Weekly Release #8
2/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, March 1 -- at Stanford (Palo Alto, Calif.), 7 p.m. PST
Saturday, March 15 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
What's Ahead for the Wolverines
The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (6-4) continues its 2003 schedule on the road in sunny California against the eighth-ranked Stanford Cardinal on Saturday (March 1) at 7 p.m. PST at Burnham Pavilion in Palo Alto.
Scouting the Cardinal
The Wolverines and Cardinal last met at the 2002 NCAA Championships in Norman, Okla. U-M edged the Cardinal for second place, 214.075-214.000, in the first national qualifying session and finished two spots ahead of Stanford in fourth place (215.050-212.775) in the team finals. Stanford comes into the match against the Wolverines after a dominating performance against Air Force Friday (Feb. 21), winning 211.500-195.450.
Stanford on the Web: www.gostanford.com
Recapping the Win Over the Hawkeyes
The Wolverines posted their second highest score of the season in a close 213.075-212.225 win against Iowa on Friday (Feb. 21). The Wolverines led the Hawkeyes throughout the meet, however, the meet came down to the last routine to determine a clear winner. Head coach Kurt Golder said, "It came right down to the last routine and Gerry Signorelli really came through for us. He rolled his ankle on the floor in the first event and an hour and a half later he tapes his ankle and goes out and hits the winning routine for us. That was the routine that really made the difference between a victory and a loss."
Vetere's Back on Pace
Having recovered from shoulder surgery senior captain Scott Vetere (Pennsburg, Pa./Quakertown HS) seems to be regaining his All-America form. Vetere finished in first place on the floor exercise (8.900) and the pommel horse (9.175) against Iowa on Friday (Feb. 21) and added a second-place finish on the parallel bars (8.900). Vetere also competed on the still rings for the first time this season and finished in sixth place (8.700).
Parzuchowski a Force on Still Rings
This season Conan Parzuchowski (Northville, Mich./University of Detroit HS) has been nothing short of brilliant on still rings. Parzuchowski has finished in the top five on the still rings every time he has competed this season and has finished in first place four of the six times in competition. Parzuchowski's best performance of the season came in Minneapolis, Minn., against the Gophers where he finished first with a score of 9.725. Parzuchowski finished in first place on Friday (Feb. 21) against Iowa (9.600). Along with capturing first place Parzuchowski was awarded the Newt Loken Award after the meet for his excellent performance.
Seniors Victorious in Last Home Meet
Friday night's meet against Iowa was the last home meet of the season. The meet provided a close finish in which the Wolverines edged the Hawkeyes (213.075-212.225) to secure a win to end the seniors careers at home in Cliff Keen Arena.
Conan Parzuchowski was awarded the Newt Loken Award for another great performance on the still rings (9.600). Scott Vetere captured two first-place finishes on the floor exercise (8.900) and the pommel horse (9.175) and a second-place finish on the parallel bars (8.900). Jamie Hertza (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) had a second-place finish on the floor exercise (8.850) and a fourth-place finish on the pommel horse (8.950).
Head coach Kurt Golder on winning the last meet at home for the seniors: "It was really special. You hate to see any of your seniors go out on a losing note their last meet here at Michigan. It was just perfect. I knew Iowa had a strong high bar and it was going to go into the last two events and it was going to be a nail-biter."
Freshmen Key to U-M Success
Freshman Justin Laury (Marietta, Ga./McCachern HS) continued his success this year by finishing in first place in the all-around competition (52.800) against Iowa (Feb. 21). Laury was impressive in finishing second on the pommel horse (9.100) and the still rings (9.450). Freshman Andrew DiGiore (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors School) is creating quit a resume on the vault this season. DiGiore finished in third place (9.200) against Iowa on Friday and has now placed in the top five four of the six times he has competed on the vault this season.
Luke Bottke (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) finished in fifth place on the floor exercise (8.800) to give him top-five finishes in consecutive weeks. Bottke has only competed twice this year on the floor but has been sound for the Wolverines. Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mitchell HS) was a key ingredient in the Wolverines' victory over the Hawkeyes. Signorelli injured his ankle on the first event, the floor exercise, but came back to finish strong on the horizontal bar where he took fifth place (8.800) and cemented the Maize and Blue's victory over the Hawkeyes.
Hail to the Victors
The Wolverines remained No. 5 in the new GymInfo rankings. Two Wolverines are ranked in the top ten individually: Conan Parzuchowski (still rings, tied for third), and Justin Laury (still rings, tied for ninth).
GymInfo National Rankings (2/24/03) (by Two Score Average)
Rank, Team Region Score 1. Ohio State E 218.687 2. Penn State E 218.625 3. Oklahoma W 218.062 4. California W 214.637 5. MICHIGAN E 213.700 6. Iowa E 213.462 7. Illinois E 212.825 8. Stanford W 211.800 9. Nebraska W 211.450 10. Illinois-Chicago E 208.275
Coming Up Next
The Wolverines will have a week off after Stanford before they square off against Big Ten counterpart Ohio State. The Wolverines will take on the Buckeyes Saturday, March 15 at 7 p.m. in St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Contact: Chris Kolesar (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
