Weekly Release #6
2/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 18 -- at Iowa with Illinois (Iowa City, Iowa), 7 p.m. CST
Saturday, Feb. 25 -- at Pacific Coast Classic (Oakland, Calif.), 7 p.m. PST
Looking Ahead to Iowa and Illinois
The No. 5 ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (4-4, 3-3 Big Ten) continues its Big Ten schedule as it heads to Iowa City this Saturday (Feb. 18) to take on the No. 6-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 3 ranked University of Illinois at 7 p.m. (CST) in the UI Field house North Gym. The following weekend (Feb. 25) the Wolverines travel to Oakland, California for the Pacific Coast Classic.
Scouting the Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are currently ranked sixth in the national polls. Last weekend (Feb. 12) they posted a narrow win over Nebraska with a score of 209.600. The Hawkeyes are led by senior Michael Reavis and sophomore Curtis Kleffman. Reavis, the team's top all-arounder, was the 2005 NCAA champion on the vault and is a four-time All-American. Thus far this season, Michigan topped Iowa at the Windy City Invite (Jan. 14) when the Wolverines placed third to Iowa's fourth place finish.
Last season Michigan defeated Iowa four times; twice during the regular season, again at the 2005 Big Ten Championships, and in the preliminary round of the NCAA championships. Iowa on the Web: www.hawkeyesports.com.
Sizing up the Illini
The University of Illinois is currently ranked third in the national polls. The Illini defeated Temple University last weekend (Feb. 11) in a lopsided victory by a score of 209.650-191.150 and defeated Michigan at this year's Windy City Invite. Illinois is led by senior Justin Spring and sophomore Wesley Haagensen. Spring competed for the U.S. in last October's World Championships, was the 2005 NCAA champion on parallel bars, and is a seven-time All-American. Haagensen was last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Last season, Michigan lost to Illinois three times, including at the Windy City Invite, at the Big Ten Championships, and at the NCAA Championships. Illinois on the Web: www.fightingillini.com.
Recapping the Win Over Minnesota
Michigan posted a season-high team score and notched wins on four of six events to defeat ninth-ranked Minnesota by a score of 213.800-209.150 on Saturday night (Feb. 11) in Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan surpassed its previous season-high mark (207.400) by more than six points and avenged last year's narrow loss to the Gophers in Minneapolis.
Senior Luke Bottke (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) started Michigan off on a high note by notching a 9.45 for first place on the floor exercise. Freshman Scott Bregman (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State HS) and senior Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mitchell HS) added a pair of 9.10s to tie for second place.
On the pommel horse, junior Aaron Rakes (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar HS) and freshman Phillip Goldberg (Ringgold, Ga./McCallie HS) turned in strong performances. Rakes posted an 8.40 for fourth place just ahead of Goldberg's mark of 8.30 for fifth.
Wolverine freshmen dominated the rings in the third rotation, taking three of the top four spots. Standout rookie Joe Catrambone (Deptford, N.J./Gloucester Catholic HS) grabbed first place with a clean 9.30 and a stuck dismount. Goldberg, who also stuck his dismount, showed great strength positions and was rewarded with a 9.10 for third place. Ralph Rosso (Morganville, N.J./St. John Vianney HS) rounded out the top four with a solid 9.05.
Senior Andrew DiGiore (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors School) grabbed his third victory of the season on vault by posting a 9.40. He took only a slight hop on his two and a half twisting vault. Sophomore Daniel Rais (Livonia, Mich./Franklin HS) boomed a huge double-twisting vault for a 9.25 and third place. Catrambone and junior Andrew Elkind (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) paced Michigan on the parallel bars with a tie for second place and score of 8.75.
Michigan brought the crowd to its feet several times in the final rotation on high bar with Catrambone and Signorelli tying for first place with scores of 9.50. Both featured dynamic routines, huge release moves, and stuck dismounts. Elkind added a solid 8.75 to complete the Wolverine sweep of the top three spots on the event and seal the Michigan victory.
Big Ten Championships Coming Soon
The 2006 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships will be held at the University of Iowa's Carver Hawkeye Arena on March 24-25. For more information, including ticket options, go to: Iowa's Site.
Wolverines Jump in the Rankings
The Wolverines moved up three spots to fifth place in this week's national rankings. After losses to Penn State (Jan. 21) and Oklahoma (Jan. 27), the move from eighth to fifth came on the strength of Michigan's win over Minnesota last Saturday (Feb. 11). Michigan's average score is a 207.887. Oklahoma claimed the top spot (211.800) with Ohio State (210.283) in second, Illinois (208.587) in third and Stanford (208.325) in fourth.
Individually, Bottke moved up to sixth place on the floor exercise with an average score of 9.10. DiGiore held his fourth place spot on vault with a 9.375 while Rais is ranked eighth with a 9.237.
Catrambone, the highest ranked freshman on the high bar, moved up one spot on the event to third with an average of 9.212, but fell one spot in the all around to 11th with a 50.30. Signorelli remained the Wolverines' highest ranked all-arounder in seventh place with a 51.00.
Beginning Tuesday, February 14th teams will be ranked using a modified three-score average approach which accounts for home, away, and post-season scores. GymInfo Poll on the Web: www.troester.com.
GymInfo National Rankings (2/14/2006)
1. Oklahoma 211.800 2. Ohio State 210.283 3. Illinois 208.587 4. Stanford 208.325 5. MICHIGAN 207.887 6. Iowa 207.575 7. California 207.308 8. Penn State 206.312 9. Minnesota 203.975 10. Nebraska 201.342
Contact: Justin Toman (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
