The NCAA News - News and Features

April 27, 1998

Consistency helps Bears repeat as men's gymnastics champions

Top-ranked California repeated as team champion at the National Collegiate Men's Gymnastics Championships April 16-18 at Penn State.

After qualifying with a 231.208 average, California earned the title with the same consistent effort used throughout the season by tallying a team total of 231.200.

Iowa placed second with a score of 229.675, and Illinois took an unexpected third with a final of 228.000.

California took its fourth team title overall with high scores on the floor exercise, pommel horse, rings and vault. The Golden Bears' lowest event score of the championships was a 38.050 on the parallel bars in the team finals.

California senior Josh Birckelbaw led his team to victory by scoring a 9.8 on the pommel horse.

"There's always more pressure on a team that is trying to repeat," Birckelbaw said of his team's title.

Golden Bears' head coach Barry Weiner also recognized the increased expectations.

"I thought that since the expectations were so high, it was tougher," he said. "This team didn't lose a dual meet, we won the conference, and we won the regional, the preliminaries and the championships. This was a good team. I knew it would be a close meet. I was really impressed with the way Iowa performed."

Iowa advanced into the final day of team competition with a 228.975 total, slightly ahead of Illinois' 228.425.

The Fighting Illini's run was paced by Travis Romagnoli, who bested his tie for third in last year's individual all-around by winning this year's event with a 58.225 point total. Romagnoli scored a 9.875 on the horizontal bar and became the first Illinois gymnast to win the all-around crown.

"It means a lot," Romagnoli said. "It means that all the hard work throughout the season has paid off. When I go home, maybe I'll have the chance to sit down and think and let it sink in. It's great motivation for next year."

Romagnoli also won the vault with a 9.7125.

Birckelbaw won in the pommel horse with a 9.8250 total.

"It's a good way to finish my 18-year career," he said. "Two all-America honors is unfathomable. To win an individual event, especially the pommel horse, is something I took to heart. It's a good feeling to go out this way."

Dan Fink of Oklahoma took top honors on the still rings with a 9.8875 mark.

"That was my last routine ever, and I was able to stick it," he said. "It felt great to land it and not move."

Teammate Todd Bishop won the horizontal bar by earning a 9.9375 as the last competitor of the evening.

Other event winners included Darin Gerlach of Temple, who won the floor exercise with a 9.8125, and Nebraska's Marshall Nelson, who repeated as champion on the parallel bars with a winning total of 9.7875.