Laury Wins All-Around; Michigan Places Third in Big Ten

Friday, March 25

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

Big Ten Team and All-Around Finals

Laury Wins All-Around; Michigan Places Third in Big Ten

3/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior Justin Laury (Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS) captured the all-around crown to lead the No. 4-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team to third place (222.775) at the Big Ten Conference Championships on Friday (March 25) at Crisler Arena. Ohio State claimed the team title with 225.350, while Illinois took the runner-up spot with 224.125.

Laury placed eighth on the pommel horse (9.425) on the way to his all-around victory.

Laury broke his own school record in the all-around to become just the 10th Wolverine in program history to capture the Big Ten all-around crown and the first to achieve the feat since Scott Vetere did so in 2000. Leading the U-M scorers in the pommel horse and hitting career bests in the floor exercise and parallel bars, Laury accumulated an all-around score of 56.200, improving the U-M record by 0.15 points and bettering conference runner-up Justin Spring of Illinois by 0.625.

The Wolverines battled Ohio State through the opening several rotations, leading the team race after the opening two events and again following a solid vault performance in the fourth rotation.

U-M gained the early advantage in the competition behind a record-breaking performance by junior Luke Bottke (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) in the floor exercise. The final Wolverine in the rotation, Bottke tallied a score of 9.575 to improve the U-M school record in the event -- set earlier in the season by Laury -- by 0.25 points. Laury and senior Eddie Umphrey (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva HS) also earned career-high scores, matching the previous school record of 9.55. Junior Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mitchell HS) rounded out U-M scoring in the event, opening the rotation with a 9.225, as Michigan posted a season-best 37.900 effort in the event.

On the pommel horse, freshman standout Paul Woodward (Tallahassee, Fla/Lawton Chiles HS) got the team going with a 9.30. Signorelli notched a solid 8.95 before Laury closed out the rotation on a high note with a 9.425, just .075 shy of his season best on the event. The Wolverines posted a score of 36.525 on the event.

The Wolverines carried that momentum to the rings with Umphrey matching his season best with a 9.65. Laury again closed out the event with a solid 9.40. Signorelli also added a strong 8.95 to the team score for a total of 36.80.

Michigan started the vault with authority when Bottke posted a 9.40, and freshman Daniel Rais (Livonia, Mich/Franklin HS) matched that mark with a 9.40 of his own. Umphrey and junior Andrew DiGiore (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors HS) put a stamp on the event, recording a 9.325 and 9.375, respectively. Michigan notched the top vault team total of the night with a 37.50.

U-M boasted its second season-best performance of the evening in the parallel bars behind career bests by Hernandez and Umphrey. Using clean form and explosive power, Hernandez led the Wolverines with a score of 9.40, improving his previous mark in the event by 0.15. Umphrey bettered his career parallel bars mark by 0.05 by recording a 9.20, and Laury added his second career mark of the night wtih a 9.225. The Wolverines' team score on the event was a 36.775.

In the final rotation, Michigan senior Dave Flannery (Niwot, Colo/Niwot HS) was the team's first performer and led the team with a 9.425, tying his personal best. Senior Brian Berends (Hudsonville, Mich/Hudsonville HS) followed with a 9.35, and Laury closed out the final routine of the evening with a 9.40. U-M finished with an event total of 37.275.

The Wolverines continue competition at the Big Ten Championships with the individual event finals on Saturday (March 26) at 7 p.m. Event titles on each of the six events are up for grabs with the top eight athletes on each event from Friday's competition qualifying to tomorrow's finals. Michigan qualified 11 routines into the event finals: Bottke (floor and vault), Umphrey (floor, rings, parallel bars), Laury (floor, pommel horse, parallel bars), Rais (vault), Hernandez (parallel bars) and Flannery (high bar).

Final Team Standings

Team Scores	FX	PH	SR	V	PB	HB	Total
1. Ohio State	37.900	36.750	37.475	37.150	37.300	38.775	225.350
2. Illinois	37.550	37.775	38.600	37.150	36.350	36.700	224.125
3. Michigan	37.900	36.525	36.800	37.500	36.775	37.275	222.775
4. Penn State	36.575	37.575	37.775	37.400	35.775	35.400	220.500
5. Iowa	37.050	36.900	37.425	36.900	35.025	36.500	219.800
6. Minnesota	36.375	35.850	36.675	36.825	34.900	35.775	216.400

Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores

FLOOR EXERCISE Gerry Signorelli 9.225 Daniel Rais 8.850 Eddie Umphrey 9.550 (6t) Geoff Corrigan 8.950 Justin Laury 9.550 (6t Luke Bottke 9.575 (5) POMMEL HORSE Andre Hernandez 8.850 Aaron Rakes 8.950 Paul Woodward 9.300 Geoff Corrigan 8.850 Andrew DiGiore 8.550 Justin Laury 9.425 (8) STILL RINGS Andre Hernandez 8.600 Aaron Rakes 8.800 Gerry Signorelli 8.950 Geoff Corrigan 8.400 Eddie Umphrey 9.650 (4t) Justin Laury 9.400 VAULT Luke Bottke 9.400 (5t) Daniel Rais 9.400 (5t) Geoff Corrigan 8.600 Eddie Umphrey 9.325 Justin Laury 9.300 Andrew DiGiore 9.375 PARALLEL BARS Dave Flannery 8.425 Gerry Signorelli 8.700 Eddie Umphrey 9.200 (8t) Justin Laury 9.225 (7) Andre Hernandez 9.400 (4) Geoff Corrigan 8.950 HORIZONTAL BAR Dave Flannery 9.425 (8) Gerry Signorelli 9.100 Brian Berends 9.350 Andre Hernandez 9.200 Geoff Corrigan 9.200 Justin Laury 9.300 ALL-AROUND Justin Laury 56.220 (1) Geoff Corrigan 52.950 (9)