Weekly Release #10
3/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., March 25-26 -- host Big Ten Championships (Crisler Arena)
March 25 -- Team and All-Around Finals, 7 p.m.
March 26 -- Individual Event Finals, 7 p.m.
Thu-Sat., April 7-9 -- at NCAA Championships (West Point, N.Y.)
April 7 -- National Qualifier, 1 or 7 p.m.
April 8 -- Team and All-Around Finals, 7 p.m.
April 9 -- Individual Event Finals, 7 p.m.
Looking Ahead to the Big Ten Championships
The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten) will host the 2005 Big Ten Conference Championships this Friday and Saturday, March 25-26 in Crisler Arena. The competition will begin at 7 p.m. both days, with the Team and All-Around competitions on Friday and the Individual Event Finals on Saturday.
Tickets to the event are on sale now at the Michigan Ticket Office or by phone at (734- 764-0247 or toll free 866-296-MTIX). Prices for single-day tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for senior citizens, college students with ID and children under 18. Tickets will also be on sale at Crisler Arena on the days of the competition.
U-M Big Ten Championships Page
Scouting the Big Ten
The Big Ten is the most dominant conference in men's gymnastics this year with all six of its teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. Michigan is currently ranked fifth in the country, behind No. 1 Ohio State, No. 3 Illinois and No. 4 Penn State. Iowa is in the No. 7 spot, and Minnesota is ranked at No. 10.
In the latest GymInfo national individual rankings, the Big Ten boasts the top-ranked individual in each event and the all-around. In fact, Big Ten gymnasts hold the top four rankings in the all-around, led by 2004 NCAA all-around winner Luis Vargas of Penn State, and the top seven spots on the high bar, including 2004 NCAA high bar champion Justin Spring of Illinois.
Senior co-captain Geoff Corrigan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Palmer HS) and junior Justin Laury (Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS) will lead Michigan's effort to recapture the Big Ten crown on the Wolverines' home turf. Corrigan is currently ranked sixth in the conference on high bar (9.617) and fourth on parallel bars (9.533). Laury was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2003 and is a two-time NCAA All-American.
Last Year's Big Ten Championships
In 2004 Illinois, who hosted the event, won the Big Ten championship. Penn State, who went on to win the 2004 NCAA championship, was second, followed by Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota.
Ohio State's Randy Monahan took top honors in the all-around for the second consecutive year over Illinois' Justin Spring, who went on to win the floor exercise title. Michigan's Andrew DiGiore (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors School) won his second consecutive Big Ten vaulting crown and was named a 2004 Academic All-Big Ten Team selection.
Michigan at the Big Ten Championships
Michigan last hosted the Big Ten Championships in 1998 during head coach Kurt Golder's second season, when the Wolverines placed sixth. The following two years, in 1999 and 2000, Michigan won back-to-back Big Ten titles before finishing second in 2001 and 2002 and placing fourth in 2003.
The 2000 season was arguably Michigan's best Big Ten Championship under Kurt Golder, as the Wolverines not only won the team title, but also the all-around and five of the six events. Former Wolverine gymnast and current assistant coach Scott Vetere entered the record books that year by winning the all-around and three events, a feat which ties him for third on the all time list of number of individual titles won in a single year. Since 2000, no one has been able to match Vetere's four titles in a single year.
Recapping Michigan's Loss to Ohio State
Seniors Dave Flannery (Niwot, Colo./Niwot HS) and Brian Berends (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville HS) posted career bests on parallel bars and high bar, respectively, but the No. 5-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team fell to No.1-ranked Ohio State Sunday (March 13) by a score of 226.900-218.300 at St. John Arena.
After a slow start, freshman Paul Woodward (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles HS) got Michigan going on the pommel horse with a solid routine and a score of 9.35. Andrew DiGiore followed with a 9.10 and Justin Laury topped off the first rotation with a 9.50.
Moving to the floor, junior Luke Bottke (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) continued Michigan's momentum with a 9.25. Fellow junior Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mitchell HS) was up next with a clean routine for a 9.45, followed by Laury, who posted the highest score for the Wolverines with a 9.55.
In the third rotation on vault, Bottke again led off with a solid 9.15. In his return to the lineup since recovering from an ankle injury earlier in the season, freshman Daniel Rais (Livonia, Mich./Franklin HS) notched a 9.35. DiGiore, Michigan's final vaulter of the afternoon, landed a near-flawless two-and-a-half twisting Kasamatsu vault and recorded a 9.65 to win the event.
On the rings, senior co-captain Chris Gatti (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford HS) started the Wolverines off with an 8.55, followed by an 8.70 from Signorelli. Senior Eddie Umphrey (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) recorded Michigan's highest score on the event with his trademark impeccable strength positions for a 9.65.
In the fifth rotation on high bar, senior Brian Berends led the team with a new career-best score of 9.50. Signorelli followed with a clean set for a 9.20, and sophomore Andre Hernandez (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock HS) closed out the event with a solid 9.35.
In the final rotation on parallel bars, senior Dave Flannery led off with a personal best of 8.85. Signorelli followed with a solid 8.95 and Hernandez notched the Wolverines' highest score on the event with a 9.25.
Corrigan Back in the Lineup
After sitting out Michigan's dual meet two weeks ago (March 13) against Ohio State due to a foot injury, senior co-captain Geoff Corrigan is ready to compete in the Big Ten Championships. Although he may not be competing all six events, the Wolverines will surely welcome back his presence and leadership on the competition floor.
Recapping the 2005 Regular Season
The 2005 Michigan men's gymnastics team had its share of ups and downs during the regular season enroute to a 6-6 (3-5 Big Ten) record. The Wolverines built momentum early by placing third at the Windy City Invite (Jan. 8) followed by a win against Iowa (Jan. 15). They hit their stride the next week (Jan. 22) with a historic upset of Oklahoma, who hadn't lost a regular season contest in nearly three years. Michigan notched a new record team score of 222.275 against the Sooners, only to struggle in subsequent weeks against Big Ten foes Minnesota (Feb. 12) and Penn State (Feb. 19) resulting in two consecutive losses.
The team regrouped to focus on Stanford (Feb. 26) and posted an almost seven-point margin of victory over the Cardinal. The Wolverines then headed overseas to France to take on the French National Team (March 4). The French won the match up, but the international experience Michigan gained will be valuable in the post-season. The regular season ended for the Wolverines with a loss to Ohio State (March 13) in Columbus. Michigan looks to the post season and hosting the Big Ten Championships (March 25-26) to reclaim the standard it set for itself early in the season.
GymInfo National Rankings (3/14/05)
(by three score average)
1. Ohio State 224.917 2. Oklahoma 223.483 3. Illinois 223.042 4. Penn State 221.100 5. MICHIGAN 221.017 6. California 219.958 7. Iowa 218.458 8. Stanford 217.900 9. Nebraska 216.708 10. Minnesota 216.192
Contact: Justin Toman (734) 936-8256
Players Mentioned
