Men's Gymnastics Ranked 11th in Preseason Poll
12/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Air Force men's gymnastics team was ranked 11th in the College Gymnastics Association Preseason Top-20, which was recently released by the CGA. The ranking, which marked the seventh straight season that the Falcons have earned a spot in the preseason coaches' standings, matched the highest placement ever for the Falcons in the coaches' poll.
The No. 11 ranking equals the preseason ranking of the 2012-14 squads.
The 2015 Air Force team features an impressive lineup of talent, including a returning roster that has claimed the last five USAG team titles and competed as a full squad at the last four NCAA National Qualifiers. Individually, the Falcons return three USAG individual champions in Denis Aurelius (2014 floor exercise), Nick Gaudlip (2013, 2014 high bar) and Josh Ramos (2012, 2014 parallel bars).
For the seventh straight year, Air Force has the highest preseason ranking of the three service academy programs, leading both Army (12th) and Navy (14th). The Falcons will face the two programs on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the All-Academy Championships, before traveling to West Point for a dual meet with the Black Knights on Friday, Feb. 14.
With seven first-place votes, Oklahoma was chosen as the preseason favorite, while defending NCAA champion Michigan was second with four first-place votes. The next four programs all claimed at least one first-place vote, as Ohio State, Stanford, Illinois and Penn State round out the top six.
CGA Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Oklahoma (326 points, seven first-place votes), 2. Michigan (318 pts, four first-place votes), 3. Ohio State (292 pts, one first-place vote), 4. Stanford (291 pts, two first-place votes), 5. Illinois (269 pts, two first-place votes), 6. Penn State (256 pts, one first-place vote), 7. Minnesota (232 pts), 8. California (213 pts), 9. Iowa (211 pts), 10. Nebraska (191 pts), 11. AIR FORCE (187 pts), 12. Army (145 pts), 13. William and Mary (142 pts), 14. Navy (104 pts), 15. Arizona State (93 pts), 16. Illinois-Chicago (90 pts), 17. Springfield (84 pts), 18. Temple (65 pts), 19. Brockport (26 pts), 20. Washington (21 pts)
Air Force opens the 2015 season on Saturday, Jan. 17, when it hosts the annual Rocky Mountain Open at the Academy's newly-renovated Cadet West Gym.
Players Mentioned
