Michigan
Big Ten Individual Event Finals
Kelley Wins Floor Title at Big Ten Championships
4/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Site: State College, Pa. (Rec Hall)
Score: No Team Scoring
Record: U-M (9-8)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 17-19 -- NCAA Championships (Palo Alto, Calif.), TBA
Photo Gallery
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Freshman Thomas Kelley(Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) of the No. 5-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team won the floor title with a score of 15.500 at the Big Ten Championships Saturday (April 5) at Rec Hall. The performance led Kelley to be named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year.
In the first rotation, the athletes switched off between floor and pommel. Kelly was the second Wolverine to compete on floor, earning a 15.500 to put him in first place after five of nine competitors and remain in the top spot for the duration of the event. Junior Jamie Thompson(Lakemont, Ga./Oconee County) was the first Wolverine to go on floor. He earned a 14.500 to finish in seventh place.
Freshman Chris Cameron(Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region) was the first of the Maize and Blue to compete on pommel horse, earning ninth place with a 13.300. Next was sophomore Mel Santander(Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) scored a 14.600 for fourth place in the event.
In the second rotation, athletes competed on rings and vault. Junior/sophomore Phil Goldberg(Ringgold, Ga./McCallie) was the only U-M competitor on rings where he scored a 14.300 to land in ninth place.
Sophomore David Chan(Singapore/Hale School) -- the second to last competitor on vault -- earned a 15.650 and a fourth-place finish.
Senior/junior Paul Woodward(Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) was Michigan's lone competitor in the third rotation on the parallel bars, finishing seventh with a 13.850.
Chris Cameron was awarded the Big Ten Sportsmanship of the year award for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines will compete next at the NCAA Championships in Palo Alto, Calif. 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. Thomas Kelley, U-M 15.500 7. Jamie Thompson, U-M 14.500 Pommel Horse 1. Daniel Ribeiro 15.700 4. Mel Santander, U-M 14.600 9. Chris Cameron, U-M 13.300 Rings 1. D.J. Bucher, Penn State 15.500 9. Phil Goldberg, U-M 14.300 Vault 1. Mitchell Mays, Minnesota 16.650 t4.David Chan, U-M 15.650 Parallel Bars 1. Casey Sandy, Penn State 15.300 7. Paul Woodward, U-M 13.850 High Bar 1. Wes Haagensen, Illinois 14.900
U-M All-Big Ten Selections
All-Big Ten First Team
Thomas Kelley
Freshman of the Year
Thomas Kelley
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
Chris Cameron
N O T E S
Thomas Kelley is the first Wolverine since Justin Laury in 2003 to win the Big Ten freshman of the year.
Kelley is the fifth Wolverine to win the Big Ten freshman of the year in U-M history.
Thomas Kelley is the first Wolverine to win the Big Ten floor competition since 1992 when Brian Winkler won.
Brian Winkler and Mike Henderson (1963) are the only other freshmen in U-M men's gymnastics history to win Big Ten floor titles.
Kelley's score of 15.500 is his second highest this season -- he earned a 15.600 Jan. 19 vs. Penn State.
Michigan's sole Big Ten title in 2007 was by Aaron Rakes in the high bar.
The Big Ten Championships were broadcast live on the Big Ten Network for the first time.
Q U O T E S
Freshman Thomas Kelley
On his performance... "I knew that being up fifth I could put some pressure on the other guys. I also knew the two guys after me are great competitors and if I could just stick my passes I would be in a good position. I wanted to stick my landings and if I couldn't, get into a transition to cover up any errors."
On his feeling after the routine... "I knew I set the precedent and it was going to be the routine to beat. I wanted to put the pressure on the other guys and I think I did that. It feels really good. I am really excited. I was in third place going into the competition so I was a bit of an underdog."
On going into NCAA's... "I feel pretty good. I think when we lost Kent Caldwell and Scott Bregman on the floor, it put a lot more pressure on the floor lineup to take it up a notch. I feel more confident going into NCAAs. If I can hit a routine like that here, I can do that from now on."
Contact: Stacy Schwartz (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
