Weekly Release #9
3/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., March 19-20 -- at Big Ten Championships (Champaign, Ill), 7 p.m. CST
Fri-Sun., April 2-4 -- at NCAA Championships (Champaign, Ill.)
What's Ahead for the Wolverines
The No. 7-ranked Michigan men's gymnastics team (8-5) travels to the Big Ten Conference Championships this Friday and Saturday (March 19-20) at the University of Illinois' Huff Hall in Champaign, Ill. The Wolverines placed fourth in the conference in 2003 and look to improve this year, coming off a win over rival Ohio State last weekend (March 13). Michigan won the Big Ten title in 1999 and 2000, and placed second in 2001 and 2002.
Scouting the Big Ten
The Big Ten is arguably the strongest conference in the country for men's gymnastics. Five of the top seven teams in the nation are from the Big Ten: Illinois (1), Ohio State (3), Penn State (4), Iowa (6) and Michigan (7). All will be vying for top honors this weekend. Penn State is the defending 2003 Big Ten champion.
Recapping the Win Over the Buckeyes
No. 7-ranked Michigan upset Big Ten Conference rival Ohio State on Saturday (March 13) at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines outscored the No. 3 Buckeyes 219.725-219.450.
Michigan got off to a strong start in the first rotation on the floor exercise led by sophomores Luke Bottke (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) and Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mitchell HS), who tied for first place on the event with a new Michigan record of 9.45. Geoff Corrigan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Palmer HS) followed closely with a 9.20 and a fourth-place finish.
The Wolverines struggled on pommel horse in the second rotation, but sophomore Justin Laury (Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS) turned in a clutch performance, scoring a 9.60 and claiming the first-place spot. After two rotations Michigan held a slight lead over Ohio State with a score of 72.850-72.475.
In the third rotation Michigan showed its strength on the rings, led by Eddie Umphrey's (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) 9.55 for second place and Corrigan's 9.25 for sixth place. The Wolverines took their momentum to the vault where 2003 NCAA champion Andrew DiGiore (Buffalo, NY/City Honors School) landed well for a 9.575 and second place, slightly ahead of Umphrey and Corrigan, who scored 9.275 and 9.25, respectively, for third- and fourth-place finishes. Despite these high scores, Michigan trailed Ohio State by a score of 147.300-146.575 with two rotations to go.
In the fifth rotation Michigan posted its highest team total on parallel bars this season with a 35.75, tying the school record. The Wolverines stayed consistent on the event that has plagued them up to this point, with Umphrey leading the way with a 9.00 and a third-place finish. With one event to go, Michigan still trailed Ohio State by a full point.
In the final rotation Michigan moved to the high bar and Ohio State finished on the parallel bars. Sophomore Dave Flannery (Niwot, Colo./Niwot HS) started the Wolverines off with a solid hit routine and a score of 8.95, while the Buckeyes struggled on parallel bars. The rest of the Michigan high bar squad responded, taking the top three spots on the event. Freshman Aaron Rakes (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar HS) set a new personal best with a 9.60 and first place, redshirt freshman Andre Hernandez (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock HS) brought the crowd to its feet with a 9.55 and second place, and Justin Laury, despite a fall, clinched the Wolverine victory with a 9.20 and third place.
Records Are Made to be Broken
Several Michigan team and individual records were matched or beaten in last weekend's win over Ohio State at Cliff Keen Arena. The Michigan floor team beat the previous high mark of 36.90 by scoring a 37.15. The vaulting and high bar squads also set a team high marks. The previous team record on vault of 37.275 was topped by a score of 37.325 and the previous high bar record of 36.850 was surpassed with a score of 37.40. A new overall team record was also set as the Wolverines scored a 219.725 to beat their previous high of 218.225 set at Oklahoma (Feb. 21).
Individually, Gerry Signorelli bested the team floor record held by Brad Kenna (2002). Signorelli's career high of 9.45 edged out Kenna's 9.40. Justin Laury set a career high and tied the team record on the pommel horse by notching a 9.60. Aaron Rakes also scored a career best and came close to setting a record of his own on the high bar with a 9.60. He fell slightly short of Daniel Diaz-Luong's (2002) score of 9.612.
Signorelli Debuts the "Signorelli"
Sophomore Gerry Signorelli debuted a new skill on the high bar in Saturday's (March 13) win over Ohio State. The skill, which is tentatively being called a "Signorelli," is a "stalder hop-full spin-to-elgrip" and has a difficulty rating of "E." To be officially named and recorded in the International Gymnastics Federation Code of Points, the skill must be performed successfully in an international competition.
Hernandez Back in the Lineup
Redshirt freshman Andre Hernandez made a successful return to the Michigan lineup and helped his team to a win against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Hernandez, who had not competed since Feb. 6 because of a knee injury, reminded everyone why he is one of Michigan's most consistent performers. He competed on four events (no floor or vault), placing seventh on pommel horse (8.30), seventh on rings (8.80), fifth on parallel bars (8.90) and second on high bar (9.55).
Not-So-Senior Night
Traditionally, the last home competition of every season is Senior Night as a team says a final goodbye to its senior members. It may have seemed to some spectators in attendance at last Saturday's (March 13) meet that such a sendoff was forgotten before the Wolverines took on the Buckeyes. That was not the case, however, as this year's Michigan squad is unique in that it has no seniors. Captain Chris Gatti (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford HS) is in his fourth year with the team, but due to a medical redshirt he took last year, he will be back for a fifth year in the 2005 season.
Recapping the 2004 Regular Season
The 2004 Michigan men's gymnastics team has had its share of ups and downs throughout the season. Injuries and inconsistencies have inevitably arisen along with the record performances and come-from-behind victories. The team finished the regular season with an 8-5 (6-3 Big Ten) record and ranks seventh in the GymInfo National Poll. Below are the team season highs.
| Event | Score | Date | Opponent | Site |
| Team | 219.725 | 3/13/04 | Ohio State | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Floor | 37.15 | 3/13/04 | Ohio State | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Pommel Horse | 36.80 | 2/21/04 | Oklahoma | Norman, Okla. |
| Rings | 36.70 | 2/21/04 | Oklahoma | Norman, Okla. |
| Vault | 37.325 | 3/13/04 | Ohio State | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Parallel Bars | 35.75 | 3/13/04 | Ohio State | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| High Bar | 37.40 | 3/13/04 | Ohio State | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
GymInfo National Rankings (3/15/04)
(by Three-Score Average)
Rank, Team Score 1. Illinois 220.708 2. Oklahoma 220.342 3. Ohio State 217.983 4. Penn State 217.983 5. California 217.367 6. Iowa 217.083 7. MICHIGAN 216.017 8. Nebraska 213.417 9. Stanford 212.750 10. Illinois-Chicago 212.042
Quoting Head Coach Kurt Golder
On the significance of the win over Ohio State ... "It was the greatest come-from-behind victory in my 30-year coaching career. To be a point and a half down going into the last event and pull out the win was just unbelievable. It'll give our guys some confidence and incentive and it's a good springboard victory to build off of going into the championship portion of the season."
On heading into the Big Ten Championships ... "It's a fine balancing act because the bigger meet is the NCAA Championships that lie two weeks down the road. It's a balance of putting the strongest lineup you can on the floor but protecting some of the guys that have some health issues so that we can use them at their peak at the NCAAs. That's the hardest thing to decipher right now."
Contact: Justin Toman, Matt Godfrey (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
