As the regular season ends, the time has come for the top teams in the Big Ten to fight for the right to take home the championship title. Six teams will compete at the University of Minnesota's Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn on March 22-23 in the Big Ten Championships.
No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 6 Iowa and No. 8 Michigan will go head-to-head in this two-day competition which will most likely come down to the wire. Tomorrow will be the team and individual all-around competition and Saturday will showcase the individual events.
Penn State
The Nittany Lions (14-1) look to capture their first Big Ten championship in team history. Juniors Matt Abboud, Kevin Donohue and Duke Van Vleet and senior Adam Benas will lead the squad. The Lions will also bring with them a large freshman class looking to make their mark in the Big Ten conference.
Donohue is ranked third in the all-around and also No. 2 on the floor exercise, No. 3 on parallel bars, and No. 4 on the high bar.
Besides Donohue, sophomore Kevin Tan, the current Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, is the heavy favorite to win the rings competition. He is ranked No. 2 nationally on that apparatus.
"Everyone has to step up. You look all through the line-up and guys just have to pull through," Penn State head coach Randy Jepson said. "We're just going to have to be at our best."
Injuries have taken a toll on the team recently. Benas suffered a bulging disc in his back and it is still uncertain as to whether he will compete this weekend. Abboud and Van Vleet are each recovering from their respective injuries. Abboud's shoulder injury will prevent him from joining the rings lineup while Van Vleet's sore knee will keep him off the floor.
Ohio State
Defending conference and national champions, the Buckeyes (7-4) look to repeat last year's success and gain momentum for the NCAA Championships.
The Buckeyes look to blend their unique combination of experience and youth under the leadership of senior Dick Huntwork and juniors Raj Bhavsar and Michael Evans.
Huntwork, currently ranked No. 4 on the floor exercise, is optimistic about the team's chances this weekend.
"We are ready to go out and do our job," he said. "This is a brand new team and we have to concentrate on this year, not the past, but I think we're going to do really well."
Bhavsar was runner-up in the NCAA all-around competition last year and was a member of the medal-winning U.S. World Championship team last fall.
In addition, the Buckeyes hope to utilize freshman Randy Monahan, who is currently No. 18 in the nation for the all-around and a candidate for Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Illinois
With more Big Ten championships than any other school, the Fighting Illini (17-2) seek to claim their 23rd title and first since 1989. The Fighting Illini was the first team to defeat Ohio State at home since 1991.
Seniors Jonathan Plante, Sean-Paul Crawford and J.G. Ketchen will lead a veteran squad this weekend.
Plante transferred from Michigan State this season after the Spartans program was dropped.
He is the defending Big Ten pommel horse champion and currently is No. 6 on the horse.
Sophomore Scott Wetterling is the team's top competitor with a No. 6 ranking in the all-around and a No. 2 and No. 6 rankings on high bar and vault, respectively.
Fellow sophomore Bob Rogers was the first Illini to receive the title of the Big Ten gymnast of the week this season and is ranked No. 1 on the high bar.
Minnesota
Host team, Minnesota, is going into this weekend's championships with aspirations of being competitive with the top teams.
The Golden Gophers will look to junior Clay Strother, the defending NCAA floor and pommel horse champion, to help boost their chances of standing atop the podium. Strother is currently No. 2 in the all-around competition, No. 4 on vault and No. 5 on floor and parallel bars.
Other gymnasts who will be called upon for the Gophers are sophomore Eric Steele and freshman Guillermo Alvarez. Steele is the defending vault champion and was the 2001 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, but is recovering from an injury and his status is questionable. Alvarez is a candidate for Freshman of the Year and will be a factor on all six events.
Minnesota is currently No. 1 on vault and floor. They will use their talented mix of gymnasts to go for their first championship since 1995.
"We have a lot of good talent, but are currently dealing with injuries. Some of our top guys are just getting in shape and are pretty shaky right now," Minnesota head coach Fred Roethlisberger said. "We're going to be a crapshoot this weekend. We're either going to do really well and win or be crappy and finish last."
Iowa
Coming off of wins against Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio State, Iowa will try to come away with a victory against all once again.
Leading the Hawkeyes will be seniors Shane De Freitas, Don Jackson and Andy Thornton.
De Freitas competed for his home country of Barbados at the last three World Championships and is No. 9 in the all-around.
Jackson is a former NCAA and Big Ten pommel horse champion, on which he is currently ranked No. 2.
The Hawkeyes will also rely on the talent of Justin Leavitt (No. 5 on high bar) and Eric Block (No. 6 on parallel bars).
"Our scores put us at the bottom of the conference, but we have beaten all four Big Ten teams that we have met head-to-head at least once," Iowa head coach Tom Dunn said in a press release. "We are confident that we will be in the running at what appears to be the most competitive men's gymnastics championship ever."
Michigan
Michigan (7-5) is seen as the "sleeper" in the conference this season, but, in reality, they are just as big of a threat as ever. One thing that could work in the Wolverines' favor could be their streak of four consecutive Big Ten parallel bars championships and their victories in 1999 and 2000.
Seniors Scott Vetere, Justin Toman, Brad Kenna, Daniel Diaz-Luong and Kris Zimmerman will be looked upon to lead the squad.
However, with Toman and Vetere recovering from shoulder surgeries, the Wolverines must count on freshman like Geoff Corrigan, Kevin George and Eddie Umphrey to contribute big scores.
"I think one surprise will be Michigan. People have counted them out all season, but I never really did because I knew their personnel and they've been resting guys a lot of the season," Jepson said. "They are very, very good and I wouldn't count them out."
