GYMNASTICS: Sender wins men's all-around title at 2008 Visa Championships

HOUSTON, May 24, 2008-David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill., won the men's all-around title at the 2008 Visa Championships at Reliant Park in Houston. Sender, who also took top honors in the vault, is one of 14 men who will advance to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Gymnastics, July 19-22, in Philadelphia. The 10 men who qualified for the senior men's national team based on the points system and will advance to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials are: Alexander Artemev of Lakewood, Colo. Team Chevron; Raj Bhavsar of Houston/Team Chevron; David Durante of Garwood, N.J./Team Chevron; Sean Golden of Camden, N.J./Team Chevron; Joe Hagerty of Rio Ranchero, N.M./Team Chevron; Morgan Hamm of Waukesha, Wis.; Paul Hamm of Waukesha, Wis./Team Chevron; Jonathan Horton of Houston/Team Chevron; Kevin Tan of Fremont, Calif./Team Chevron; and Sender, who competes for Stanford University. The remaining four members of the national team were selected by the Men's Program Committee: Guillermo Alvarez of Denver/Team Chevron; Tim McNeill of Falls Church, Va./University of California-Berkley; Justin Spring of Burke, Va./Team Chevron; and Yewki Tomita of Tucson, Ariz./Team Chevron. In addition, the Men's Program Committee approved the petition of Sean Townsend of Houston, Texas, who is injured, to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The individual event champions for 2008 are: Morgan Hamm, floor exercise; Tomita, pommel horse; Tan, still rings; Sender, vault; Spring, parallel bars; and Hagerty, horizontal bar. Sender won the all-around title with a six-event total of 180.700. Horton was second at 180.450, followed by Hagerty at 180.300. Durante and Bhavsar rounded out the top five in the all-around. Both days of the men's competition counted equally toward the final score. Sender had two very consistent days. He won the vault with a total of 32.450, with Golden coming in second at 32.350, and Bhavsar and Hamm tying for third at 32.100. Sender, who won the vault crown in 2004 and 2006, solidly landed his Yurchenko 2-1/2. He was fourth in the floor exercise and horizontal bar, fifth on still rings, and eighth on parallel bars."I was thrilled to win the all-around, but more importantly I proved to the selection committee that I can do two nights of steady gymnastics,"said Sender."Nothing's a given for me."Morgan Hamm debuted an air flare, which he described as a break-dancing move, in his floor routine that earned a total of 31.350, earning him his third floor national title. Steve Legendre of Flower Mound, Texas, was second at 31.300 and Horton was third at 30.800. Tomita earned his second pommel horse title with a two-day score of 30.150, finishing ahead of silver-medalist McNeill at 29.900 and bronze-medalist Clay Strother of Jasper, Texas, at 29.550. On the still rings, Tan turned in two very consistent days, earning a 16.650 and 16.700, to clinch his third straight title with a total score of 33.350. Horton finished second at 31.850, and Bhavsar and Golden tied for third at 31.100. Spring's 30.900 earned him his first U.S. parallel bars title. Artemev was second at 30.650, and Durante was third at 30.600. Hagerty posted a 31.00 to win the horizontal bar individual event crown. Durante was second at 30.200, followed by Morgan Hamm at 30.100. The Visa Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men. About Reliant Park Reliant Park is managed and operated by SMG. Reliant Park is the premier convention, tradeshow, entertainment and sports complex located in Houston-the cultural center and urban hub of Texas. Four major facilities-Reliant Center, Reliant Stadium, Reliant Arena and Reliant Astrodome-encompass 350 acres. Having previously hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII, the 2002 and 2005 Big 12 Conference Football Championships, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Regionals in 2008 and 2010, the Final Four in 2011 and now the 2008 Visa Championships, Reliant Park is establishing itself as a long-term home for major national and international sporting events. About Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau Houston is a cultural melting pot-home to a vibrant arts scene, thriving ethnic neighborhoods and NASA's Johnson Space Center. Houston is one of a handful of American cities to house professional theater companies for each of the major arts disciplines. Sports fans can rally behind Houston's professional teams in nearly every major sport. Houston is also home to the world's largest concentration of medical professionals, world's largest rodeo and nationally acclaimed restaurants and shopping. With 56,405 acres of total park space, Houston rates first among the nation's 10 most populous cities in total acreage of park land. For more information on Houston, log on to www.visithoustontexas.com or call 1-800-4HOUSTON. About USA Gymnastics Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, and acrobatic gymnastics. For more complete information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org. # 2008 Visa Championships Reliant Arena Houston, Texas May 24, 2008 Senior men's final results All-around 1. David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 180.700 2. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 180.450 3. Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 180.300 4. David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 178.950 5. Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 178.250 6. Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo., 178.150 7. Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 177.950 8. Todd Thornton, Houston, Texas, 176.650 9. Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif., 175.700 10. Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va., 175.600 11. Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 173.550 11. Danell Leyva *, Miami, Fla., 173.550 13. Steve Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 173.350 14. Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 172.050 15. Alexy Bilozertchev *, Hilliard, Ohio, 171.650 16. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Philadelphia, Pa., 170.600 17. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill., 167.900 18. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 167.800 19. Edward Mesa *, Cooper City, Fla., 167.650 20. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif., 166.900 21. Clay Strother, Jasper, Texas, 146.650 22. Wesley Haggensen, Belleville, Ill., 143.700 23. Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y., 142.700 Floor exercise 1. Morgan Hamm, Waukesha, Wis., 31.350 2. Steve Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 31.300 3. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 30.800 4. David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 30.750 5. Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 30.600 6. Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas, 30.100 7. Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 30.050 8. Sean Golden, Camden, N.J., 29.800 8. Todd Thornton, Houston, Texas, 29.800 10. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif., 29.550 11. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 29.500 12. Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif., 29.400 13. Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va., 29.300 14. Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 29.200 15. Clay Strother, Jasper, Texas, 29.050 15. Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 29.050 17. David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 29.000 18. Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 28.850 19. Danell Leyva *, Miami, Fla., 28.650 19. Alexy Bilozertchev *, Hilliard, Ohio, 28.650 21. Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo., 28.450 22. Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y., 28.050 23. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Philadelphia, Pa., 28.000 24. Edward Mesa *, Cooper City, Fla., 27.900 25. Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas, 27.350 26. Kerry Adderly, Bethlehem, Pa., 27.250 27. David Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 27.150 28. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill., 26.900 29. Wesley Haggensen, Belleville, Ill., 14.600 Pommel horse 1. Yewki Tomita, Tucson, Ariz., 30.150 2. Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va., 29.900 3. Clay Strother, Jasper, Texas, 29.550 4. Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 29.250 5. Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo., 29.150 6. Kevin Tan, Fremont, Calif., 28.950 7. Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif., 28.750 8. Todd Thornton, Houston, Texas, 28.400 8. Morgan Hamm, Waukesha, Wis., 28.400 10. Alexy Bilozertchev *, Hilliard, Ohio, 28.250 11. Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 28.200 12. Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 28.100 13. Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 27.950 14. Jamie Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 27.850 15. Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 27.800 16. David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 27.550 17. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 27.450 18. Danell Leyva *, Miami, Fla., 27.200 19. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 27.150 20. David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 27.050 20. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Philadelphia, Pa., 27.050 22. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill., 27.000 22. Edward Mesa *, Cooper City, Fla., 27.000 24. Wesley Haggensen, Belleville, Ill., 26.500 25. Steve Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 26.300 26. Andrew Elkind, Cherry Hill, N.J., 26.000 27. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif., 25.250 28. Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y., 12.300 Still rings 1. Kevin Tan, Fremont, Calif., 33.350 2. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 31.850 3. Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 31.100 3. Sean Golden, Camden, N.J., 31.100 5. David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 30.700 6. David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 30.600 7. Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 30.300 8. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Philadelphia, Pa., 30.050 9. Kyle Brady, Monterey, Calif., 30.000 10. Todd Thornton, Houston, Texas, 29.800 11. Tyler Block, Kensington, Calif., 29.650 12. Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 29.600 12. Jamie Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 29.600 14. Justin Spring, Burke, Va., 29.550 15. Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 29.300 16. Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va., 29.250 16. David Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 29.250 18. Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif., 29.050 18. Wesley Haggensen, Belleville, Ill., 29.050 18. Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas, 29.050 21. Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo., 28.800 22. Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 28.350 22. Steve Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 28.350 24. Jake Lee, Saratoga Springs, Utah, 28.200 25. Danell Leyva *, Miami, Fla., 28.150 26. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill., 28.050 27. Alexy Bilozertchev *, Hilliard, Ohio, 28.000 28. Joe Catrambone, Deptford, N.J., 27.850 29. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 27.600 30. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif., 27.250 31. Edward Mesa *, Cooper City, Fla., 27.000 32. Kerry Adderly, Bethlehem, Pa., 26.500 33. Greg Stine, Houston, Texas, 14.450 34. Andrew Elkind, Cherry Hill, N.J., 14.400 35. Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y., 12.650 Vault 1. David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 32.450 2. Sean Golden, Camden, N.J., 32.350 3. Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 32.100 3. Morgan Hamm, Waukesha, Wis., 32.100 5. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 32.050 6. Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo., 31.950 6. Steve Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 31.950 6. Justin Spring, Burke, Va., 31.950 9. Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 31.750 10. Alexy Bilozertchev *, Hilliard, Ohio, 31.700 11. Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas, 31.650 12. Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y., 31.350 13. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif., 31.150 14. Clay Strother, Jasper, Texas, 31.050 15. Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 31.000 15. David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 31.000 17. Danell Leyva *, Miami, Fla., 30.850 17. Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va., 30.850 19. Todd Thornton, Houston, Texas, 30.800 20. Kerry Adderly, Bethlehem, Pa., 30.550 21. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill., 30.450 22. Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif., 30.350 23. Edward Mesa *, Cooper City, Fla., 30.300 23. Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 30.300 23. Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas, 30.300 26. David Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 29.650 27. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Philadelphia, Pa., 29.450 28. Jake Lee, Saratoga Springs, Utah, 29.200 29. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 29.150 30. Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 28.350 31. Wesley Haggensen, Belleville, Ill., 15.200 Parallel bars 1. Justin Spring, Burke, Va., 30.900 2. Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo., 30.650 3. David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 30.600 4. Kevin Tan, Fremont, Calif., 30.550 5. Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 30.400 6. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 30.300 7. Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 30.250 8. David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 30.200 9. Jamie Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 30.050 10. Andrew Elkind, Cherry Hill, N.J., 29.700 11. Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 29.650 12. Wesley Haggensen, Belleville, Ill., 29.550 13. Danell Leyva *, Miami, Fla., 29.450 14. Tyler Block, Kensington, Calif., 29.200 15. Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y., 29.050 16. Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va., 29.000 16. Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif., 29.000 18. Clay Strother, Jasper, Texas, 28.900 19. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 28.850 20. Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas, 28.800 21. Jake Lee, Saratoga Springs, Utah, 28.750 21. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Philadelphia, Pa., 28.750 23. Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 28.700 24. Alexy Bilozertchev *, Hilliard, Ohio, 28.600 25. Yewki Tomita, Tucson, Ariz., 28.500 25. Steve Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 28.500 27. Todd Thornton, Houston, Texas, 28.350 28. Edward Mesa *, Cooper City, Fla., 27.900 29. Greg Stine, Houston, Texas, 27.850 30. David Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 27.750 31. Kyle Brady, Monterey, Calif., 27.700 31. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill., 27.700 33. Joe Catrambone, Deptford, N.J., 27.550 34. Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas, 27.500 35. Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 27.400 36. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif., 26.650 37. Kerry Adderly, Bethlehem, Pa., 26.300 Horizontal bar 1. Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M., 31.000 2. David Durante, Garwood, N.J., 30.200 3. Morgan Hamm, Waukesha, Wis., 30.100 4. David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill., 29.550 5. Todd Thornton, Houston, Texas, 29.500 6. Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif., 29.400 7. Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y., 29.300 8. Danell Leyva *, Miami, Fla., 29.250 9. Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif., 29.150 9. Alexander Artemev, Lakewood, Colo., 29.150 11. Wesley Haggensen, Belleville, Ill., 28.800 12. Justin Spring, Burke, Va., 28.700 13. Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo., 28.400 14. Tyler Block, Kensington, Calif., 28.300 15. Raj Bhavsar, Houston, Texas, 28.150 16. Clay Strother, Jasper, Texas, 28.100 17. Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas, 28.000 18. Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill., 27.800 19. Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas, 27.750 20. Andrew Elkind, Cherry Hill, N.J., 27.700 21. Edward Mesa *, Cooper City, Fla., 27.550 21. Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan., 27.550 23. Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas, 27.400 24. Kevin Tan, Fremont, Calif., 27.300 24. David Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 27.300 24. Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va., 27.300 24. Taqiy Abdullah-Simmons, Philadelphia, Pa., 27.300 28. Jamie Henderson, Crosby, Texas, 27.200 29. Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif., 27.050 30. Kerry Adderly, Bethlehem, Pa., 27.000 31. Steve Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas, 26.950 32. Yewki Tomita, Tucson, Ariz., 26.850 33. Jake Lee, Saratoga Springs, Utah, 26.800 34. Joe Catrambone, Deptford, N.J., 26.750 35. Alexy Bilozertchev *, Hilliard, Ohio, 26.450 36. Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas, 25.550 37. Greg Stine, Houston, Texas, 13.250