Michigan
Penn State
Wolverines Fall to No. 8 Nittany Lions in Home Opener
1/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite jumping to an early lead on the floor exercise and having the top performers on three events, the No. 4 University of Michigan men's gymnastics team fell short Saturday night (Jan. 21) to No. 8 Penn State by a score of 209.40-206.45 in Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan gymnasts won the floor, vault and high bar, and senior Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mitchell HS) placed second in the all-around with a score of 51.00.
The Wolverines jumped to the early lead after a stellar team performance on the floor led by senior Luke Bottke (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS), who won the event on a stuck double-twist dismount for a 9.10. The team struggled on its second event, the pommel horse, with Signorelli, junior Aaron Rakes (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar HS) and freshman Ralph Rosso (Morganville, N.J./ St. John Vianney HS) placing third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. After two rotations the Wolverines trailed the Nittany Lions 69.90-68.15.
In the third rotation freshman standout Joe Catrambone (Deptford, N.J./Gloucester Catholic HS) paced Michigan with a 9.15 and second place on the event. Rakes followed with a solid 8.9 for fourth with Rosso in sixth on an 8.65. The vault proved to be the Wolverines' best event as senior Andrew DiGiore (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors School) and sophomore Daniel Rais (Livonia, Mich./Franklin HS) tied for first place with a pair of 9.35s. DiGiore took one small step on his signature two-and-a-half twisting vault, while Rais took only a small hop on his sky-high double-twist. After four events Michigan had cut Penn State's lead but still trailed 142.00-140.00.
In the fifth rotation Michigan struggled slightly on parallel bars, on which Signorelli turned in the team's top performance with an 8.20 and third place. Sophomore Paul Woodward (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles HS) was behind him in fifth with an 8.15. Catrambone dazzled the crowd in the night's final event, the high bar. His great in-bar work and stuck triple-back dismount earned him boisterous applause from the crowd and a 9.55, the night's highest score. Signorelli added a solid 8.75, but the Wolverines could not overcome their previous deficit, and fell to the Nittany Lions in their home opener.
The Wolverines return to action next weekend when they visit preseason No. 1 Oklahoma on Friday (Jan. 27) at 7 p.m. in Norman, Okla.
Final Team Standings
| Team Scores | FX | PH | SR | V | PB | HB | Total |
| 1. Penn State | 35.60 | 34.30 | 35.70 | 36.40 | 32.65 | 34.75 | 209.40 |
| 2. MICHIGAN | 34.60 | 33.55 | 35.15 | 36.70 | 32.15 | 34.30 | 206.45 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
FLOOR EXERCISE Joe Catrambone 8.20 Kent Caldwell 8.60 Luke Bottke 9.10 (1) Daniel Rais 8.70 Scott Bregman 8.05 Gerry Signorelli 8.05 POMMEL HORSE Andrew DiGiore 8.25 Ralph Rosso 8.30 (5) Andrew Elkind 6.65 Aaron Rakes 8.40 (4) Gerry Signorelli 8.60 (3) Paul Woodward 8.25 STILL RINGS Ralph Rosso 8.65 Andrew Elkind 8.25 Aaron Rakes 8.90 (4) Gerry Signorelli 8.40 Joe Catrambone 9.15 (2) Phillip Goldberg 8.45 VAULT Scott Bregman 8.80 Luke Bottke 9.00 Gerry Signorelli 9.00 Joe Catrambone 8.25 Daniel Rais 9.35 (1t) Andrew DiGiore 9.35 (1t) PARALLEL BAR Ralph Rosso 7.70 Paul Woodward 8.15 (5) Joe Catrambone 7.75 Andrew Elkind 7.85 Aaron Rakes 7.95 Gerry Signorelli 8.20 (3) HORIZONTAL BAR Daniel Rais 7.75 Ralph Rosso 7.35 Andrew Elkind 6.15 Aaron Rakes 8.25 Joe Catrambone 9.55 (1) Gerry Signorelli 8.75 (3) ALL-AROUND Gerry Signorelli 51.00 (2) ( ) denotes place in Top 5
Contact: Justin Toman (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
