Air Force Cracks Top 10 for First Time

3/15/2011 12:00:00 AM

March 15, 2011

#10 AIR FORCE posted its third highest team score (343.300) in program history last Sunday, taking down No. 14 William & Mary (338.800) and No. 15 Springfield (330.000). Nash Mills won two titles with a 14.700 parallel bars and a 14.800 high bar routine, along with second place and career rings effort (14.900). Tory Brown claimed vault by tying his career-high (15.900). The sophomore also shared a high bar title (14.500) at Brockport last Friday, fifth-best in Academy history, leading to the best team high bar total of all-time (57.400). The Falcons, ranked amongst the nation's top-10 for the first time ever this week, hosts club team Washington Sunday (Mar. 20).

#2 OKLAHOMA Steven Legendre claimed his second straight all-around title (89.250), as well as the vault (16.050), in a dual win at defending national champion and No. 6 Michigan (357.750-355.400). The outcome marks the eighth win over the top-10 this year for the Sooners. OU won five of six team events. Alex Naddour picked up his fourth horse win (15.650) of 2011. Back from a bronze finish at the American Cup, Jake Dalton hit winning routines on floor (15.350) and rings (15.100). The regular season finale for OU is Saturday (Mar. 19) against Penn State and Illinois in Norman.

#3 CALIFORNIA claimed all six events for the first time this year, in a smooth dual win over No. 10 Iowa (353.350-336.950). Dennis Mannhart won the all-around (86.500), while Kyle Bunthuwong posted gold results on horse (15.250), parallel bars (15.200), and high bar (15.600). Daniel Culpepper earned the floor victory (14.900) as did Jeff Langenstein on vault (16.250). Steven Lacombe (14.950) led a top-three sweep on rings. Cal is off until Mar. 25 when it hosts Stanford.

#8 NEBRASKA freshman Wyatt Aycock won his first career all-around (84.400) as the Huskers placed third in Columbus, OH behind the host Ohio State and Illinois. He added personal-bests of 14.300 on parallel bars and 14.200 on rings. Eric Schryver (14.100) and CJ Schaaf (13.900) also tallied career-highs on rings. Andreas Hofer claimed the p-bars with a season-high (14.700) en route to a second place all-around (81.050). The Huskers top team score came on vault (60.500).

#1 STANFORD is off until Mar. 25 when visiting California. The Cardinal recorded their second highest score of the season in a 359.000-347.600 dual victory at Nebraska on Mar. 5. Josh Dixon won the all-around (88.600), one day after tallying a winning total of 87.400 in a quad meet in Chicago, vs. No. 3 Illinois, Air Force, and Illinois-Chicago. He also won both floor titles (15.500 and 15.600) and vault title in the quad (15.900). The 88.600 dual all-around score was the sixth highest in the nation this year.

KYLE BUNTHUWONG - MPSF GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
California senior Kyle Bunthuwong (El Cerrito, CA) nailed three event titles out of four in which he competed, leading a dual win over No. 10 Iowa. He posted a winning high bar (15.600), pommel horse (15.250), and parallel bars (15.200), and placed second on still rings (14.400).

Nominated: Tory Brown (AFA)