1996-1997 Season

The improvement in the MIT men's gymnastics program continued unabated in 1996-97 as the team powered its way to an 8-2 record. Included in the results were victories over long time rival Southern Connecticut State University, and Division I foes Dartmouth College and the University of Vermont. Along the road the Engineers set a team scoring record by earning a 184.0 in a meet with Vermont.

A mix of veterans and freshmen blended nicely and led to the team's success. Seniors Rob Cooper and Andy Lobban provided leadership and stellar performances. Lobban, who earned most valuable player honors, ranks first in MIT history on both the high bar (8.6/10) and parallel bars (8.8/10). Cooper holds the MIT all around record (48.85/60), and ranks in the top five scorers at MIT in four of the six events.

Regular contributers to the team in 1996-97 were freshmen Max Fischer and J.C. Olsson. Fischer is a specialist on the rings, and Olsson became a consistent high scorer in the all-around with a personal best of 46.95.

Junior Jason Miller picked up some of the slack left when Cooper was unable to compete in the all-around due to a back injusry. Miller scored a personal best of 45.7 in the six events and was a consistent performer all year.

The squad finished third in the New England Championships behind perennial powers UMass and Springfield college. The Engineers qualified for the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championship, and the team was ranked 20th in the country during the season.