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This year should prove to be a very exciting one for the NCAA system. Not only is there a new Code of Points but now all college meets will be judged straight FIG rules! No more 9.3 SV's instead of 8.6. Also, at the NCAA Championships at OSU in April, the All-Around winner (if eligible) will be given an automatic berth on to the 2001 World Championship team. There is now more riding on NCAA's this year than in recent years which should make the competition more intense. Here are the pre-season coaches' rankings with some commentary by yours truly...
1. Michigan- No doubt one of the physically strongest teams in the country, Michigan also has perhaps the deepest team. Their strengths are rings and parallel bars but they might struggle with the new rules on floor some. Gymnasts to watch for: Daniel Diaz-Loung, Justin Toman (if he is not redshirting), Scott Vetere, Brad Keena. 2. Ohio State- Also a strong rings team, Ohio State has a very deep team this year. They have two great freshman in Jamey Houle and Eric Van Sickle as well as some talented upperclassmen like Olympic alternate Jamie Natalie. Look for strong performances on all events from this team but especially on rings. Gymnasts to watch for: Raj Bhavsar, Jamie Natalie, Jamey Houle, Michael Evans. 3. Oklahoma- Oklahoma also has a solid freshman class. They have a good mixture of youth and experience. As a team, they tend to have good combinations and clean lines. Gymnasts to watch for: Shannon Carrion, Daniel Furney, Jock Stevens, Steve Van Etten. 4. Penn State- Penn State has the pressure on now. They were the surprise winner's of the 2000 NCAA Championships but it will take more than luck this year to win. They lost several good gymnasts but should still be able to be successful in 2001. Gymnasts to watch for: Jose Palacios, Tobias Ekman, Kevin Tan, Dominick Brindle. 5. California-Berkeley- It's hard to be partial about this school since it's the one I will be attending next year but I think they have a great season ahead of them. They did not lose anyone from their 5th place team last year and have David Eaton, one of Britain's top gymnasts, joining their team for the 2001 season. Traditionally the Cal team has excellent pommels, parallel bars and high bar but lacks some strength on rings. Gymnasts to watch for: Cody Moore, Michael Ashe, David Eaton, Tal Moskovitz. 6. Iowa- Iowa has a lot of talented gymnasts on its team this year. They should be similar to Penn State in that they do not have any obvious weakness besides maybe depth. Gymnasts to watch for: Kevin Agnew, Justin Leavitt, Shane de Freitas, Andy Thornton.
7. Nebraska
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