Weekly Release #11

Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., March 23-24 -- at Big Ten Championships (State College, Pa.)
Thu-Sat., April 5-7 -- at NCAA Championships (Columbus, Ohio)

What's Ahead for the Wolverines
The University of Michigan men's gymnastics team will travel to State College, Pa., to take on Big Ten Conference foes and defend its title at the Big Ten Championships. The two-day event will pit Michigan against six of the top teams in the nation. The competition will kick off Friday (March 23) at 7 p.m. at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State University with the team competition and all-around finals. The top individuals from Friday's competition will compete for the individual event titles at 7 p.m. on Saturday (March 24).

Last Year at the Big Ten
The Wolverines dominated the competition at the 2000 Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Mich., as they took six of the seven individual titles, en route to their second straight Big Ten title. Scott Vetere (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown HS) led the Wolverines with event titles on the pommel horse, still rings, vault and all-around. Kris Zimmerman (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier HS) and Daniel Diaz-Luong (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt HS) rounded out the Wolverines' winning ways, earning firsts on the parallel bars and high bar, respectively.

Wolverines Look to Retain Team Title
Michigan looks to retain the Big Ten team title for the third consecutive year. No Big Ten team has won three straight titles since Minnesota won successive titles in 1990-92. The Wolverines hold 14 team titles and owns the second longest streak of championships with six in a row from 1961-66. Minnesota won 11 straight from 1950-60.

Vetere Looks for a Repeat
Junior Scott Vetere is looking for his second consecutive all-around title at the Big Ten Championships. Vetere dominated the competition last year, winning with a score of 53.700. Vetere is the first Wolverine since 1975 to win the all-around title and aims to be the first since Rick McCurdy (1969-70-71) to repeat as champion. Vetere also holds the 2000 individual event titles on the pommel horse, still rings and vault. He holds the first Michigan pommel horse title since 1976, when Chuck Ventura claimed first.

Zimmerman and Diaz-Luong Going for Two
Kris Zimmerman and Daniel Diaz-Luong both aim to retain the titles they claimed during the 2000 Big Ten Championships. Zimmerman took home the top honor on the parallel bars, while Diaz-Luong broke an 11-year Michigan drought in the high bar by winning the apparatus title.

Three Repeat Titles on the Line
Michigan has held the parallel bars individual event title for the past three years. Justin Toman (Wallingford, Conn./Lyman Hall HS) won the title in back-to-back years (1998-99), while Kris Zimmerman claimed the top honor in 2000.

The Wolverines will be shooting for their third straight titles on the still rings and vault. Kenny Keener (Maryville, Tenn./Maryville HS) earned first-place honors on the still rings in 1999, while Scott Vetere won the title in 2000. Vetere also won the vault in 2000, following Daniel Diaz-Luong, who claimed the title in 1999.

Michigan vs. Conference Opponents
The Wolverines hold a 9-1 record over Big Ten Conference opponents this season. Michigan notched victories over Illinois, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State and Minnesota at the Windy City Invitational (Jan. 13), before defeating Ohio State (Jan. 20) and Illinois (Jan. 26) in back-to-back home meets. Michigan traveled to Penn State (Feb. 3) and outlasted the Nittany Lions, before falling on the road to Minnesota (Feb. 24). Michigan concluded Big Ten action with a home victory over Michigan State on March 16.

The Hunted Wolverines
By holding the team title for two straight years, the Wolverines have become a marked team. The remaining six teams that host a men's gymnastics program will vie for a chance to dethrone the reigning champs. The Big Ten holds seven of the top nine spots in the national team rankings. Behind the No. 2-ranked Wolverines are No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Illinois, No. 7 Iowa, No. 8 Minnesota and No. 9 Penn State.

Every team can pose a threat to the Maize and Blue, including Michigan State, which narrowly fell to the Wolverines on March 16, but moved up four spots in the national rankings. Michigan must also be wary of Minnesota, which handed the Wolverines their only defeat of the season. Host Penn State is the defending national champion, having dethroned Michigan by 0.125 last year.

Michigan Closes Home Season with Defeat of Spartans
The Wolverines defeated Michigan State 215.525-215.000 on Friday (March 16) at Crisler Arena to close the regular season. The Wolverines pulled out a victory in the final rotation to win the decision. Leading the Wolverines was junior Daniel Diaz-Luong, who took first in the all-around. Contributing to his total score of 53.650 were a first-place finish on the high bar (9.250) and second on the still rings (9.500). Also producing for the Maize and Blue was sophomore Kris Zimmerman, who completed the night with a first-place finish on the high bar (9.250) and two second-place finishes, on the floor exercise (9.100) and vault (9.100).

Michigan Says Goodbye to Senior Class
The Wolverines said farewell to three seniors during the March 16 meet against Michigan State, as it marked the final home appearance by Jesse Coleman (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Canton HS), tri-captain Tim Dehr (Burr Ridge, Ill./Hinsdale Central HS) and Kenny Keener. Senior tri-captains Justin Toman and Kevin Roulston (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township HS) are both red-shirting the season after suffering injuries and will compete for the Wolverines during the 2002 season.

Vetere Standing Strong for the Maize and Blue
Junior Scott Vetere earned the fourth Big Ten Gymnast of the Week award of his career and the second of the season on Feb. 18. Michigan's 2000 co-Male Athlete of the Year and 2000 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year has already gained one weekly honor (Jan. 31) and holds 16 first-place titles. Vetere, who already holds six of the seven school records, holds six of the 2001 season bests for the Wolverines.

Pommel Horse	9.525	vs. Michigan State (March 16)
Still Rings	9.650	vs. Oklahoma/UMass (Feb. 18) vs. Michigan State (March 16)
Vault	9.550	at Spanish National Team (March 3) vs. Michigan State (March 16)
Parallel Bars	9.250	vs. Oklahoma/UMass (Feb. 18) vs. Michigan State (March 16)
High Bar	9.525	vs. Oklahoma/UMass (Feb. 18)
All-Around	54.600	vs. Oklahoma/UMass (Feb. 18)

Freshman Sets Career High with MSU
Michigan's lone freshman, Chris Gatti (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford HS) competed in a career-high four events at Michigan State on March 10. Performing on the floor exercise (7.750), still rings (8.400), vault (8.250) and high bar (7.150), Gatti tied his career high on the still rings and set a new high in his first time on the floor exercise. Gatti continued his success a week later (March 16) when the Spartans paid a visit to Ann Arbor and Crisler Arena. He set a new personal Michigan high on the still rings, with an 8.600.

Wolverines Remain at No. 2
For the fourth consecutive week, the Wolverines are ranked as the No. 2 team in the nation. With a two-score average of 214.637, Michigan is nearly a point ahead of third-ranked Michigan State. The Wolverines continue to dominate the nation on the pommel horse, while ranking second on the parallel bars. Rounding out the separate apparatuses are a fourth-place ranking on the vault, fifth on the still rings and high bar and seventh on the floor exercise.

GymInfo National Rankings (3/19/01)
(by Highest Two-Score Average)

 1. Oklahoma 215.650 2. MICHIGAN 214.637 3. Michigan State 213.700 4. Ohio State 213.600 5. Illinois 213.250 6. California 213.150 7. Iowa 210.837 8. Minnesota 209.675 9. Penn State 208.562 10. Massachusetts 206.600

Individual Gymnasts Ranked Nationally
Junior Scott Vetere continues to be ranked among the top national 10, sitting fourth on the pommel horse and parallel bars as well as seventh on the still rings. Sophomore Kris Zimmerman is also ranked among the nation's elite, named fourth in the all-around and sixth on the high bar. Tim Dehr and Daniel Diaz-Luong are tied for the ninth ranking on the pommel horse, while Diaz-Luong is also ninth on the high bar. Sophomore Jamie Hertza (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) cracked the top 10, ranked eighth on the pommel horse. Rounding out the Wolverines in the top 10 is junior Brad Kenna, who is ranked fifth on the parallel bars, seventh in the all-around and eighth on the floor exercise.