Weekly Release #9
2/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, March 3 -- at Stanford (Palo Alto, Calif.), 7 p.m. PST
Saturday, March 10 -- vs. Illinois (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
This Week: No. 5 Stanford
The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (11-3, 7-0 Big Ten) continues action on the west coast, facing No. 5 Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., on Saturday (March 3). The meet begins at 7 p.m. PST at Burnham Pavilion. The last time the Wolverines competed at the Burnham Pavilion was in 2004 at the Stanford Invitational. Out of the five participating teams, U-M placed third; Stanford took second.
Scouting the Opponent
A look at the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal: The Cardinal are currently 4-0 in dual-meets this season and recently defeated then No.9-ranked California, 214.45-210.55. Stanford is currently ranked in the top five in all of the events except for its No. 7-ranking in the parallel bars. The Maize and Blue faced Stanford earlier this season in the Pacific Coast Classic, where the Cardinal finished second, while the Wolverines placed fourth out of six teams.
Under Head Coach Thom Glielmi: Coach Glielmi, the 2006 NCAA West Region Coach of the Year, is now in his fifth season as the head coach of the Stanford Cardinal. During his tenure with the Cardinal, he has coached eight individual NCAA Champions and 25 All-Americans. Last season, Glielmi lead Stanford to a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships -- its highest finish in ten years. For more information on Stanford athletics, visit www.gostanford.com.
Last Week: U-M Finishes Fourth at Pacific Coast Classic
The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team took fourth place at the 2007 Pacific Coast Classic at the Oakland Convention Center Saturday (Feb. 24) with a total of 214.400 points. For the second year in a row, Oklahoma finished first (218.450), while Stanford took second (216.650) and California finished third (214.750). The Maize and Blue tallied six top-five finishes in four different events.
The Chance to Beat the Best
The Wolverines have faced some of the nation's best squads this season. Ten of U-M's 11 victories this season have come against ranked opponents. The road to success has been narrow, however, as Michigan has slid past tough opponents such as then-ranked No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 2 Penn State and No. 7 Minnesota by a total of 4.850 points. The most significant win for Michigan came on Feb. 3, 2007, when U-M defeated No. 2 Penn State by 0.950 points, marking the first time Michigan has won in State College, Pa., since Feb. 3, 2001. The smallest margin of victory came against then No. 7-ranked Minnesota. The Wolverines had to overcome a 1.05 point deficit in the final rotation to defeat the Gophers by 0.300 points.
NCAA Top 20 Averages (through 2/27/07)
Floor Exercise 2. Kent Caldwell (9.683) 3. Scott Bregman (9.617) 9. Ralph Rosso (9.383) 11. Jamie Thompson (9.333) 17. Daniel Rais (9.233)2007 GymInfo Rankings (2/27/07)
Pommel Horse 2. Justin Laury (9.133) 7. Mel Santander (8.917) 8. Paul Woodward (8.900) t19. Andrew Elkind (8.700)
Rings 2. Ralph Rosso (9.633) 4. Andrew Elkind (9.517) 12. Aaron Rakes (9.400)
Vault t9. Daniel Rais (8.933)
Parallel Bars 1. Andrew Elkind (9.583) 4. Justin Laury (9.467) 14. Torrance Laury (9.167)
High Bar 3. Joe Catrambone (9.300) 5. Andrew Elkind (9.267) 8. Justin Laury (9.200) 12. Aaron Rakes (9.167)
After a fourth-place finish at the Pacific Coast Classic with a total of 214.400, Michigan remains ranked No. 1 in the GymInfo rankings with a total season average of 218.717. This is U-M's sixth-straight week on top of the rankings after starting the season ranked No. 8.
Rank, Team Total Season Average 1. MICHIGAN 218.717 2. Penn State 216.033 3. Oklahoma 216.583 4. Ohio State 215.550 5. Stanford 213.583 6. Illinois 211.433 7. California 210.900 8. Minnesota 209.467 9. Iowa 204.850 10. Nebraska 204.483 11. Army 203.900 12. Temple 201.283 13. Navy 198.000 14. Illinois-Chicago 197.650 15. William & Mary 192.217 16. Springfield 186.500 17. Air Force Academy 184.867 18. M.I.T. 178.667 19. James Madison 162.117On the Horizon
The Wolverines return home to host Illinois Saturday, March 10, in U-M's final home meet of the season in Cliff Keen Arena. Action begins at 7 p.m.
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
