and tallied new career highs in both. Junior Daniel Ribeiro rounded out the group with his second title of the season on vault (16.100), which ties for third in school history. The Illini secured top-three finishes in nearly every event, as senior Tyler Williamson placed second on floor (14.950) and Ribeiro finished third with a season-high score of 14.900. He also finished in second place on pommel horse (14.600) and sophomore C.J. Padera followed in third place(14.300). In his season debut on vault, senior Andres Saavedra tied for second with Mizoguchi with a career-high score of 15.950 and also recorded a new season high on parallel bars (13.950). Padera and Mizoguchi tied for second place on parallel bars (14.950), with Padera tying his career high and Mizoguchi tying his season high on the event. Additionally, career highs also were set by Mizoguchi on high bar (14.100), sophomore Devin Regan on rings (14.200) and high bar (13.500) and freshman Yoshi Mori on parallel bars (14.500). The Illini return to Huff Hall next weekend for the first of two home meets to end the regular season beginning with No. 3 Michigan on Saturday, March 13 at 2 p.m. The meet will be held in conjunction with the Illini women's gymnastics team's meet against No. 18 Missouri. "Gym Jam," sponsored by the News-Gazette, WDWS and WHMS, will feature free food for the first 1,000 fans beginning at 1 p.m. at Huff Hall and fans also can pick up a free admission ticket at the Football Family Fun Fest from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on March 13.

Iowa women sail past Southern Utah

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 18:35:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women's gymnastics team sailed by Southern Utah Sunday afternoon in a 195.300-194.475 decision. This marks the highest team score Iowa has put together this season. Over 1,000 fans cheered on the GymHawks as both the Iowa men's and women's teams celebrated senior day in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Juniors Houry Gebeshian and Rebecca Simbhudas led the Hawkeyes as they each scored a 39.325 in the all-around for a share of the title. Gebeshian's score is a career high for the Newton, MA native. Sophomore Jessa Hansen finished in fourth place with a score of 38.325. In the first rotation, Iowa competed on vault where they outscored the Thunderbirds, 48.850-48.775. Simbhudas led the Hawkeyes as well as the competition with a score of 9.850. Gebeshian, along with sophomore Annie Szatkowski, earned third place with a score of 9.800, a personal record for Szatkowski. In their best event of the night, the Hawkeyes topped Utah State on bars, 49.050-48.775. Simbhudas took first with a score of 9.875 while Gebeshian scored a 9.850, good for second place. Sophomore Jordan Eszlinger finished in third after scoring a 9.825. Simbhudas, Gebeshian and Eszlinger all three tied personal career marks with their performances on bars. Gebeshian took first on beam with a 9.850 as the GymHawks compiled a team score of 48.700. Simbhudas finished in second with a 9.800 while Szatkowski placed fifth with a 9.725, a career best for the Reno, NV native. Heading into the final rotation, Iowa held a .100 advantage in the team score. Although Iowa was outscored on floor, 48.950-48.700, Southern Utah finished the meet on beam where they scored a disappointing 47.975, giving Iowa a healthy victory. Gebeshian led the GymHawks on floor with a 9.825 which put her in a tie for third. Simbhudas placed fifth with a score of 9.800. Iowa will return to action March 12 when they travel to Baton Rouge, LA, to take on Libby's alma mater, Louisiana State. Competition will be held in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (CT).

No. 17 PSU women win quad meet

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 16:42:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 17th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team posted a season-high score of 196.725 to take top honors in a quad meet with No. 12 Michigan, Maryland and Bridgeport. Michigan finished second with a 196.575, Maryland took third with a 195.650 and Bridgeport finished fourth with a 193.200. Freshman Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) received the Ann Carr award for the second time this season after taking home the first all-around title of her career with a personal best score of 39.600. Senior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) placed second in the all-around with a 39.575 and freshman Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) took sixth with a 39.075. Penn State scored a 49.100 on vault, a 49.225 on the uneven bars, a season-high 49.350 on the balance beam and a 49.050 on floor. The Nittany Lions opened the quad meet on vault where Musser scored a personal-best 9.975 for first place. It is her second individual title on the event. Personett placed second with a 9.925. The other top finishers for the Nittany Lions include senior Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.) in 15th with a 9.750 and Merriam and junior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) tied for 16th with a 9.725. Penn State moved to bars in the second rotation with sophomore Natalie Ettl taking home the title with a 9.950 to tie her career-high. Musser tied her personal best with a 9.875 to take fourth and Personett scored a 9.825 to tie for fifth. Merriam finished seventh with 9.800 and Smith tied her season-high with a 9.775 to tie for ninth. In the third rotation, Penn State was on beam. Musser earned her third title on beam scoring a personal-best 9.925. Personett tied for third with a 9.900, while senior Casey Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa.) and senior Allie Southard (Nanuet, N.Y.) tied for seventh with a 9.850. Merriam placed 11th with a career-high 9.825 and Hover posted a career-best 9.800 for 13th. The Nittany Lions closed out the meet on floor with Personett taking top honors with a 9.925. Musser tied with sophomore teammate Daryl Konsevick (Rutherford, N.J.) for sixth with a 9.825. Penn State's other top finishers include, Smith in 12th with a 9.750 and Merriam in 15th with a 9.725.

No. 13 Illinois women cruise past Ohio State

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 18:36:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - No. 13 Illinois dominated Ohio State, 196.300-194.700, on Saturday afternoon at Huff Hall, topping the Buckeyes on every event and sweeping the individual event titles. Senior Sarah Schmidt won the all-around for the second time in her career, tallied her sixth floor crown this season and tied for first with junior Melissa Fernandez and sophomore Kelsey Joannides on beam. Fernandez took the top spot on bars with a career-high 9.925, while junior Allison Buckley picked up her fifth vault title of the year. "We had really good performances on all four events," head coach Bob Starkell said. "One of our goals is to not count a major break, and we didn't have any today, so we accomplished that goal. I feel pretty good about the stretch we have had as we continue to get ready for Big Tens." The Illini notched season highs on bars (49.225) and beam (49.175), helping the squad eclipse the 196 mark for the fourth time this season. The beam score tied the second-best mark in school history while the bars score matched the fifth-best score on the UI all-time list thanks to Fernandez, who tied the fifth-best individual score (9.925) on the event. "We kept the energy level high on bars by remaining focused, staying composed and sticking the dismounts," Starkell said. "Beam is just a mentally tough event, but our group is looking pretty confident and strong. Even though they did really well today, I still believe they can do even better." Illinois grabbed an early lead with a 48.825 on vault, paced by Buckley's winning score of 9.850. Freshman Jaclyn Kantecki took third with a 9.775 while senior Nicole Cowart tied for fifth with a 9.750. Schmidt and Joannides rounded out the scoring with a pair of 9.725s. The Orange and Blue extended their lead with an impressive showing on bars, where they boasted the top three individuals. Schmidt came in second behind Fernandez with a 9.900 followed by freshman Alina Weinstein in third with a career-high 9.850. Kantecki tied her career high with a 9.775 to tie for sixth with Buckley. After two rotations, the Illini led by over half a point. On balance beam, Schmidt posted a career high for the second straight week to tie Fernandez and Joannides for the event crown with a 9.850. Buckley tied for fourth with a 9.825 followed by Cowart with a 9.800 to give the its season best score. Junior Samantha Perino scored a 9.725 which did not count toward the team score. Illinois filled the top-five spots on floor exercise and recorded a 49.075 to close the night. Schmidt, who has won the floor crown at every Big Ten dual meet this season, notched a 9.900 to capture the victory. Perino matched her career high for the third straight week with a 9.800 and tied with Fernandez and Buckley for the runner-up slot. Cowart tied for fifth with a 9.775 to wrap up the Illini scoring. In the all-around competition, Schmidt led the way, tying the sixth-best mark in school history with a 39.375. Fernandez came in second with a 39.275 followed closely behind by Buckley at 39.250. Cowart posted a 39.050 to tie for fourth. All four Illini all-arounders now have won the title at least once this season. With the victory, Illinois improved to 8-7 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten duals while knocking off the Buckeyes for the fifth time in a row. The meet will air on the Big Ten Network next Saturday, March 13 at 11 a.m. Up Next: Illinois closes out its home season on Saturday, March 13 at 2 p.m. with Gym Jam, a double dual featuring the women against No. 18 Missouri and the men's gymnastics team versus Michigan. Free food will be provided to the first 1,000 fans beginning at 1 p.m. as part of the premiere promotion sponsored by the News-Gazette, WDWS and WHMS. A trio of Illini, Nicole Cowart, Sarah Schmidt and Laura Woolf, also will be honored as part of Senior Day festivities.

Ennis propels Minnesota women past Iowa

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:39:00 +0000

The Minnesota women's gymnastics team defeated Iowa in Iowa City on Sunday, 194.625-194.20. Sophomore Lucy Ennis was the all around champion with a personal-best score of 39.10. Minnesota competed on bars in the first rotation, and tallied its best bars score of the season with a 49.15, the team's best event score on any event this season. Kristin Furukawa was the event champion, earning a season-high mark of 9.90. Furukawa's bars score is the best by a Gopher gymnast this season. Kendra Elm and Lucy Ennis each earned a score of 9.825 to tie for second place. Janell Campbell and Yuri Nagai each earned 9.80, marking season-best scores for both gymnasts. In the second rotation, the Gophers compiled a 47.95 on vault. Lucy Ennis was the team's best performer, placing fourth overall with a 9.75. Minnesota competed on floor in the third rotation, and again Ennis was the team's top score. Ennis placed third overall with a 9.775 to tie her career-best score. As a team, the Gophers tallied a 48.675. The Gophers finished the meet on balance beam, where they scored 48.85. Ana Balboa was the top performer, tying for second place with a 9.825. Kendra Elm was also in the top five, placing fourth with a 9.775. In the all around competition, the Lucy Ennis won her first all around title, scoring 39.10, her personal best. Alexis Russell was third with a total of 38.675. Minnesota's next competition is on Saturday, March 6 against Arkansas. The meet will start at 6 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion.

No. 3 Illinois stays perfect, beats UIC

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:37:00 +0000

CHICAGO - The No. 3 Illini men's gymnastics team improved to 9-0 on the season with a 351.300-337.200 victory at No. 12 UIC (2-11) Sunday afternoon. Senior Luke Stannard won his first two event titles of the year on floor exercise (15.000) and pommel horse with a season-high score of 15.200, while sophomore C.J. Padera placed first on parallel bars (14.800) and high bar with a career-high score of 15.000. Junior Paul Ruggeri secured his second vault title of the season, tallying a score of 15.300 and senior Tyler Williamson led the Illini on rings with a second-place finish (14.750). Freshman Malcolm Brown placed seventh on pommel horse (13.850) in his collegiate debut, while sophomore Maxwell Portocarrero also made his first-career appearance for the Illini and posted a 13.150 on floor exercise and 12.000 on rings. Junior Daniel Ribeiro competed on parallel bars for the first time this season and placed sixth (14.050) and also finished in second place on pommel horse (14.800) and third on vault (15.100). Several Illini set new career highs on the day, including sophomore Kyle Moe on rings (6th; 14.250), freshman Yoshi Mori on pommel horse (3rd; 14.600) and parallel bars (2nd; 14.450), sophomore Devin Regan on high bar (8th; 13.500) and senior Chad Wiest on high bar (7th; 13.650). As a team, the Illini won on all six events and recorded a season-best on pommel horse with a score of 58.800. The squad returns to Big Ten action next Sunday, March 7 at No. 10 Iowa at 2 p.m. CT.

No. 7 Ohio State bests No. 5 Penn State

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:41:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 5 Penn State men's gymnastics team had its three-meet regular season winning streak versus Ohio State snapped on Sunday afternoon when the Nittany Lions suffered a 353.600-347.100 setback to the No. 7 Buckeyes at St. John Arena. The dual meet loss was Penn State's third to a Big Ten opponent this season. As a team, Penn State won the floor exercise and vault and established season highs in the still rings (59.550) and vault (62.500) while three Nittany Lions captured individual event titles but it was not enough to overcome an Ohio State season high score that was over six points higher than its previous best. Freshman Nick Grant (Butler, Pa.) won his fourth floor exercise and vault titles of the season to pace Penn State. His vault score of 15.850 tied the Penn State season high owned by senior Noam Shaham (Kfar Saba, Israel). Senior Nick Virbitsky (Harrisburg, Pa.) contributed another strong performance, placing first in the high bar with a team season high and career best score of 15.050. He also placed second in the floor exercise (14.700) and third in the vault (15.650). A standout performance by freshman Parker Raque (Louisville, Ky.) in the still rings also highlighted the meet for Penn State. He scored a 15.200 to place second in the event, finishing behind only OSU's Brandon Wynn, a member of the U.S. Men's Senior National Team. Raque's mark was .150 higher than the previous Penn State team high for the season. For the second consecutive meet, Noam Shaham set a career high in the parallel bars, scoring a 14.700 versus the Buckeyes to finish in a tie for second. He also placed fourth in the high bar (14.650). Freshman Felix Aronovich (Kiryat Bialik, Israel) competed in the all-around for the first time in his career, compiling a team season high of 83.250. The former two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week was helped by a season high score of 14.400 in the high bar. Penn State got other key performances from freshman Mackenzie Dow (Cranford, N.J.) (3rd, pommel horse ) and senior Matt Greenfield (Villanova, Pa.) (3rd, floor exercise). Next weekend, the Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley to host a 7 p.m. tri-meet that will feature match-ups with No. 6 Minnesota and No. 11 Temple on Sat., March 6 at Rec Hall. Penn State has dominated the head-to-head series with Minnesota, compiling a 10-2 record, but fell to the Golden Gophers a year ago in Minneapolis, 345.850-344.500. The Nittany Lions have more wins against Temple, 74, than any other opponent in program history, including two last season.

Botterman propels Michigan past Illinois

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:36:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Junior Kylee Botterman (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) scored the first 10.0 for the No. 15-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team in six years and posted the 13th-best all-around score in program history in a season-high 196.775-196.175 victory at No. 17 Illinois on Saturday night in Huff Hall. The Wolverines posted a season-best score by cracking 49.000 in all four events, registering their second-best uneven bars and vault scores of the year and hitting a new high on the floor exercise. The win extends Michigan's Big Ten win streak to 32 straight conference meets, stretching over three years. In front of a friendly crowd that cheered for both of her sisters during their Illini careers, Botterman won the vault (10.0) and bars (9.900) titles and took second on balance beam (9.850) and floor (9.925) while winning the all-around (39.675). Her 10.0 was the first since former Olympic captain Elise Ray scored a 10.0 on bars at the 2004 Big Ten Championships, and just 12 Wolverines have ever scored higher than Botterman's 39.675 in the all-around -- the last was Elise Ray's 39.800 at that same Big Ten meet in 2004. Botterman had plenty of help from her teammates, which combined to set or equal eight season highs of their own. Senior Sarah Curtis (Reno, Nev./Reno) had a season high in the all-around (39.425) to take runner-up honors, setting season bests on vault (9.925) and bars (9.875) to earn runner-up honor in both events. Senior Jordan Sexton (Weddington, N.C./Weddington) had season highs on bars (9.825) and floor (9.850), while freshmen Brittnee Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty) and Katie Zurales (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) set their own season bests, with Martinez going 9.825 on floor and 39.200 in the all-around and Zurales hitting for 9.825 on beam. Michigan was unfazed on the road against the third-best team in the Big Ten, leading from start to finish in the victory. Illinois has finished runner-up at the Big Ten Championships the last two seasons and will be one of this year's contenders for the Big Ten crown. Michigan will wrap up its regular-season Big Ten schedule when the team visits current No. 14 Penn State on Sunday (March 7) at 2 p.m. in State College, Pa.

Ohio State saves best for Penn State

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:39:00 +0000

OLUMBUS, Ohio - Winning three out of four events, the Ohio State women's gymnastics team defeated No. 14 Penn State, 194.950-193.850, Saturday afternoon in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes were backed by eight season highs and three career bests en route to their third win in Columbus. Although Ohio State was going up against a Penn State squad that entered the meet undefeated in dual competition (3-0), the Buckeyes never trailed during the afternoon. In fact, the Scarlet and Gray held an average lead of .15 after three rotations, which included a .925 advantage following the first rotation. Overall, the Scarlet and Gray improves to 3-6 on the season and 1-2 in the Big Ten. Sophomore Casey Williamson recorded a career high 39.075 in the all-around and senior Hillary Dow notched a 2010 best 39.050 in all combined events. The Buckeyes began the upset of the Nittany Lions with a 49.000 on vault. Sophomore Nicole Krauter posted a career high 9.8 on the apparatus, while Williamson recorded a season-high 9.825. Junior Rebecca Best's 9.825 served as her all-time high (tie). Up next on the uneven bars, the 9.750 earned by Dow was good enough for a season high to help Ohio State earn a 48.500 on the event and take a 97.500-97.350 lead. Ohio State's combined effort on the balance beam was worth 48.625 points, which tied the season best previously recorded last week in a home contest vs. Illinois-Chicago. Williamson led the charge with another career record (9.775), while Dow's 9.800 paced her top score of the season. Owning a 146.125-145.975 lead entering the fourth and final rotation, the Buckeyes posted three consecutive season bests on floor to solidify their win. Williamson once again began the trend with her 9.775, followed by Krauter's 9.800. Senior Kristin Perchatsch tied her season best with a 9.725. Ohio State is back in action at 2 p.m. March 6 against Illinois in Champaign. The Buckeyes and Illini meet will be televised on tape delay by the Big Ten Network. The Scarlet and Gray's next home dual in St. John Arena is at 4 p.m. March 13 vs. Auburn.

Spartans fall to top-ranked Oklahoma

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:42:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State gymnastics team (9-5, 3-3 Big Ten) welcomed No. 1 Oklahoma (11-0) to Jenison Field House on Friday, Feb. 26. The Spartans started strong but were unable to continue its home winning steak, as they fell 196.825- 194.125. MSU was led on senior night by senior Nicole Curler with her first-place all-around score of 39.325. "I think we did quite well on three events tonight - the vault, the balance beam and the floor," said head coach Kathie Klages. "We really struggled on the bars as we had to count a fall. We just need to get some bodies healthy to select from, because it has been the same gymnasts going meet after meet, and they need to rest. We are excited about our time off and we are looking forward to a very fun trip out to California." The Spartans began strong on the vault with Curler leading the way with her personal-best score of 9.925, for second place. Fellow senior Rochelle Robinson placed fifth with her score of 9.875. Sara Stone of Oklahoma led at gymnasts with a 10.0. Natasha Kelley and Natalie Ratcliff each tied for third with 9.900 scores. The Sooners led both teams with a score of 49.450 to MSU's 48.800. Robinson led MSU on the bars with her score of 9.800, good enough for a tie in second. Brie Olson of Oklahoma was the top gymnast on the event with a score of 9.850. OU's Hollie Vise finished the event tied with Culer with a 9.800. Oklahoma led MSU on the bars by a score of 48.950 to 47.550. Curler posted a team-high 9.900 on the beam for second place. Junior Kelsey Morley was second on the team with a fourth-place score on 9.875. Taking the beam crown was Vise from Oklahoma with a score of 9.925. Megan Ferguson was tied for second with Curler as she also recorded a 9.900. OU's 49.200 team score led MSU (48.850) on the event. The Spartans were led by four gymnasts in fourth-place with scores of 9.800 - sophomore Jackie Berg, Curler, senior Emily Lopatofsky and Morley. Taking the floor crown was Jackie Flanery with a score of 9.950. Kristin Smith followed in second with a 9.900. Vise rounded out the top three with a 9.875. The Sooners posted a score of 49.225 to MSU's 48.925. Freshman Shanthi Teike followed Curler in the all-around in second with a score of 38.450. Morley rounded out the top-three with a score of 38.350.

No. 6 OSU takes second at quad meet

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:42:00 +0000

LINCOLN, Neb. - Despite posting the best event total on floor, pommel horse and high bar, the No. 6 Ohio State men's gymnastics team placed second at a quad-meet with a 346.600 late Sunday afternoon. Meet host and ninth-ranked Nebraska took first with a 348.250 while No. 11 UIC scored a 339.950 for third and No. 13 Air Force had a 332.700 for fourth in front of 650 fans in Devaney Center. On floor, the Buckeyes posted a season-best 58.55 behind senior captain Justin Myers' 15.05, outscoring his previous career-high mark of 14.9 and claiming first. The Hinckley, Ohio, native has led the Buckeyes on floor at two of three meets this season. Sophomore Mike Behles continues to shrug off the so-called 'sophomore slump,' notching a career-high 14.5 while freshman Blaize Monks had a 14.7, another career high. Making his Buckeye debut was redshirt-freshman Elliott Hardy with a 13.25. After finishing third at the Winter Cup Challenge in early February, redshirt sophomore Steven Spencer notched a season-high 15.1 to take first as the team hit its second season-best mark of the day with a 57.45 event score. Sophomore Matt Rayl hit a career-high with a 14.45 and classmate Ty Echard added a 14.250. With just four up and four scoring on rings, Ohio State finished with a 54.75. Senior Tai Lee and sophomore Philip Onorato tied for the team-best with a 14.65 while Behles added a 13.2 and senior Shachar Tal a 12.25. The squad was missing NCAA rings leader Brandon Wynn from its normal rings lineup. But the Buckeyes bounced back with a 62.05 on vault, their second-best event total on the apparatus this year. Ohio State received 15.0 or better marks from five gymnasts with Onorato notching a 15.8 for second. Myers added a 15.75, his second season-high on the night, while Behles contributed a 15.45, Hardy a 15.05 and Lee a 15.0. On parallel bars, the squad notched a 54.85 behind a pair of 13.9s from Myers and Spencer before shaking off the rotation and posting a season-best 58.95 on high bar. Lee added yet another career high for the Buckeyes with a 15.3. The 15.3 also ties the Ohio State program-record high bar score first hit by Jake Bateman (2006-09) in 2009. Junior Sean Regan hit a career best himself with a 14.75 on the event as Myers added a 14.7 and Onorato a 14.05. The squad returns to action next Saturday with a co-ed meet vs. Penn State at 4 p.m. in St. John Arena.

OSU women top UIC, tally season's best mark

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:59:00 +0000

COLUMBUS Ohio - In its 'Building Awareness against Breast Cancer' meet, the Ohio State women's gymnastics team knocked down the UIC Flames, 195.025-191.750, marking the team's season-high total. The Buckeyes shined in pink during the meet instead of the typical scarlet as donations for the Stephanie Spielman Breast Cancer Awareness Fund were collected. Ohio State was on fire against UCI, tallying 10 individual season highs and three team bests. The team had four gymnastics compete in all-around, including senior captain Hilary Dow who led the team all-around with a season-high of 39.000, just .225 off her career high. Other Buckeyes in the all-around included Casey Williamson, Rebecca Best and Taylor Jones. Williamson recorded a career high of 38.800. "Sometimes those two meet weekends help the team out," Carey Fagan, Ohio State head coach, said after the squad had also competed at Kentucky Friday night. "We have a lot of kids fighting through injuries so to come out like this today is a great testament to how hard this team is working. "It is great to be back in front of the home crowd and it is exciting to see Hillary Dow win the all-around because she has been the backbone of this team all season." Ohio State started off strong with a team score of 48.675 on vault. Dow led the team and tied her career high with a score of 9.875. Sophomores Nicole Krauter and Taylor Jones were not far behind, tallying a 9.800 and 9.775, respectively. The Buckeyes won the event as the Flames had a 47.925 team total with sophomores Rachel Montoya and Andrea Skala hitting a pair of 9.625s. OSU took the Top 3 spots with Dow winning the event followed by Krauter and Jones. The Scarlet and Gray continued with a bevy of individual season and career highs. Freshman Colleen Dean and junior Rebecca Best led the team with 9.800 - a career high for Dean and a season high for Best. Senior Kristin Perchatsch tallied a 9.775 on her first competition on the event this season while sophomore Casey Williamson notched a season high of 9.725. The Buckeyes totaled a 48.850, a team best for the season on the event. UIC was led by Skala with a 9.675. The Flames were unable to match the top scores from Ohio State, totaling a 47.150 on the event. Ohio State swept the awards, placing first thru fifth, with Best and Dean tied for first on the event. On the beam, Best led with a first-place score of 9.775 while Dow and Williamson both landed solid marks on beam with event season highs of 9.700. Rounding out the team score of a 48.625, another team season event high, were Dean and Krauter with a pair of 9.725s to tie for third. UIC's 48.225 was not enough to catch up to the Buckeyes. The Flames score of 48.450 was not enough to catch up to the Buckeyes who extended their lead with a season-high 48.875. Dean led the team for the sixth-consecutive meet with a career-best 9.900, marking her name in Buckeye history. For every 9.900 recorded, a OSU student-athlete get her named added to the wall in Steelwood, Ohio State's practice facility. Following Dean were Best and Krauter who added a pair of 9.775s for another Buckeye 1-2 finish. The squad returns to action next Saturday with a co-ed meet vs. Penn State at 4 p.m. in St. John Arena.

Iowa falls to rival Iowa State in close battle

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:44:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women's gymnastics team fell Sunday afternoon, 194.475-193.825, to Iowa State University. With a season-high crowd of over 1,400 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the GymHawks had individual winners in four events, but couldn't manage to put six solid scores together throughout the meet. "I felt like we beat ourselves, and that's the kind of thing I don't want to walk away from any meet feeling like," said Head Coach Larissa Libby. "They worked hard all week in practice and just missed some little details. When you're competing against a team like Iowa State, every fraction of a tenth matters. I felt the meet was pretty tight the whole way and we just kept giving up little things here and there. It ended up being too much." Iowa was led by sophomore Jessa Hansen who placed second in the all-around with a score of 38.875. Junior Rebecca Simbhudas placed third (38.750) while junior Houry Gebeshian finished in fifth (38.300). I thought that Jessa did a really nice job tonight,"" said Libby. ""She's been working really hard on single skill details and you can see that her vault score came up a little bit tonight."" The Black and Gold began on vault where they topped the Cyclones, 48.500-48.350. Simbhudas tied for first with a score of 9.800 while Gebeshian posted a 9.750 to tie for third. Gebeshian took the top spot on bars with a score of 9.825. Sophomore Jordan Eszlinger set a career mark for herself with a score of 9.725 as she finished in fourth place. Hansen tied for fifth with a score of 9.700, helping the Hawkeyes post a team score of 48.150. Simbhudas finished in another tie on beam as Iowa received a team score of 48.475. The Markham, Ontario native put together a 9.825 while Hansen tied for fourth with a score of 9.750. The GymHawks finished the meet strong on floor as they earned their best team score of the day, 48.700. Hansen and Simbhudas, along with Iowa State's Michelle Browning, finished in a tie for first place as the three posted scores of 9.825. Browning went on to win the all-around competition with a score of 38.900. "I'll give them a break tomorrow then we'll get back at it," added Libby. "I truly believe the only way to make them better is to get it done in the gym. Success breeds success and they're just starting to figure it out in the gym. Once they start taking control of themselves, as a team they'll come up. I believe they have 195's and 196's in them. Two weeks and we'll be there." Iowa will return to action against Minnesota Feb. 28. Competition will be held at the Field House on the University of Iowa campus and is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. (CT).

Top-ranked Illinois beats No. 5 Penn State

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:53:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The top-ranked Illini men's gymnastics team (8-0, 7-0 Big Ten) put together another solid performance Saturday night, defeating host No. 5 Penn State, 354.600-345.950. Illinois' previous high of 353.750 was recorded at the Windy City Invitational on Jan. 16 in the first meet of the season. "We had a great finish and ended really strong," associate head coach Justin Spring said. "I can't complain, we won a solid four of six events, but we'll take the next couple weeks to really hammer out some stuff on pommel horse and rings, so that we're more consistent." Junior Paul Ruggeri led the way for the Illini with individual event titles in the all-around (87.800), parallel bars (15.550) and high bar (15.450), while his score on the parallel bars was a new career high and school record under the FIG Open Ended "Code of Points" introduced in 2008. He also placed second on floor exercise (15.350) and third on vault (15.950). Junior Daniel Ribeiro won two event titles of his own on the night, including his fourth of the season on pommel horse with a season-high score of 15.800 and also added a first-place finish on vault (16.150), which he competed on for the first time in his collegiate career. His score in the event ranks second in school history under the FIG Open Ended "Code of Points." "I was really impressed with Dan's performance tonight," Spring said. "He had been practicing vault on his own all season, so we threw him in there tonight and he stuck it." Sophomore C.J. Padera posted a pair of season-high scores on high bar (2nd; 14.700) and parallel bars (3rd; 14.900), in addition to a career-high 14.800 on floor, while sophomore Anthony Sacramento placed second on rings with a season-high score of 14.800 and classmate Tyler Mizoguchi finished in second place on vault with a career-best 16.000 and on parallel bars with a season-high score of 14.950. Seniors Luke Stannard (PB; 14.550), Tyler Williamson (FX; 15.050) and Chad Wiest (PB; 14.450) each recorded career highs on the night as well, while Stannard also placed second on pommel horse (14.100) and third on floor with a season-high score of 15.100. The Illini are back in action next Saturday, Feb. 28 at No. 11 UIC at 3 p.m.

Iowa men place fourth at Pacific Coast Classic

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:57:00 +0000

OAKLAND, CA -- The University of Iowa men's gymnastics team placed fourth out of six teams Saturday night at the Pacific Coast Classic. The Hawkeye team scored 331.050. Japan won the meet scoring 358.800. Junior Mike Jiang led Iowa pommel horse placing ninth (14.050) and parallel bars (13.550). Freshman Matt McGrath scored Iowa's high marks in floor exercise (14.500) and rings (14.500). Senior Jon Buese finished in seventh in the all around (82.800). "We need to continue to improve our start values, but at the same time we need to work hard on reducing our execution errors," Head Coach Tom Dunn said. "The judges were very strict on execution in this competition and we need to learn from our experience this weekend. We have plenty to focus on and 2 weeks to make adjustments prior to our meet in Carver-Hawkeye Arena with Illinois March 7th." The Hawkeyes will return to action in two weeks in a co-ed meet at Carver Hawkeye Arena on March 7. The meet is slated to start a 2 p.m. TEAM RESULTS 1. Japan 358.800 2. Standford 354.200 3. California 349.450 4. IOWA 331.050 5. Arizona St. 318.750 6. Washington 282.750

Penn State records victory over West Virginia

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:13:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 13 Penn State women's gymnastics team secured a 195.950-194.925 victory against West Virginia Saturday night in Rec Hall. More than 2,300 fans filled the gym to watch the double dual as the Nittany Lion men hosted Illinois. Penn State scored a 49.200 on vault, a 49.250 on bars, a 48.200 on beam and a season-high 49.300 on floor. West Virginia earned a 48.850 on vault, a 48.700 on bars, a 48.475 on beam and a 48.900 on floor. Senior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) won her fifth all-around title of the season with a career-high 39.700. Sophomore Whitney Benckso (Pompton Plains, N.J.) posted a season-best 39.300 in the all-around to take second place. She received the Ann Carr award for her performance. The Nittany Lions opened the meet on vault taking the top three spots. Personett won her fifth vault title this season with a 9.950, while senior Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.) and freshman Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished tied for second with a 9.825. Senior Casey Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa.), junior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) and Bencsko all tied for sixth with a 9.800. Penn State moved on to bars in the second rotation. Senior Alexandra Brockway (Macungie, Pa.) took home her first individual event title on bars of 2010 with a career-high score of 9.925. Personett and Musser tied for second with a 9.875 and Bencsko took fourth with a 9.825. Freshman Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) finished tied for sixth with a 9.750. Personett was the top finisher for the Nittany Lions on beam taking home top honors with a 9.925. WVU's Chelsea Goldschrafe took second (9.850) and there was a three-way tie for third among the Mountaineers. Rohrbaugh and Bencsko each posted a 9.775 to tie for sixth, while Musser scored a 9.375 for eighth and senior Allie Southard (Nanuet, N.Y.) finished ninth with a 9.250. The Nittany Lions closed out the meet on floor and had four of the top scores on the event. Personett won her seventh individual event title on floor with a career-high 9.950. Bencsko took second with a 9.900, Merriam finished third with a 9.850 and Rohrbaugh scored a season-high 9.825 for fourth. Southard rounded out Penn State's top performers on the event with a 9.775, which was good enough for eighth. What's Next The Nittany Lions are back in action on Saturday, March 27 at Ohio State. Meet action is set for 4 p.m. Penn State returns home on March 7 to host Maryland, Michigan and Bridgeport at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.

No. 2 Oklahoma nips No. 3 Michigan

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:57:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team fell to the No. 2-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, 354.450-354.000, on Saturday despite a sweep of the top four in the last rotation on the high bar inside Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines were led by event wins from senior Mel Anton Santander (Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) on the pommel horse and junior Thomas Kelley (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) on the rings and high bar. Kelley also finished second in the all-around with a season best, 87.250. The Wolverines began on the floor exercise where sophomore Syque Caesar (Port Saint Lucie, Fla./Lincoln Park) started the night off with a bang, recording a career-best 15.150 and electrifying the crowd inside Cliff Keen. Kelley added a 14.850 to help Michigan tie its season-best score (59.300) on the floor exercise. Fifth-year co-captain Phillip Goldberg (Dalton, Ga./McCallie) was solid and steady as usual in the leadoff position on the pommel horse, giving the Wolverines a season-best 13.950. Santander put in a career-best effort that was nearly flawless for a 15.050 and the event title. After two events, the Wolverines trailed the Sooners, 115.950-117.800. In rotation three, the Wolverines moved to the still rings where Kelley posted U-M's highest score, tying his career best with a 15.200. Goldberg added a 15.150 to lift Michigan to a 59.150 on the event. Kelley and Goldberg finished 1-2 for Michigan on the rings. Meanwhile, the Sooners boomed four vaults, posting a 63.200 on the event to push their lead to 181.000-175.100. The Wolverines started to make up ground on vault in rotation four, posting a 62.550, a total that would have been Michigan's third best total a year ago, bringing Michigan within striking distance. Fifth-year senior Kent Caldwell (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin) stuck his one-and-a-half twisting vault for a career-best 16.000 and second place on the event. Santander performed a clean double twisting vault (15.600) and received fifth place in his first appearance on the event this season. However, the Wolverines could not keep the momentum going on the parallel bars, posting only a 55.900 in the fifth rotation. Kelley and Santander were Michigan's highest scorers with marks of 14.600 and 14.000, respectively. Going into the last rotation, the Wolverines trailed 297.000-293.550. In the final rotation, the Wolverines finally found their form with Kelley, fifth-year Ryan McCarthy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) and Santander taking the top three spots on the high bar. Kelley amazed the crowd, capping off a near-perfect set with a stuck full twisting double layout dismount. McCarthy nailed his double flipping release move over the bar for a career-best 15.150, while Santander set his second career best of the night on the high bar for a routine that had only six-tenths of point in deductions. The season-best total, 60.450, was too late and not enough to catch the Sooners. The Wolverines take on No. 4 Stanford Cardinal next Saturday (Feb. 27) in Palo Alto, Calif. at 7 p.m. PST.

Illinois women shine in win over Minnesota

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:31:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS - No. 20 Illinois notched the fifth-best team score in school history, as junior Allison Buckley shined in the Illini's 196.325-195.325 win over Minnesota on Saturday night. Buckley scored a 9.825 or above on each event to pick up the all-around title with a 39.400, tying the fifth-best mark in school history set by senior Sarah Schmidt earlier this year. The Schaumburg, Ill., native also notched her fourth title on vault this season with a 9.850, moving her into sole possession of fourth place on the UI career event titles list with 36. "We were on top of our game tonight," head coach Bob Starkell said. "There really wasn't an event that we slacked on at all. Allison is really a strong competitor and has led by example, but it has been such a great team environment overall. They are all feeding off each other from one event to another, and their confidence is really improving." Illinois did not have a single fall and held the advantage on every event, marking the second time they have accomplished the feat this season. The Orange and Blue boasted the top individual on three of the four events at the Sports Pavilion, as junior Melissa Fernandez took the top spot on bars and Schmidt repeated as floor champion with a 9.925 for the second straight week to go along with Buckley's vault crown. Fernandez also reset her career high in the all-around with a 39.325 to garner the runner-up spot. A strong start on uneven bars gave the Illini an early lead, which they never relinquished. Fernandez paced the Orange and Blue's score of 49.150 on the event and picked up her seventh event title of the year with a 9.875. Buckley and senior Nicole Cowart each turned in a 9.850 to tie for second, while Schmidt added a 9.825 and tied for fifth. Freshman Alina Weinstein rounded out the scoring with a 9.750, giving Illinois over a half a point advantage to begin the night. "We had a lot of good energy with our start on bars and really stuck the landings," Starkell said. "It was really impressive, and then we vaulted well even if the score doesn't show it." During the second rotation, Buckley, who ranks 16th in the nation on vault, led the Illini to a 48.850 on the event. Sophomore Kelsey Joannides was the next best Illini, tying for third with a 9.775, while Fernandez and freshman Jaclyn Kantecki tied for fifth with scores of 9.750. Cowart turned in a 9.725 to take seventh and complete the Illini scoring. On floor exercise, Illinois posted a season-high 49.225 for the second consecutive week, as Schmidt scored a 9.925 for the third time in the last four meets. Buckley was the runner-up on the event with a 9.875, which marked her top score of the night, while Fernandez tied for third with a 9.825. Junior Samantha Perino tallied a career-high 9.800 to tie for fifth with Joannides and wrap up the scoring. "Sam (Perino) had a spectacular night," Starkell said. "She had a stellar performance on both her events, and her routine to start us off on floor was very important after the scores were a little tight after vault." Illinois closed out the meet on balance beam, scoring a season-high 49.100 to tie the eighth-best score in school history. Fernandez recorded a runner-up finish with a 9.875, while a trio of Illini, Buckley, Joannides and Perino, tied for fourth with 9.825s. That score marked another career high for Perino and a season high for Joannides. Cowart led off the event with a 9.750, which was the final Illini score to count. Up Next: Illinois returns to Champaign for a string of three straight Saturday home meets at Huff Hall. The Illini square off against No. 16 Michigan on Feb. 27 and then take on Ohio State on March 6, which will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. On March 13, the Illini will celebrate Senior Day, as they face No. 17 Missouri in the final home meet of the season.

Teike leads Michigan State past New Hampshire

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:41:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. - In capturing her second career all-around crown, freshman Shanti Teike led the No. 22 Michigan State gymnastics team (9-4, 3-3) past New Hampshire by a score of 194.175 to 192.400 on Saturday in Jenison Field House. Teike's score of 39.100 is a personal best mark for the freshman in the all-around. MSU saw strong performances on the vault with seniors Rochelle Robinson and Nicole Curler finishing second and third, respectively. Robinson recorded a score of 9.800 while Curler posted a 9.775 mark. UNH edged the Spartans by a score of 48.725 to 48.600. However, MSU competed on the event with five gymnasts. On the bars, junior Kelsey Morley and Curler tied for first with scores of 9.775. Robinson finished third on the event with a 9.750. MSU topped the Wildcats by a score of 48.675 to 48.350. Continuing her successful day on the beam was Teike who posted a career-high score of 9.825, which tied for first with Morley. Sophomore Jackie Berg finished third on beam with a 9.800. The Spartans recorded a team score of 48.900 to New Hampshire's 46.675. Senior Emily Lopatofsky led all gymnasts on the floor when she tied her personal best with a 9.900 mark. Teike also tied her personal best when she recorded a 9.850, to finish second. Taryn LaFountain placed third with her score of 9.825. UNH led in the team category as it recorded a 48.650 to MSU's 48.000. Teike's all-around score edged Curler, who scored a 38.350. Steinberg of UNH rounded out the top-three finishers with her 38.250 score, topping Morley by 0.050. The Spartans remain home Friday, Feb. 26, when they welcome Oklahoma into Jenison Field House at 6 p.m.