Sooners Defend Rocky Mountain Title

1/17/2012 12:00:00 AM

Jan. 17, 2012

#3 OKLAHOMA claimed the Rocky Mountain Open Title for the 13th-straight year by finishing first of three in Colorado Springs, CO last Saturday. The Sooners scored a 343.700 to win the event, placing ahead of host Air Force (333.300) and former MPSF rival Nebraska (331.300). The Sooners claimed five of six team titles, winning floor (57.300), rings (57.600), vault (63.800), pommel horse (57.400), and high bar (55.600). Individual titles belonged to Chris Stehl on rings (15.700), bars (14.500), and all-around (83.000), Pat Piscitelli on floor (14.300) and vault (15.000), Jake Dalton on high bar (14.700), and Michael Reid on horse (14.400) with a first-ever event title. Stehl's rings' routine was the best in RMO history and a career effort. No. 3 Oklahoma visits No. 2 Ohio State for a dual meet Saturday (Jan. 21).

#9 AIR FORCE opened 2012 with a six-point improvement on last year's best-ever season-opening team score, totaling a 333.300 in its 2012 version of the Rocky Mountain Open. The Falcons placed ahead of Nebraska for second, their highest finish at the event in recent history. Freshman Josh Ramos placed second on floor (14.000) in his collegiate debut, as did classmate Greg Chaput on bars (14.400). Devin Menefee recorded a career-high on rings (15.400), tying for third, and ranking eighth all-time at the Academy. Air Force faces Nebraska again, this time in Lincoln, Sunday (Jan. 22).

#5 CALIFORNIA topped rival Stanford for the second straight season opener, this time 340.900-334.800 in Berkeley. Cal claimed rings (57.100), high bar (56.900), horse (55.800), and parallel bars (57.400), with two of those rotations coming at the end of the meet. Donothan Bailey tied for the p-bars (14.800) and floor (15.000) title, before finishing with a second place all-around (82.600). Dennis Mannhart claimed the high bar (15.100) outright and shared top honors on p-bars. Glen Ishino won horse (15.000) as did Steven LaCombe on rings (15.500). Cal returns the favor Saturday (Jan. 21) by visiting the Cardinal.

#8 STANFORD scored a 334.800 in Friday's dual at California to begin 2012. The Cardinal team titles occurred on floor (58.300) and vault (57.900). Paul Hichwa recorded a career floor routine (15.000) which gave him a share of the title. Sean Senters nailed the top vault (15.200) in his first collegiate meet and Eddie Penev was the all-around winner (84.200). Like last year, Stanford gets a quick rematch with the Bears during week two, this time in Palo Alto.

CHRIS STEHL MPSF GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
Oklahoma junior Chris Stehl (Houston, TX) took home event titles on both rings (15.700) and parallel bars (14.500), along with the all-around title (83.000), as the Sooners claimed their 13th consecutive Rocky Mountain Open Title to begin the year. Stehl's career-high 15.700 on rings set a new record for the event held at Air Force. Also Nominated: Donothan Bailey (CAL); Josh Ramos (AFA)