The historic St. John Arena played host to the Big Ten Championship for men’s gymnastics this past weekend. The last time Ohio State hosted its conference rivals was in 2003.
After receiving a pre-season Big Ten ranking of fourth, Ohio State entered the tournament ranked fifth in the nation and boasting a powerful lineup with seven gymnasts ranked in the top 20 in the country.
The Buckeyes ended the tournament in fourth place, with a final score of 346.95 points. This finish was the worst for the Buckeyes in 22 years, and it wasn’t the place that Coach Miles Avery expected.
“We prepared to do a better job. Not being in the top three, that stings a lot, but this is the toughest conference in the country,” said Avery.
After the first round competing on floor, the Buckeyes held fourth place with 57.1 points. Michigan, the conference favorite, topped the standings with 63.0, and Penn State and Illinois followed with 59.550 and 57.8 respectively.
The order remained the same after the Buckeyes took on the pommel horse in the second rotation, as Michigan narrowly edged Penn State 121.85 to 121.25 to hold first place. Minnesota also caught up to Ohio State to tie for fourth at 112.9.
The Buckeye holding area was a somber one throughout the third round as they took on the rings, an area the team normally leads the nation in, with a 60.217 mean. But OSU slipped from fourth place back to fifth as the Golden Gophers passed the Buckeyes heading into the fourth round.
The spirit of the OSU team brightened when they took on the vault in the fourth round. The Buckeyes outscored every Big Ten team on the vault, with an overall mean of 63.65. This performance vaulted OSU up to third. Avery was especially pleased with the support the Buckeyes showed for each other.
“In terms of camaraderie, they are really doing a phenomenal job supporting one another. That’s what a team should do,” he said.
The squad’s excitement quickly disappeared, however, as the Buckeyes took on the parallel bars in the fifth rotation. OSU boasted one of the lowest scores of the competition, finishing with a 55.5, dropping them back to fourth in the standings while Michigan, Illinois and Penn State remained on top.
OSU held fourth place through the final rotation, but junior captain Brandon Wynn held strong to take third in the all-around, with a final score of 87.7. Wynn also took first overall in the rings with a score of 15.95.
Illinois finished strong in the final round of competition to edge Michigan for first place, 359.7 to 358.15.
“I thought being at home would make the difference for us to come away with a win, but you know, you have those days in sports,” Avery said. “A lot of good preparation went into them coming out there today to perform. We left a lot out there today, but we certainly didn’t perform like we prepared to.”
The next stop for the Buckeyes is the NCAA Championships in West Point, N.Y., and Avery is still holding the Buckeyes to high expectations despite their performance in the Big Ten Championship.
“To finish in the top six, I think that’s what we expect to do, just like we expected to finish in the top three here,” Avery said. “These guys expect to do a great job, and I’m confident they will.”
