Weekly Release #6
2/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, Feb 18 -- vs. Oklahoma and Massachusetts (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 1 p.m. CST
No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 10 UMass Visit for BMG Showdown
The University of Michigan men's gymnastics program will be hosting its annual BMG Showdown event on Sunday (Feb. 18) when the No. 3-ranked Wolverines host top-ranked Oklahoma and No. 10 Massachusetts. The meet will begin at 1 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena. Admission is free.
The event is being sponsored by BMG Entertainment. Free CDs will be given out to the first 500 fans. Various other prizes will be given away throughout the meet, including an autographed Vertical Horizon poster and autographed Foo Fighters CD booklets.
Scouting the Sooners
Oklahoma comes into the meet ranked as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation ... The Sooners opened their season with a first-place finish at the Rocky Mountain Open (Jan. 19-20) ... They followed that up with two more winning weekends before taking a week off from team competition while members competed at the Winter Cup Challenge (Feb. 9-10) ... The Sooners hold the highest NCAA men's team score of the season with a 215.550 from a win over Iowa (Feb. 3) ... Oklahoma on the Web: www.soonersports.com.
Meeting the Minutemen
Massachusetts enters this week's meet ranked 10th ... The Minutemen opened their season with a win at the UMass Open ... Even without former standout and All-American Jeff LaVallee, the Minutemen have a strong lineup. The squad boasts eight seniors, including Andrew Leis, who is ranked among the top 20 in the all-around national rankings ... UMass is looking to capture its third consecutive ECAC championship title ... UMass on the Web: www.umassathletics.com.
Viva Las Vegas!!
Four Wolverines competed at the Winter Cup Challenge on Feb. 9-10 in Las Vegas, Nev. Representing the Wolverines were senior Tim Dehr (Burr Ridge, Ill./Hinsdale Central HS), juniors Daniel Diaz-Luong (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt HS) and Brad Kenna (Barberton, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit HS) and sophomore Kris Zimmerman (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier HS).
Dehr competed as a specialist on the pommel horse and finished second, while the remaining three competed in the all-around preliminaries and advanced to the final round. Zimmerman claimed the highest spot for the Wolverines in the two-day event, finishing sixth overall, with Diaz-Luong and Kenna placing 17th and 21st, respectively.
All-Around the Winter Cup
Daniel Diaz-Luong, Brad Kenna and Kris Zimmerman competed in the all-around preliminaries of the Winter Cup on Feb. 9. All three advanced to the final round by placing within the top 36 competitors. Kenna finished in fourth place in the prelims with a 51.000, Zimmerman claimed sixth (50.750) and Diaz-Luong finished eighth (50.650). Of the 39 challengers in the second session, the Wolverines swept the 1-2-3 positions.
"Dehr" to be Good
Tri-captain Tim Dehr competed as a pommel horse specialist in the Winter Cup Challenge individual event finals on Feb. 9. Finishing with an 8.600 on the apparatus, Dehr claimed a tie for second place.
Zimmerman Places Sixth
Kris Zimmerman scored an 8.300 or higher on all six events to take home sixth-place honors at the Winter Cup all-around finals on Feb. 10 with a final total of 51.450. Zimmerman placed within the top 10 on four events -- fifth on vault (9.000), sixth on high bar (8.600) and ninth on both pommel horse (8.300) and still rings (8.700).
Duo Performs Well on Day 2
Rounding out the Wolverine contingent at the Winter Cup all-around finals were Daniel Diaz-Luong and Brad Kenna. Diaz-Luong claimed 17th place (47.875), including a second-place finish on the pommel horse with an 8.650. Kenna finished 21st with a 47.375. Contributing to his overall score were three top-10 finishes -- third on vault (9.075), seventh on still rings (8.850) and 10th on parallel bars (8.500).
Why the Scores Are Lower
The International Federation de Gymnastique (FIG) revamped the rules immediately following the 2000 Olympic Games and the requirements for routine construction have changed dramatically. Because many skills have become devalued it has become much harder to achieve the high scores that were so common in previous years.
Season Leaders
Several members of the Wolverines' squad are putting their mark on the season records. The Jan. 26 meet against Illinois proved to be a record-setting meet for the Wolverines, as the season bests for all events were impacted during that meet. Scott Vetere, who already holds six of the seven school records, holds four of the 2001 season bests for the Wolverines. Kevin Roulston follows closely on Vetere's heels with three season highs of his own.
| Event | Gymnast | Score | Opponent (Date) |
| Floor Exercise | Kevin Roulston | 9.100 | vs. Illinois (Jan. 26) |
| Pommel Horse | Scott Vetere | 9.400 | vs. Ohio State (Jan. 20) |
| | | | vs. Illinois (Jan. 26) |
| Still Rings | Scott Vetere | 9.250 | vs. Illinois (Jan. 26) |
| Vault | Brad Kenna | 9.150 | vs. Ohio State (Jan. 20) |
| | Kevin Roulston | 9.150 | vs. Illinois (Jan. 26) |
| Parallel Bars | Scott Vetere | 9.150 | vs. Illinois (Jan. 26) |
| High Bar | Scott Vetere | 9.400 | vs. Illinois (Jan. 26) |
| All-Around | Kevin Roulston | 52.150 | vs. Illinois (Jan. 26) |
For the First Time
The Wolverines are making an impact on the nation this season and experiencing a lot of firsts. For the first time in the 31-year history of the Windy City Invitational, the Wolverines took home the title on Jan. 13 with a total score of 207.550. Michigan succeeded in setting another team first one week later when they faced Ohio State University. For the first time in Kurt Golder's tenure at Michigan, the Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes in a dual meet, 215.500-210.400.
Wolverines Slip to No. 3
After a week off from team competition, the Wolverines moved down one position to the No. 3 spot in the GymInfo national rankings. This is only the second time since the Jan. 24, 2000, poll that the Wolverines have not been on the top of the list. Michigan continues to lead the nation on the pommel horse and remains in the top five on the other events -- third on the parallel bars, fourth on the vault and fifth on the floor exercise, still rings and high bar.
Big Ten teams hold seven of the top nine spots in the team rankings -- No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Michigan State, No. 5 Illinois, No. 7 Iowa, No. 8 Minnesota and No. 9 Penn State. Throughout January, the national rankings were based on the single highest meet score for each team. Starting this month the rankings are based upon the highest two-meet average, before moving to the Regional Qualifying Average by mid-March.
GymInfo National Rankings (2/12/01)
(by Highest Two-Meet Average)
1. Oklahoma 214.575 2. Ohio State 214.125 3. MICHIGAN 212.500 4. Michigan State 210.887 5. Illinois 210.325 6. California 209.700 7. Iowa 207.812 8. Minnesota 207.737 9. Penn State 206.925 10. Massachusetts 204.700
Individual Gymnasts Ranked Nationally
The Wolverines boast several gymnasts in the national rankings on the individual apparatuses. Scott Vetere leads Michigan with a third-place ranking on the pommel horse. Tim Dehr and Daniel Diaz-Luong are also named in the top 10 on this event, listed in fifth and ninth, respectively. Vetere is also ranked ninth on the still rings.
The parallel bars boasts the most Wolverines in the top 10, with Vetere in fifth, followed by Dehr, Brad Kenna and Diaz-Luong, ranked eighth through 10th, respectively. Vetere and Diaz-Luong are tied for fifth on the high bar, with Kris Zimmerman right behind them in seventh.
Contact: Valerie Perkin (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
