The NCAA News - News and Features

April 28, 1997

California saves best for last, wins men's gymnastics

Registering its best performance of the season is how every team wants to conclude its year.

The California men's gymnastics team accomplished that objective to win its first National Collegiate Men's Gymnastics Championships team title in more than two decades.

Trent Wells registered team-best marks on three events and the Golden Bears scored a season-high 233.825 points to end a 21-year title drought April 17-19 at Iowa.

California, which appeared at the 1996 championships for the first time in 14 years, claimed its third title overall but first since 1975 (the Golden Bears finished second in their last appearance).

Oklahoma and Iowa registered scores of 232.725 and 231.800 to place second and third, respectively. Both scores were season bests.

California earned the team title on the strength of its performances on the floor exercise and horizontal bar. The Golden Bears accumulated 39.125 points on each event.

Wells, a senior, had the Golden Bears' highest scores in the floor exercise (9.850), vault (9.850), and the parallel bars (9.85).

"Both of the other two teams were up to the test," said California coach Barry Weiner, who guided the Golden Bears to an undefeated season. "I think Oklahoma hit 100 percent of their routines, but we were just consistent throughout. We were solid all the way.

"We were certainly in good company. Last night, I said if all three teams hit their routines, we'd win, but it was certainly a close competition. It was too close for me after the first three routines."

California advanced to the team-final session by compiling 232.500 points in the team-preliminary session. Oklahoma and Iowa garnered scores of 231.550 and 231.325, respectively.

While California was ending its title drought, Ohio State's Blaine Wilson was adding hardware to an already well-stocked trophy case.

Wilson, who claimed one individual title and shared two others in 1996, claimed three individual-event titles, winning the all-around and rings crowns for the second consecutive year and adding the vault title.

Wilson, who qualified for the finals in five of six events, ended his collegiate career with six individual-event titles, tied for second in NCAA career rankings.

Nebraska's Marshall Nelson joined Wilson as a multiple champion, capturing the parallel bars title with a near-flawless performance of 9.9500 and the horizontal bar title.

National Collegiate men's gymnastics

TEAM RESULTS

(Note: Scores for the top three teams are from the team-final session. Scores for the other teams are from the team-preliminary session.)

1. California, 233.825; 2. Oklahoma, 232.725; 3. Iowa, 231.800; 4. Ohio St., 231.275; 5. Penn St., 228.975; 6. Stanford, 228.650.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

All-around: 1. Blaine Wilson, Ohio St., 58.625; 2. Casey Bryan, Oklahoma, 57.775; 3. (tie) Drew Durbin, Ohio St., and Travis Romagnoli, Illinois, 57.675; 5. David Kruse, California, 57.525; 6. Dan Fink, Oklahoma, 57.325.

Floor exercise: 1. Jeremy Killen, Oklahoma, 9.825; 2. Andrew Hampy, California, 9.800; 3. Casey Bryan, Oklahoma, 9.787; 4. Tim Degraw, Michigan, 9.750; 5. Andy Howard, Oklahoma, 9.712; 6. Brian Hamilton, Iowa, 9.675.

Pommel horse: 1. Drew Durbin, Ohio St., 9.912; 2. Kendall Schiess, New Mexico, 9.825; 3. Scott Finkelstein, Stanford, 9.787; 4. (tie) Ben Hayward, Army, and Blaine Wilson, Ohio St., 9.725; 6. Casey Bryan, Oklahoma, 9.712.

Rings: 1. Blaine Wilson, Ohio St., 9.9000; 2. Victor Prisk, Michigan St., 9.8750; 3. Dan Fink, Oklahoma, 9.8250; 4. (tie) Lateef Crowder, New Mexico, and Chris Camiscioli, Iowa, 9.7875; 6. Dave Nemovitz, Iowa, 9.7625.

Vault: 1. Blaine Wilson, Ohio St., 9.8125; 2. Anthony Petrocelli, Iowa, 9.7750; 3. Travis Romagnoli, Illinois, 9.7250; 4. Casey Bryan, Oklahoma, 9.7000; 5. Marshall Nelson, Nebraska, 9.6875; 6. Keith Douglas, Michigan St., 9.6250.

Parallel bars: 1. Marshall Nelson, Nebraska, 9.9500; 2. Blaine Wilson, Ohio St., 9.8375; 3. Trent Wells, California, 9.8125; 4. Todd Bishop, Oklahoma, 9.7875; 5. Garon Rowland, Oklahoma, 9.7375; 6. Drew Durbin, Ohio St., 9.6125.

Horizontal bar: 1. Marshall Nelson, Nebraska, 9.7875; 2. (tie) Trent Wells, California, and David Kruse, California, 9.7750; 4. Ryan McEwen, Nebraska, 9.7375; 5. Greg McGlaun, Illinois, 9.7250; 6. Jean Marc Michel, Penn St., 9.6375.