Air Force Captures Seventh Straight USAG Team Title

arch 25, 2016

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Junior Tim Wang claimed the USAG all-around title this evening (March 25) to lead the 11th-ranked Air Force men's gymnastics team to its seventh-straight team title at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships.

Air Force scored a 425.350 to easily claim its seventh consecutive team title – bettering the rest of the Varsity Division by more than 11 points. Just one point separated 12th-ranked Army (413.850) and No. 13 Navy (412.850), who finished second and third, respectively, while No. 14 William and Mary finished fourth with a 405.100, and 15th-ranked Springfield rounded out the Varsity standings in fifth, with a 402.600. The USAG Club Division was won by No. 16 Arizona State (scores not available).

Wang highlighted the opening night of competition with a winning score of 88.150 in the all-around – his first all-around since mid-January.. By registering the second-highest combined score in Academy history to win the competition by nearly four points, the junior became the fourth USAG all-around champion in program history (Jerry Michael Cline: 1994, Nash Mills: 2010, Greg Stine: 2004, 2007, 2008).

In addition to the team and all-around finals, qualifying for the individual event finals also took place.

Air Force posted the highest qualifying scores on four events, including three top marks from Wang. The junior scored the meet's highest score on the pommel horse (15.550), while tying for first on the floor exercise (14.850) and parallel bars (14.500). Freshman Eric Klein rounded out the Falcons' list of top scorers, as he took first on the vault with a career-best score of 14.750.

Wang was also the Falcons' top finisher on the still rings, as he finished second with a 14.450, and classmate Chase Cannon scored a 15.300 to lead Air Force with the same placement on the high bar.

The Falcons combined for four of the top-five scores on the floor exercise during tonight's meet. Junior Aaron Nubine scored a 14.600 to follow Wang's 14.850, while senior Denis Aurelius and freshman Ryan Girouard earned matching scores of 14.500. Wang and Aurelius also helped the Falcons' to three of the top-five marks on the still rings, as Wang's 14.450 and Aureilus' 14.100 bookended a 14.400 from sophomore Fletcher Braunton.

Air Force returns to Springfield College tomorrow (March 26) for the individual event finals, which will see the top eight finishers from each event (combined Divisions, with no more than two gymnasts per program) compete for individual USAG national titles. Action is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET).

Footer

The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the u.s air force of non-u.s. government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the u.s. air force may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for department of defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.