Temple University Athletics
Thursday, April 19
Oklahoma
1:00 p.m./7:00 p.m.
Temple University
vs
National Qualifying Competition
Photo by: Mitchell Leff
No. 9 Men's Gymnastics Begins Route To NCAA Title Thursday At 8 PM
4.19.12 | Men's Gymnastics
Championship Central
NORMAN, ILL. – The No. 9 Temple men's gymnastics team will take to the mat and apparatuses on the grandest stage of collegiate gymnastics on Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. when their preliminary session of the NCAA Championships gets underway inside the Lloyd Nobel Center on the campus of Oklahoma University.
In their last time out, the Owls scored 347.400 as a team to set their highest meet score in program history and to capture the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship.
Temple is making its first appearance at nationals since 2008 and for the 25th time in school history.
On Thursday evening, the Owls will have to go up against meet host No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 8 California and No. 12 Air Force.
Should the Owls place among the top three in the session, they will advance to Friday evening's team final.
Over the course of the season, East Region Head Coach of the Year Fred Turoff, who is in his 36th season, has led the Owls to a 17-2 record. Temple went undefeated against ECAC opponents this season and its only two losses came at the hands of No. 2 Penn State, who could be a potential opponent for the Owls in the team final if both squads advance out of their preliminary sessions Thursday.
Of the six apparatuses, Temple's highest national ranking is on the still rings. Ranked sixth in the nation, seniors Taylor Brana, Adam Al-Rokh, Chris Mooney, Blake Collins and junior Alex Tighe have been the team's top performers. Brana finished second in the ECAC and comes in ranked No. 18 in the nation with his score.
Mooney is coming off a very strong meet at the conference championships, where he took the runner-up spot to Navy's Kevin Faulk for the ECAC All-Around title. Al-Rokh had a solid performance, as he worked the same events and earned a fourth place score in the conference championship.
Senior Matt Martin has carried the Owls on the vault, as he sits ranked 12th in the nation, which is the highest ranking for any Temple gymnast on any apparatus.
In the other events, senior Alan Malone leads the Owls on floor exercise and high bar, while senior Michael Bittner hold the team's highest average individual score on the pommel horse. Brana is the team leader on the parallel bars, while Al-Rokh boasts the team's best average in the all around.
NORMAN, ILL. – The No. 9 Temple men's gymnastics team will take to the mat and apparatuses on the grandest stage of collegiate gymnastics on Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. when their preliminary session of the NCAA Championships gets underway inside the Lloyd Nobel Center on the campus of Oklahoma University.
In their last time out, the Owls scored 347.400 as a team to set their highest meet score in program history and to capture the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship.
Temple is making its first appearance at nationals since 2008 and for the 25th time in school history.
On Thursday evening, the Owls will have to go up against meet host No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 8 California and No. 12 Air Force.
Should the Owls place among the top three in the session, they will advance to Friday evening's team final.
Over the course of the season, East Region Head Coach of the Year Fred Turoff, who is in his 36th season, has led the Owls to a 17-2 record. Temple went undefeated against ECAC opponents this season and its only two losses came at the hands of No. 2 Penn State, who could be a potential opponent for the Owls in the team final if both squads advance out of their preliminary sessions Thursday.
Of the six apparatuses, Temple's highest national ranking is on the still rings. Ranked sixth in the nation, seniors Taylor Brana, Adam Al-Rokh, Chris Mooney, Blake Collins and junior Alex Tighe have been the team's top performers. Brana finished second in the ECAC and comes in ranked No. 18 in the nation with his score.
Mooney is coming off a very strong meet at the conference championships, where he took the runner-up spot to Navy's Kevin Faulk for the ECAC All-Around title. Al-Rokh had a solid performance, as he worked the same events and earned a fourth place score in the conference championship.
Senior Matt Martin has carried the Owls on the vault, as he sits ranked 12th in the nation, which is the highest ranking for any Temple gymnast on any apparatus.
In the other events, senior Alan Malone leads the Owls on floor exercise and high bar, while senior Michael Bittner hold the team's highest average individual score on the pommel horse. Brana is the team leader on the parallel bars, while Al-Rokh boasts the team's best average in the all around.
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