Roethlisberger Wins All-Around; Georgia Women Win Team Event

Olympian John Roethlisberger of Minnesota opened with a 9.825 score on high bar and continued on to a record-tying third consecutive NCAA all-around men’s gymnastics title Friday night at Albuquerque, N.M.

Roethlisberger, a member of the 1992 U.S. team in Barcelona last summer, became only the third collegian to win three all-around titles.

Roethlisberger, who finished with an overall score of 58.075, took the lead on the opening apparatus of the night with his high bar routine. The field played catch-up the rest of the meet, and Roethlisberger stayed one step ahead with a clinic in consistency.

Roethlisberger qualified for four of today’s individual finals. Chainey Umphrey of UCLA was second with a score of 57.850, including a high of 9.80 on rings.

In the women’s competition held at Corvallis, Ore., Georgia compiled the highest score in the history of women’s collegiate gymnastics, 198.00, to handily win the NCAA championship. UCLA finished fourth.

Heather Stepp of Georgia had a perfect 10 in the floor exercise, then capped her team’s performance with another 10 in the vault.