Weekly Release #10

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, March 10 -- vs. Illinois (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 17 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.

This Week: Welcome Back
The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (12-3, 7-0 Big Ten) returns to Ann Arbor -- after being on the road since Feb. 3 -- to host No. 6 Illinois at 7 p.m. in Cliff Keen Arena. The two teams met earlier this season at the Windy City Invitational, with U-M finishing in first place (212.750) and Illinois taking second (209.750).

Scouting the Opponent
A look at the No. 6 Illinois Fighting Illini: The Fighting Illini are currently ranked No. 6 in the nation according to the GymInfo Rankings; Illinois began its season ranked sixth in the preseason coaches poll. Illinois is coming off a season-high point total victory of 214.950-209.500 over No. 9-ranked Iowa. The Fighting Ilini finished second in last years NCAA mens gymnastics championships, and have one national champion, three All-Americans, and 10 letterwinners back from last year. Five newcomers complete the Illini lineup.

Under Head Coach Yoshi Hayasaki: Coach Hayasaki, a former National and Big Ten Coach of the Year, is in his 31st season as the head coach of the Illinois mens gymnastics team. Hayasakis coaching career is filled with multiple honors and awards, including five Big Ten titles and one NCAA crown. Most recently, Coach Hayasaki led the Illini to a second-place finish in both the Big Ten and NCAA in 2006, placing second behind Oklahoma by less than half a point, and collectively taking 14 All-American honors. For more information on Illinois athletics, please visit http://fightingillini.cstv.com.

Last Week: U-M Downs No. 5 Stanford
The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team defeated No. 5-ranked Stanford 212.350-208.100 Saturday (March 3) in Burnham Pavilion. U-M was led by senior/junior co-captain Andrew Elkind's (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East HS) first-place finishes in the high bar (9.250) and parallel bars (9.700). The Wolverines led the entire meet, capturing three individual first place finishes and four out of six team event titles. The Maize and Blue boosted their duel meet record to 4-0; Stanford dropped to 2-1.

Keep The Titles Comin'
Senior/junior Adrew Elkind increased his individual title count to seven this year after grabbing the p-bars and high bar event crowns against Stanford. Sophomore Kent Caldwell (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin HS) added one more floor title to his name, boosting his count to four on the season.

Marketing and Promotions
Elementary School Night
Alumni Night
Senior Night
Greek Night
Faculty Night
Boy Scout Night
Girl Scout Night
Kids Go Blue Club Night
Poster Giveaway
Schedule Card Giveaway
Handstand Contest
Post-meet Autographs

The Chance to Beat the Best
The Wolverines have faced some of the nation's best squads this season. Eleven of U-M's 12 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.

Wolverines Sitting on Top of the Nation
NCAA Top 20 Averages (through 2/27/07)

Floor Exercise 2. Kent Caldwell (9.683) 3. Scott Bregman (9.617) 11. Jamie Thompson (9.400) 12. Ralph Rosso (9.383) 16. Daniel Rais (9.300) Pommel Horse  3. Justin Laury (9.133) 9. Mel Santander (8.917) 11. Paul Woodward (8.917) Rings 3. Ralph Rosso (9.633) 8. Andrew Elkind (9.517) 15. Aaron Rakes (9.400) Vault 11. Daniel Rais (8.933) 20. Scott Bregman (8.867) Parallel Bars 1. Andrew Elkind (9.667) 5. Justin Laury (9.467) 14. Mel Santander (9.200) 16. Torrance Laury (9.167) High Bar 3. Andrew Elkind (9.317) t5. Joe Catrambone (9.300) 9. Aaron Rakes (9.233) 11. Justin Laury (9.200)

2007 GymInfo Rankings (3/5/07)
Michigan defeated No. 5-ranked Stanford, 212.350-208.100 to remain ranked No. 1 in the GymInfo rankings with a total season average of 218.717. This is U-M's seventh-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 218.033 3. Ohio State 216.867 4. Oklahoma 216.667 5. Stanford 213.583 6. Illinois 213.167 7. California 211.883 8. Minnesota 209.467 9. Iowa 207.517 10. Nebraska 205.483 11. Army 203.900 12. Temple 203.033 13. Navy 198.000 14. Illinois-Chicago 197.650 15. William & Mary 192.217 16. Air Force Academy 189.350 17. Springfield 187.000 18. M.I.T. 181.067 19. Texas 167.517 20. James Madison 163.650

On the Horizon
The Wolverines hit the road to challenge Big Ten foe, Ohio State, in their final regular-season meet of the year on Saturday (March 17) in Columbus, Ohio. The meet is set to begin at 7 p.m. at St. John Arena.   

Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423