Week 7 #NCAAMGym Recap
Winter Cup
Each year, Winter Cup reminds us just how vital NCAA Men’s Gymnastics is to the success of the United States on the international stage. 2021 was no different, with 100% of those earning national team berths for their performance over the weekend being former, current, or future NCAA athletes. Cameron Bock, who has been dominant in Michigan’s two competitions so far this year, took home the all-around crown on Friday night.
Event winners were decided on Sunday as the trend continued. The title holder on each event is either currently competing on an NCAA team or formerly represented one:
Floor - Shane Wiskus, University of Minnesota
Pommel Horse - Alec Yoder, Ohio State University
Rings - Alex Diab, University of Illinois
Vault - Eddie Penev, Stanford University
Parallel Bars - Yul Moldauer, University of Oklahoma
High Bar - Genki Suzuki, University of Oklahoma
It is worth noting that many olympic hopefuls were unable to compete due to the pandemic and the Texas energy crisis. This included much of Stanford’s cohort, including Brody Malone, who is fortunately opting back in to participate in the remainder of the 2021 season. While we did not get the full picture, collegiate gymnastics was well-represented this past weekend, and the prospect of an all-NCAA Olympic Team is becoming seemingly inevitable.
Cal versus William & Mary (Virtual)
California 382.9500, William & Mary 379.7500 (Virtual)
This cross country battle ended with the Golden Bears beating out the Tribe 382.95 to 379.75. Through the first four events, the two teams were neck and neck only separated by a few tenths, however, Cal was able to pull away and claim the victory in the final two rotations.
Cal started off the competition strong on the floor exercise which was led by Kyle Abe’s 13.75. On pommel horse, a series of falls resulted in a team score of 60.90. In the previous week, the Golden Bears scored a 64.70 on pommel horse and this difference considerably hurt their team score. On rings and vault, Cal struggled to have consistent scores throughout their lineups. At this point, the Tribe were on their tail and the Golden Bears had to make changes if they wanted to win the competition. Yu-Chen Lee was able to win the parallel bars title with a 13.55 and three more of his teammates were able to squeeze in the top five event scores. On high bar, Caleb Rickard won the event with a 13.10 and Noah Newfield was able to place 3rd with a 12.75.
W&M was able to put up four solid scores on the floor exercise to start off the competition. The Tribe struggled on pommel horse scoring a 58.45. This event was the game changer that probably cost the Tribe the competition. They were able to pick it back up on rings where Christian Marsh won the event with a 13.20 and Zane Petras followed in second place with a 13.15. W&M was still down by several points at this point in the competition but a successful vault run helped them make their way back into the competition. Ian Creelman won the vault title with a 14.20. On parallel bars and high bar, Andrew Lyubovsky contributed the highest scores for the Tribe for another week in a row, but their team scores of 62.15 (PB) and 61.05 (HB) weren’t enough to take down Cal. There were many positive things for W&M to take away from the competition such as their vault run, but they are going to need to start hitting on pommel horse, parallel bars, and high bar if they want to show their competitiveness in the NCAA.
Rocky Mountain @ Arizona State
Rocky Mountain 359.0000 @ Arizona State 389.3000
Without the help of their fearless leader, Kiwan Watts, the Sun Devils managed a massive 389.3 to defeat the Rocky Mountain Pride 359.0 in a dual between two GymACT teams. Unfortunately, the officiating at this competition was horrendous and led to results that are impossible to use in comparing these two teams to other teams from around the country. Athletes want fair and accurate results that reflect their performance in a way that allows them to compare their routines to those of athletes at other competitions. The results of this competition do not provide that. The National Gymnastics Judges Association has worked tirelessly over the past few years working to ensure that judges throughout the country are aligned in their application of the rules. The officials for this contest did not rise to the level expected by the NGJA.
Although the officiating was disappointing, that should not take away from the fact that both of these teams showed great skill, grit, and consistency as they battled it out. ASU swept the team event titles led by Dalton Hopkins on floor and rings, Dylan Hauptmeier on pommel horse, Vinnie Colosimo on vault and parallel bars, and Mason McNeel on high bar. Anthony Mills also put up a big routine on high bar. These young men showed strong routines throughout and it will be exciting to watch what this extremely competent ASU team can do once they have King Kiwan back in their lineups when he returns from Winter Cup.
The Rocky Mountain Pride also showed impressive gymnastics in their season opener. They came away with the top two all-around spots as Zak Johnson edged out his teammate Tyson Glover for the title. Other big performances for the Pride were Tyler McFarland’s floor routine and Evan Siltzer’s vault.
Navy versus Penn State (Virtual)
Navy 398.6000, Penn State 403.7000 (Virtual)
The Nittany Lions posted their third score above the 400 mark this season in a virtual competition against Navy this past Saturday. Their 403.70 gave them just more than a five point edge over the Midshipmen, a closer outcome than many expected. With Matt Cormier out resting, it was the senior captain, Brennan Pantazis, who stepped up in a big way to help secure the victory.
Pantazis has had an up and down career since winning the Big Ten floor title as a freshman, but the Nevada native is showing out now as a senior. He competed on five events, averaging a 13.51 and captured the vault title with a 14.80. Fellow seniors, Jack Baldwin and Parker Clayton, won the pommel horse (14.20) and rings (14.05) titles respectively.
Even with Cormier on the sidelines, Penn State’s freshman class continues to impress. Ethan Dick led the way on high bar with a 13.35 to go along with a second place finish on p bars (13.70). Michael Jaroh scored a 78.05, a number somewhat far from his ceiling, as the lone all arounder in the meet and stood out on pommel horse with a second place finish (14.00). Second year, Andres Perez Gines, also had a standout performance. Gines won p bars with a 14.05, an event Penn State won by three and a half points.
Navy posted a season high 398.60 as they inch closer to the 400 mark. Kip Simon’s team continues to be a force to reckon with, as they show they can keep within reach of just about any Big Ten team. Ryan McVay was markedly solid on five events to pace the Midshipmen, averaging a 13.25.
Syam Buradagunta contributed yet another solid performance. The freshman competed on four events and averaged a 13.25. Connor Van Loo is also beginning to emerge after taking second on floor (14.30) and fourth on vault (14.05). Cash Buske and Giovanni Gambetese both scored a 13.10 to tie for second on high bar. Navy has looked sharp here on what is typically a very low scoring event.
Springfield versus William & Mary (Virtual)
Springfield College 370.1000, William & Mary 380.8000 (Virtual)
After a late start to the season, William & Mary has now competed four times since the 10th of February. They capped off their second meet of week seven with a 380.80 win over Springfield. This was the Tribe’s second score of the season over the 380 mark and they have not dropped below a 379 a single time.
Andrew Lyubovsky and Sam Lee were the headliners for William & Mary on Sunday afternoon. The pair both scored a 13.40 to share the title on parallel bars. Lyubovsky added a first place finish on high bar (13.10) while Lee took second (12.90) and also took a share of the vault title (14.10). The Tribe went on to take two more event titles on the day, thanks to performances from Cutter Fugett on floor (13.25) and Alex Kuzmenchuk on rings (12.80).
Springfield placed second behind an impressive William & Mary team, scoring a 370.10, their second straight mark above 370. Trevor Lamberton made his all-around debut as he continues to establish himself as a broader contributor after an impressive 2020 on p bars on high bar. Lamberton finished second in the all-around (70.20) behind his teammate, Dominic Ramalho (75.20).
Ramalho is emerging as the star of this young Springfield team. The sophomore captured a share of the vault title (14.10) to go along with his first place finish in the all-around. Ramalho should be watched closely heading into postseason and will have a legitimate shot at ECAC all-around champion. The final title on the day belonged to Colton O’Brien with his 13.25 on pommel horse.
Temple versus New York Alliance (Virtual)
Temple 336.1000 @ NY Alliance 213.2000
Temple trounced the New York Alliance in a GymACT battle 336.10 to 213.20. The Owls won every event as a team and took home individual titles on every event but pommel horse. Nicolino Dibasttista came up big, winning three event titles; floor (12.90), parallel bars (12.50), and high bar (11.50) to lead his team to a victory. Jacob Biller also had a solid day as he took home the title on vault (13.30) and placed second on high bar (11.60). Another notable performance for Temple was that of Stephen Rathbone as he claimed the rings win (11.30) and secured the runner-up spot on parallel bars (11.80).
The New York Alliance made their season debut led by Craig Jasin, who was the sole event winner for his team with his pommel horse performance (11.40). Jasin also took home the all-around crown (67.50). Only four athletes competed for the NYA, making it difficult to challenge a team that has the depth to field a full lineup. We’ll look for the team from New York to fill out their lineups as the season progresses.
Contributions from Bailey Perez, Max Soifer, and Ben Cooperman.