April 4, 2012

Weekly Release

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 12 Ohio State women’s gymnastics team travels to Raleigh, N.C., for an NCAA Regional Championship at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Joining the No. 2 seed Buckeyes will be No. 1 seed Florida, No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 North Carolina State, No. 5 Kent State and No. 6 North Carolina.

The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in Duluth, Ga., April 20-22, hosted by the Gwinnett Center and Georgia Tech.

In addition, the event winners at each regional site will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.

IN THE RANKINGS
Ohio State is currently ranked 12th nationally in the GymInfo Top 25. Five other Big Ten teams are ranked including Nebraska (No. 5), Penn State (No. 13), Minnesota (No. 17), Michigan (No. 21) and Illinois (No. 22).

As a team, the Buckeyes rank tied for 10th nationally on floor exercise (49.220 RQS), tied for 11th on balance beam (49.070), 12th on vault (49.210) and 16th on uneven bars (49.080).

Individually, Sarah Miller sits sixth nationally on balance beam and tied for 10th on vault.

MILLER NAMED TO BIG TEN ALL-CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
At the Big Ten Championships March 24 in Iowa City, Iowa, Sarah Miller posted a 9.850 to tie for third on balance beam and added a 9.875 to tie for fourth on floor exercise. The Collegeville, Pa., native tied for 10th on vault with a 9.875 as the Buckeyes finished second at the meet, Ohio State’s highest finish since 1989.

MILLER NAMED ALL-BIG TEN
Sarah Miller earned first team All-Big Ten honors for the second consecutive season.  A two-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week selection in 2012, Miller has posted team season highs for the Buckeyes on vault and balance beam. The Collegeville, Pa., native recorded career best scores of 9.950 twice on both events, first Feb. 18 against Denver and again March 2 against Kent State.

MILLER EARNS SECOND B1G HONOR
Sarah Miller was named Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week, the conference office announced March 5. The award marked the third consecutive gymnast of the week honor for the Buckeyes after Colleen Dean earned the award Feb. 20 and Miller won it Feb. 27. Miller shared the award with Penn State’s Sharaya Musser.

Miller helped the Buckeyes to a 196.925-195.775 win over Kent State March 2. The sophomore from Collegeville, Pa., won vault and balance beam with a 9.950 to tie her career best on both events. Miller also tied for second with a 9.900 on floor exercise.

DEAN EARNS BIG TEN HONOR
Colleen Dean was named Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week, the conference office announced Feb. 20. Dean shared the honor with Jessie DeZiel of Nebraska.

Dean took first in the all-around with a career-best 39.600 as the Buckeyes posted a program record 197.625 in a dual meet win against Denver Feb. 18. The Sylvania, Ohio, native posted a season-high 9.900 to finish second on vault and a career-best 9.925 to tie for second on balance beam. In addition, Dean tied for third on floor exercise with a 9.925 and fourth on bars at 9.850.

KRAUTER, JONES NAMED CAPTAINS
Seniors Nicole Krauter and Taylor Jones have been named captains of the 2012 squad.

Krauter, from Carmel, Ind., was a 2011 co-captain and one of the Buckeyes’ most consistent performers on balance beam last season. A 2011 Big Ten sportsmanship award honoree, Krauter tied for eighth with a 9.825 on beam at regionals.

A native of Edmond, Okla., Jones posted a team season-best 9.900 on uneven bars in a quad meet at Oklahoma last season and has been one of the Buckeyes’ best all-around performers each of the last three seasons.