Tribe Gymnasts Take Home More Hardware at ECAC Individual Championships

Jackson Named Outstanding Senior; Walker Named Assistant Coach of Year

03/26/06 8:00PM

ANNAPOLIS, MD - One day removed from its first Eastern College Athletic Conference Team Championship in over a decade, the 10th-ranked William and Mary men’s gymnastics squad claimed even more hardware this afternoon at the ECAC Individual Finals hosted by the United State Naval Academy. Ramon Jackson’s (Orlando, FL) two gold medal finishes paced the five Tribe student-athletes that earned a total of 12 All-East certificates at the event.

It was a fitting performance by the returning two-time All-American, as Jackson’s individual titles on the vault (9.3) and parallel bars (9.2) capped what was a brilliant weekend of action for the senior team co-captain. Jackson learned before the event that he had been named as the ECAC’s Senior of the Year and went on to prove the voters correct, as he became the first Tribe gymnast to bring home multiple golds from the meet since Sebronzik Wright captured the ECAC floor exercise and vault titles in 1995. Aside from his two first place performances, Jackson also claimed All-East honors on the floor exercise (sixth-place, 8.65), rings (third-place, 9.05) and on the high bar (sixth-place, 8.6). His five total All-East performances ties him with former Tribe great Tim Tozer (1991) for the most at a single championship in the College’s history.
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William and Mary’s Pete Walker was also recognized before the meet as the conference’s Assistant Coach of the Year, as he played a major role in helping Cliff Gauthier’s squad secure its fourth NCAA appearance in the last five years with a championship performance in yesterday’s team competition.

Standout sophomore Dave Locke (Natick, MA) was no slouch on the afternoon, either, as he managed to corral a pair of All-East awards, highlighted by a fourth-place showing on the high bar (9.0). Locke also finished fifth on the floor exercise (9.05) and just missed placing on the high bar as his mark of 8.45 placed him seventh (top six earn All-East honors).

Fellow Sophomore Aaron Ingram (Paxton, MA) also contributed to the Tribe’s medal count, as he complimented his All-East honor in yesterday’s all-around with an additional pair this afternoon on the pommel horse (fifth-place, 8.4) and parallel bars (fifth-place, 8.35).

Seniors Owen Nicholls (Anchorage, AK) and Jeff Jaekle (Stratford, CT) rounded out the Tribe’s All-East performances on the day, as Nicholls captured sixth on the parallel bars (8.3) and Jaekle swung to a fifth-place showing on the rings (8.4).

The Tribe will now get a week off to prepare for the NCAA Team Championships, which will be held at the University of Oklahoma over the weekend of April 6th through the 8th.