W&M Competes at NCAAs

04/11/03

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The 12th-ranked William and Mary men’s gymnastics squad posted a team score of 203.625 and finished sixth in their qualifying session at the NCAA Championships hosted by Temple University of Friday evening.

Unfortunately for the College, its team score failed to qualify them for Saturday’s team championships round, as only the top three teams from each of the two qualifying sessions move into Saturday’s championship round. Despite not reaching the team finals, the Tribe’s presence at the prestigious event, its second appearance in two seasons, really puts an exclamation point on what was an excellent team effort on the 2003 season.

The real standout performance of the event for the College was turned in by freshman Ramon Jackson (Orlando, FL), who earned a spot in Saturday’s individual event championship by finishing amongst the top three competitors on the parallel bar event with a score of 8.80.
The team turned in an outstanding vault score, turning in a 35.850 score. Graduate student Paul DiPalma (Staten Island, NY) led the way with a sparkling 9.20 mark on the event. Freshman Owen Nicholls (Anchorage, AK) was close behind, scoring a 9.050 on the event.

Junior all-arounder Jamie Northrup (Newton, MA) led the College overall at the event, registering a six-event total of 50.950. Northrup’s best event was the rings, where he turned in an outstanding mark of 9.150. Senior Pat Fitzgerald (Afton, NY) was nearly as impressive, as he recorded an all-around mark of 48.400.

Jackson will compete in tomorrow’s session, which starts at 4:00 p.m.

Team Scores

NCAA Championships (Early Session)
1. Ohio State (218.60)
2. Penn State (218.575)
3. Iowa (214.075)
4. Stanford (212.325)
5. Minnesota (211.325)
6. William and Mary (203.625)