Weekly Release #6
2/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Saturday, Feb. 19 -- at Penn State (Bryce Jordan Center.), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26 -- vs. Stanford (Cliff Keen Arena), 1 p.m.
Looking Ahead to Penn State
The No. 4 ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (5-3, 3-3 Big Ten) continues its Big Ten schedule and heads to State College, Pa. this Saturday (Feb. 19) to take on the No. 5-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center at 7 p.m. The competition will be in double-dual format, also featuring a women's meet between the Penn State and George Washington University.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State is the defending 2004 NCAA Team Champion. They are led by the 2004 NCAA All-Around Champion Luis Vargas, who is currently first in the national rankings in the all-around (56.225), just ahead of Michigan's Justin Laury (55.500). Most recently, the Nittany Lions posted a 221.35 at Illinois (Feb. 12), but lost to the defending 2004 Big Ten Champion Illini.
Last season the Wolverines prevailed over Penn State in their regular season dual competition, however the Nittany Lions went on to place second in the Big Ten before winning the NCAA Championships.
Recapping the Narrow Loss to Minnesota
Junior Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mitchell HS) notched a career-best all-around total of 53.925, but the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team lost a closely contested battle to No. 9-ranked Minnesota by a score of 216.050-215.925 Saturday (Feb. 12) at the Sports Pavilion. The last time Michigan lost to the Gophers was Feb. 24, 2001.
Signorelli led the Wolverines and grabbed second in the all-around with consistent scores across the board, including a 9.10 on high bar for third place and an 8.85 on parallel bars and 9.25 on floor exercise for a pair of second-place finishes.
Senior co-captain Geoff Corrigan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Palmer HS) placed third on rings with a 9.275 and first on parallel bars with a 9.40. Corrigan also placed fourth in the all-around with a 52.825. Fellow senior co-captain Chris Gatti (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford HS) led the Wolverines on high bar with a 9.25 and a tie for first place.
Senior Eddie Umphrey (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) showed his consistency with a 9.45 for second place on rings and a 9.325 and 9.0 on vault and floor, respectively, for fourth place in each. Junior Justin Laury (Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS) notched second place on pommel horse with a score of 9.55, just ahead of sophomore Aaron Rakes (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar HS), who scored a 9.05 to place third.
Big Ten Championships on TV
The 2005 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships, which will be held at Michigan's Crisler Arena on March 25-26, will be televised on College Sports Television (CSTV), the home of Big Ten Championships. The taped broadcast of the championships is scheduled to air on Wednesday, March 30th, at 9 p.m. (ET).
Wolverines Ranked Nationally
In this week's updated national rankings, Justin Laury holds several top-ten spots, including his first-place ranking on high bar (9.467). He is ranked sixth on vault (9.383), ninth on parallel bars (9.125), and second in the all-around (55.50).
Geoff Corrigan also remains atop the rankings. He continues to be one of the nation's best parallel bar workers, currently tied for second (9.425), and he is ranked fifth in the all-around (54.112). Eddie Umphrey rounds out Michigan's top-ten ranked athletes, taking the fifth spot on vault (9.392).
GymInfo National Rankings (2/14/05)
(by season average)
1. Illinois 221.525 2. Ohio State 220.320 3. Oklahoma 219.306 4. MICHIGAN 218.906 5. Penn State 218.256 6. Iowa 215.650 7. California 214.758 8. Stanford 214.583 9. Minnesota 213.825 10. Army 210.625
Contact: Justin Toman (734) 936-8256
Players Mentioned
