Weekly Release #9
3/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, March 15 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
Fri.-Sat., March 28-29 -- at Big Ten Championships (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
What's Ahead for the Wolverines
The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (8-6) will take on the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday (March 15) at 7 p.m. at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This will be the last regular season meet of the season for the Maize and Blue before they return to Columbus in two weeks for the Big Ten Championships.
Looking at the Buckeyes
The Wolverines and Buckeyes have already met once this season at the Windy City Invitational (Jan.11) in Chicago, Ill. The Buckeyes got the better of the Wolverines on the way to capturing the title at the Windy City Invitational, while U-M placed two spots behind them in third. The Buckeyes posted their highest score (220.000) this season against Nebraska (Feb. 14) at home in Columbus. The Buckeyes are coming off a season low in which they lost to Minnesota 215.575-211.975.
Ohio State on the Web: www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Recapping the Wolverines' Third-Place Finish at Stanford
The seventh-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team took on No. 8 Stanford, No. 4 Cal, No. 9 Nebraska and Washington on Saturday (March 1) in Palo Alto, Calif., and the Wolverines placed third out of the five teams with a score of 211.825, their fourth best score of the season. The Wolverines had their best performance of the season on the pommel horse (35.900) on the way to their third place finish.
Parzuchowski a Strength for Wolverines on Still Rings
Senior Conan Parzuchowski (Northville, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit HS) was the Wolverines' leader on still rings (9.600) in the meet at Stanford where he finished second. Parzuchowski has been setting the pace for the Wolverines all season on still rings by posting four first-place finishes to go along with two second-place finishes. Parzuchowski is ranked fifth in the nation on the still rings (9.612).
Hertza and Peterson Threats on the Pommel Horse
Jamie Hertza (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) and Brian Peterson (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS) were the Wolverines' best on the pommel horse in California. Hertza finished with his second best performance of the season (9.200) and tied for fourth place. His best performance came at the Windy City Invitational (Jan. 11). Peterson had his best performance at Stanford (9.150). Hertza and Peterson's performances helped the Wolverines capture a season-high score for the pommel horse (35.900) in California.
Berends Having Success on the Horizontal Bar
Sophomore Brian Berends (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville HS) had a good performance for the Wolverines in California on the horizontal bar as he finished in fourth place (8.850). Berends has looked strong for the Maize and Blue all season, capturing top-five finishes five out of the six times he has competed on the horizontal bar. Berends' best performance came at the Wolverines' last home meet of the season against Iowa (Feb. 21) when he finished with a third place score of 9.000.
Hail To the Victors
The Wolverines fell one spot to No. 7 in the new GymInfo Rankings. Only one Wolverine is ranked in the top ten individually. Conan Parzuchowski (still rings, fifth).
GymInfo National Rankings (3/10/03) (by Two Score Average)
Rank, Team Region Score 1. Oklahoma W 218.662 2. Penn State E 218.275 3. Ohio State E 217.512 4. California W 213.812 5. Illinois E 213.712 6. Iowa E 213.162 7. MICHIGAN E 212.087 8. Stanford W 212.012 9. Nebraska W 210.225 10. Army E 209.437
Coming Up Next
The Wolverines will have a week off before they head back to Columbus, Ohio, for the Big Ten Championships on Friday and Saturday, March 28-29, at 7 p.m. in St. John Arena.
Contact: Chris Kolesar (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
