Weekly Release #12
4/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
Thu-Sat., April 5-7 -- at NCAA Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
Thursday, April 5 -- National Qualifier, 7 p.m.
Friday, April 6 -- Team Finals, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 7 -- Individual Event Finals, 7 p.m.
Wolverines Look to Regain Team Title
The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team looks to regain the NCAA title at the 2001 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships on Thursday through Saturday (April 5-7) in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan was selected by the NCAA to compete in the second session of the national qualifying meet, which will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday (April 5) at St. John Arena on the campus of Ohio State University. The top three teams from both qualifying sessions will advance to the team finals and all-around finals are on Friday (April 6) at 7 p.m. The weekend of championship competition concludes on Saturday (April 7) at 7 p.m. with the individual event finals, where the top eight gymnasts in each event from Friday's competition will compete to be named the nation's best.
ESPN to Broadcast the Team Finals
The team finals of the 2001 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships will be broadcast tape-delayed on Saturday (April 28) at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Michigan vs. Session II Opponents
Michigan will compete in the second session of the national qualifying meet on Thursday (April 5). The Wolverines will face five other schools, including four Big Ten Conference foes. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan State, No. 7 Iowa, No. 9 Minnesota and No. 12 Stanford are the other late-session competitors.
The Wolverines have not faced Stanford this season and hold a 7-2 record against the remaining opponents. Michigan defeated Ohio State twice during the regular season (Jan. 13. Jan. 20) before falling to the Buckeyes at the Big Ten Championships (March 23). Michigan upset Michigan State in every competition this season (Jan. 13, March 16, March 23), as well as Iowa (Jan. 13, March 23). Minnesota handed the Wolverines their only loss of the regular season on Feb. 24, but Michigan outdistanced the Gophers by nearly eight points at the Big Ten Championships (March 23).
Last Year at the NCAA
The Wolverines were denied a second straight championship at the 2000 NCAA Championships as Penn State University used the final rotation to pull out of fourth place and defeat the defending national champions by a 0.125. Michigan held top team scores on four of the six events but finished last in the remaining two. The Maize and Blue holds three team championships in the 57-year history of the program (1963, '70, '99).
Zimmerman Looks to Retain His Title
Sophomore All-American Kris Zimmerman (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier HS) will defend his 2000 parallel bars title at the NCAA Event Championships on April 7. Zimmerman tied for the top spot with teammate and senior All-American Justin Toman (Wallingford, Conn./Lyman Hall HS). Toman is redshirting the season due to a knee injury sustained during the summer and will not compete at the 2001 NCAA Championships. Winning his first parallel bars title in 1999, Toman became the first Wolverine since 1992 to win a national title in any event and the first to take home a parallel bars championship since 1978.
Returning to the Spotlight
The Wolverines will return five All-Americans to the NCAA Championships, three of whom will look to continue their reign. Senior Kenny Keener (Maryville, Tenn./Maryville HS) and junior Scott Vetere (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown HS) both earned All-America distinction on the still rings, while Vetere claimed honors in the all-around. Defending parallel bars champion Kris Zimmerman was also given All-America honors, along with teammate and co-champion Justin Toman. Toman and senior Kevin Roulston (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township HS), who earned All-America honors on the floor exercise, will sit out this championship run due to injuries.
Michigan Finishes Second at Big Ten Championships
Led by a third-place all-around finish by Daniel Diaz-Luong (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt HS), the Wolverines finished second at the Big Ten Conference Championships team finals on Friday (March 23) in State College, Pa. The Wolverines scored a 216.000 but were denied their third straight team title by Ohio State (217.275). Diaz-Luong scored a 54.600 in the all-around, including a second-place finish on the high bar (9.450) and fourth on the parallel bars (8.850). Juniors Brad Kenna (Barberton, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit HS) and Scott Vetere also contributed heavily to the team's score. Kenna earned third on vault (9.200) and fourth on the floor exercise (9.300), while Vetere scored second on the parallel bars (9.150) and third on the still rings (9.550).
Vetere Claims Big Ten Parallel Bars Title
Junior Scott Vetere earned his first parallel bars championship at the individual event finals of the 2001 Big Ten Championships on March 24. Vetere finished the event in first with a score of 9.200. This award marks the fifth event title Vetere has won in the past two years. In 2000, Vetere claimed top honors on the pommel horse, still rings, vault and all-around. Vetere also competed in the 2001 event finals on the still rings, finishing second with a 9.537.
Individuals Compete in Event Finals
Six other members of the Wolverines' team competed in the individual event championships of the 2001 Big Ten Championships on March 24. Daniel Diaz-Luong finished second on the high bar (9.412), while sophomores Kris Zimmerman and Jamie Hertza (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) tied for second-place honors on the floor exercise (9.137).
Diaz-Luong also finished in fourth place on the floor exercise (9.122), still rings (9.475) and parallel bars (8.962). Sophomore Conan Parzuchowski (Northville, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit HS) took home third-place honors on the still rings (9.512) and senior Tim Dehr (Burr Ridge, Ill./Hinsdale Central HS) finished fifth on the pommel horse (8.375). Rounding out the Michigan contingent in the event finals was Brad Kenna, who competed on the floor exercise and finished with an 8.275.
Diaz-Luong and Vetere Named to All-Big Ten Team
Due to stellar performances at the Big Ten Championships, juniors Daniel Diaz-Luong and Scott Vetere were named to their third consecutive All-Big Ten team. The All-Big Ten team consists of the individual event winners and the top five all-around competitors. Diaz-Luong finished third in the all-around competition, while Vetere claimed the top spot on the parallel bars.
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 and Kenny Keener. Senior tri-captains Justin Toman and Kevin Roulston are both redshirting 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 17 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) |
Wolverines Drop to No. 3
The Wolverines dropped a spot to No. 3 in the latest national GymInfo rankings (March 26). With an NCAA Qualifying Average of 213.892, Michigan is one point behind of second-ranked Ohio State and three points behind top-ranked Oklahoma. The Wolverines continue to dominate the nation on the pommel horse, while ranking second on the floor exercise. Rounding out the separate apparatuses are fourth-place rankings on the still rings and parallel bars, sixth place on the high bar and ninth place on the vault.
GymInfo National Rankings (3/26/01)
(by NCAA Qualifying Average)
1. Oklahoma 216.342 2. Ohio State 214.825 3. MICHIGAN 213.892 4. Illinois 213.558 5. California 213.408 6. Michigan State 213.117 7. Iowa 210.842 8. Penn State 210.467 9. Minnesota 209.383 10. Massachusetts 207.083 11. Temple 205.483 12. Stanford 204.708
Individual Gymnasts Ranked Nationally
Junior Daniel Diaz-Luong leads the Wolverines in the national rankings with a first-place listing on the high bar. He is also ranked among the top 10 with a ninth-place ranking on the still rings. Holding two fourth-place rankings on the still rings and parallel bars is fellow junior Scott Vetere. Vetere also holds a ninth-place spot on the pommel horse, and sophomore Kris Zimmerman is ranked fourth in the all-around. Tim Dehr and Brad Kenna round out the Wolverines ranked in the top 10, with Dehr fifth in the pommel horse and Kenna seventh on the floor exercise.
Contact: Valerie Perkin, Louis Levine (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
