Cameron Wins All-Around at Pacific Coast Classic

Saturday, February 21

Oakland, Calif.

7:00 PM PT

Michigan

Pacific Coast Classic

2/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics

Site: Oakland, Calif. (Oakland Convention Center)
Score: #4 U-M 352.900
Record: U-M (10-4)
Next U-M Meet: Saturday, March 14 -- vs. Illinois (Cliff Keen Arena), 7 p.m.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The No.4-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team finished fourth out of seven teams at the Pacific Coast Classic on Saturday night (Feb. 21), finishing ahead of No. 6 Illinois, No. 14 Air Force and No. 5 Minnesota and behind event champion Japan University All-Stars, No. 3 Stanford and No. 2 California at the Oakland Convention Center.

Preseason All-Big Ten sophomore Chris Cameron(Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Regions HS) claimed his second career all-around title with a personal-best 89.750 six-event total. Cameron finished second on parallel bars and fourth on pommel horse and rings en route to obtaining the competition's top spot.

Michigan opened the contest on high bar, posting a 57.550 team score in the first rotation. Senior Joe Catrambone(Deptford, N.J./Gloucester Catholic HS) and preseason All-Big Ten sophomore Thomas Kelley(Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville HS) registered 14.900 on the apparatus -- a season high for Catrambone -- to tie for fifth overall.

In the second rotation, freshman Syque Caesar(Port Saint Lucie, Fla./Lincoln Park Academy) and Cameron set new career bests with 14.850 and 15.250, respectively, on floor exercise, pushing U-M to a 116.850 total. The Wolverines' 59.300 is the squad's highest result on floor since registering 59.650 at the Windy City Invitational to open the season.

The Wolverines earned a 57.650 team score on pommel horse to bring their total to 174.500. Cameron garnered Michigan's highest-rated performance, attaining a 14.950 to rank fourth overall.

On still rings, Michigan earned59.150 to raise its overall score to 233.650. Cameron led the Maize and Blue in the event, marking another career high on the night with a 15.250 for fourth. All six U-M gymnasts scored 14.300 or higher, including a 14.900 by senior/junior captain Phillip Goldberg(Dalton, Ga./McCallie HS).

Junior captain David Chan(Singapore/Hale School, Perth, Western Australia) recorded a U-M season-best mark on vault, tallying 15.750 on the event he earned All-America honors on during his freshman season. As a unit, Michigan amassed a 61.650 to establish its highest team score of the season and increase its total to 295.300.

Closing out the contest, the Wolverines compiled a 58.900 on the parallel bars to set the team's final overall mark at 354.200 and finish the competition in fourth. Cameron placed second with a career-high 15.350 on parallel bars, posting the Wolverines' highest individual score on the event this season. Senior Ralph Rosso (Morganville, N.J./St. John Vianney HS) also registered a career-best 14.650.

Staying on the West Coast, the Wolverines will spend a week of spring break training (Feb. 22-28) in Ensenada, Mexico, before facing No. 6 Illinois in a home dual meet on Saturday, March 14, at Cliff Keen Arena. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Team Standings

Team	FX	PH	SR	VT	PB	HB	Final
Japan All-Stars	60.100	56.750	59.700	64.200	59.700	59.000	359.450
Stanford	60.800	58.650	60.850	62.300	58.600	55.200	356.400
California	59.900	57.650	60.400	62.050	56.650	58.700	355.100
MICHIGAN	59.300	57.650	59.150	61.650	58.900	57.550	354.200
Illinois	59.700	58.900	56.750	61.250	57.600	55.550	349.750
Minnesota	58.550	56.250	57.300	60.750	56.300	54.850	344.000
Air Force	55.650	50.100	56.250	58.650	52.700	50.300	324.500

Event-by-Event Individual Scores

 FLOOR EXERCISE Ralph Rosso 13.950 Ben Baldus-Strauss 14.500 Syque Caesar 14.850 Chris Cameron 15.250 (6) Ian Makowske 14.650 Thomas Kelley 14.550 POMMEL HORSE Ralph Rosso 14.200 Mel Anton Santander 13.700 Adam Hamers 13.950 Paul Woodward 13.400 David Chan 14.550 Chris Cameron 14.950 (4) STILL RINGS Joe Catrambone 14.500 Mel Anton Santander 14.300 Ralph Rosso 14.500 Thomas Kelley 14.500 Phillip Goldberg 14.900 Chris Cameron 15.250 (4) VAULT Syque Caesar 14.650 Ben Baldus-Strauss 15.450 Mel Anton Santander 15.350 Ralph Rosso 15.100 Thomas Kelley 14.400 David Chan 15.750 (6) Chris Cameron (Ex.) 14.800 PARALLEL BARS Paul Woodward 13.450 Syque Caesar 14.600 (9) Ralph Rosso 14.650 (7) Mel Anton Santander 13.900 David Chan 14.300 Chris Cameron 15.350 (2) HIGH BAR Ben Baldus-Strauss 13.600 Chris Cameron 14.150 Joe Catrambone 14.900 (5) Mel Anton Santander 12.550 Ian Makowske 13.350 Thomas Kelley 14.900 (5)