Michigan
Big Ten Individual Event Finals
Michigan's Rakes Wins Big Ten High Bar Title
3/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Senior Aaron Rakes (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar HS) of the University of Michigan men's gymnastics team claimed his first-ever high bar conference title Saturday (March 31) at the 2007 Big Ten Championships individual event finals. Rakes posted a career-record score of 9.475.
Rakes and junior Daniel Rais (Livonia, Mich./Franklin HS) represented the Maize and Blue on the high bar. Rakes career-best came at the perfect moment, giving him his first-ever Big Ten title. Rakes average of 9.475 is also the highest score earned on the high bar for any Wolverine in 2007. Rais finished ninth on the event with a 7.75.
The individual event finals began on the floor exercise. Sophomore Kent Caldwell (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin HS) was the lone Wolverine in the event, taking third with a 9.575. Ohio State's Eddie Hay claimed the title with a 9.825.
On the pommel horse, the Maize and Blue qualified freshman Mel Santander (Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional HS) and sophomore Ralph Rosso (Morganville, N.J./St. John Vianney HS). Santander took seventh with an 8.075, while Rosso placed ninth with a 7.300.
Rosso and senior/junior co-captain Andrew Elkind (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East HS) competed on the rings for U-M. Rosso posted a fifth place score of 9.400, while Elkind placed eighth scoring a 9.325.
Fifth-year senior co-captain Justin Laury (Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS) took seventh place on the vault with an 8.775.
Elkind rounded-out the Wolverine contingent with a fifth-place score of 8.750 on the p-bars, falling to Ohio State's D.J. Bucher, who claimed two titles on the evening.
Michigan returns to competition April 12-14 in State College, Pa., for the 2007 NCAA Championships. The competition will feature the top 12 teams in the country vying for the title of NCAA national champion, as well as the individual all-around crown and NCAA All-America status.
Big Ten Individual Event Final Results
Floor Exercise 1. Eddie Hay, Ohio State 9.825 3. Kent Caldwell, U-M 9.575 Pommel Horse 1. Kit Beikmann, Minnesota 9.125 7. Mel Santander, U-M 8.075 9. Ralph Rosso, U-M 7.300 Rings t1. D.J. Bucher, Ohio State 9.550 5. Ralph Rosso 9.400 8. Andrew Elkind, U-M 9.325 Vault 1. Tyler Yamauchi, Illinois 9.575 7. Justin Laury, U-M 8.775 Parallel Bars 1. D.J. Bucher, Ohio State 9.675 5. Andrew Elkind, U-M 8.750 High Bars 1. Aaron Rakes, U-M 9.475 9. Daniel Rais, U-M 7.775
N O T E S
The Wolverines have had at least one Big Ten individual champion since 1998 and placed at least one competitor in every event for the first-time since 2005.
Senior Aaron Rakes is U-M's 91st Big Ten Champion, including champions from trampoline and tumbling which are both discontinued.
Aaron Rakes is the Maize and Blue's first high bar champion since 2000, when Daniel Diaz-Luong claimed the title. Rakes is also the 11th high bar champion for the Wolverines since 1961.
With Aaron Rakes winning the high bar title, head coach Kurt Golder has produced 16 Big Ten individual champions. This is Rakes' first-ever title, with a career-record score of 9.475. Rakes average of 9.475 is also the highest score earned on the high bar for any Wolverine in 2007.
Fifth-year senior co-captain Justin Laury was the only Wolverine on the roster with an individual Big Ten title, heading into the 2007 Big Ten Championships individual event finals. In 2005, Laury captured the all-around title with a career-best score of 56.200.
Sophomores Kent Caldwell and Ralph Rosso along with freshman Mel Santander each competed in their first-ever Big Ten Championships individual event finals.
Senior/junior co-captain Andrew Elkind, Justin Laury and Aaron Rakes competed in their final Big Ten Championships individual event finals as Wolverines.
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
