Host Wolverines Win Share of Big Ten Championship

Friday, April 3

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

Big Ten Team and All-Around Finals

4/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Team and All-Around Finals)
U-M Team Finish: T-1st Place of 6 Teams (357.100 Points)
Records: U-M (15-5-1, 12-2-1 Big Ten)
Attendance: 1,142
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 4 -- host Big Ten Championships - Individual Event Finals (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.

Complete Results | Notes | Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- For the first time since 2000, the No. 5-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team earned the Big Ten title -- sharing the honor with No. 4 Illinois with a score of 357.100 -- on Friday night (April 3) at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines preseason All-Big Ten honorees, sophomore Thomas Kelley(Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) and sophomore Chris Cameron(Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region), outperformed the entire field, closing the night in first (89.350) and second (89.100) in the all-around, respectively, en route to U-M's third conference crown under the rein of head coach Kurt Golder.

In the history of the program, U-M has won 15 Big Ten championships, which is third in the conference for most titles won. Illinois holds the most with 24 titles.

The night's top-10 performers on each apparatus earned a spot to compete in tomorrow's individual-event competition. Michigan leads all Big Ten schools with 10 individual qualifiers, including Kelley (floor, still rings, parallel bars, high bar), Cameron (floor, pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars, high bar), senior Ralph Rosso(Morganville, N.J./St. John Vianney) (floor, still rings), redshirt freshman Adam Hamers(South Salem, Ore./South Salem) (pommel horse), junior co-captain David Chan(Singapore/Hale School, Perth, Western Australia) (pommel horse), fifth-year senior Paul Woodward(Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) (pommel horse), senior co-captain Phil Goldberg(Dalton, Ga./McCallie) (still rings), sophomore Ben Baldus-Strauss(Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South) (vault), senior Ryan McCarthy(Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community) (parallel bars, high bar) and senior Joe Catrambone(Deptford, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) (high bar).

As a team, Michigan tabbed a season high in its first three rotations of the night -- horizontal bar (59.300), floor exercise (60.150) and pommel horse (59.800) and shattered U-M season individual bests on the same three events. The Wolverines took the lead after the third rotation, never to relinquish it.

Cameron earned a new career high on high bar with a 14.550, while Kelley set a career best -- as well as a team season high -- on the apparatus with a evening-high of 15.650. Despite the high marks, the Wolverines stood at fourth place at the end of the first rotation.

The squad jumped up a spot into third after strong performances on the floor in the second rotation, possessing a running total of 119.450. U-M trailed second-place Illinois by a tenth of a point at 119.550 and first-place Ohio State led the field at 122.050. Cameron garnered an evening-high 15.450 on floor exercise -- marking a career best and team season high on the event -- while Kelley chipped in a 15.200 to tie his season best.

Cameron then tabbed a 15.200 on pommel horse, giving him yet another career best and team season high. Chan set a season best (15.000) and Woodward earned a career-high 15.000 on the apparatus to help push the Wolverines to the top of the standings with 179.250 points.

The Maize and Blue succeeded once again on the still rings in the fourth rotation, with Rosso tying his season high of 14.900 on the event, while Kelley tabbed a 15.000 to set a new personal best. U-M collected 59.850 points on rings, giving it 239.100 points in all -- good enough to maintain its top spot on the leader board.

In the fifth rotation, Illinois narrowed its deficit with Michigan to 2.350 points, 300.350-298.000. The Wolverines garnered a 61.250 on vault, which was highlighted by Baldus-Strauss' 15.450. Kelley earned a 15.400 for Michigan's second-best mark on the event.

Despite staggering slightly on the parallel bars in the last rotation, the Wolverines performed well enough to hold onto a share of the conference crown. Kelley earned the squad's highest score on the event 14.700, although it did not count toward the team's total because he competed in an all-around exhibition. Cameron tabbed a 14.450 on the p-bars, and McCarthy was awarded a 14.400 for his routine, rounding out U-M's top performers.

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 4), 10 members of the men's gymnastics team will return to Crisler Arena to vie for individual-event titles. The meet will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live by the Big Ten Network.

Team Standings

Team Standings	FX	PH	SR	VT	PB	HB	Total
1. MICHIGAN	60.150	59.800	59.850	61.250	56.750	59.300	357.100
Illinois	60.050	60.300	59.100	61.350	58.200	58.100	357.100
3. Ohio State	58.900	56.400	59.950	62.100	57.000	55.550	349.900
4. Minnesota	59.450	56.650	57.100	61.500	57.450	55.850	348.000
5. Penn State	59.800	51.050	56.750	61.450	55.300	56.450	340.800
6. Iowa	57.900	54.850	55.150	61.850	54.950	53.050	337.750

Event-by-Event Individual Scores

FLOOR EXERCISE
Mel Anton Santander 14.050
Ben Baldus-Strauss 14.450
Ralph Rosso 15.050 (7)
Scott Bregman 11.900
Chris Cameron 15.450 (1)
Thomas Kelley 15.200 (5) 

POMMEL HORSE
Ben Baldus-Strauss 13.900
Adam Hamers 14.600 (9)
Mel Anton Santander 13.400
David Chan 15.000 (4-T)
Chris Cameron 15.200 (3)
Paul Woodward 15.000 (4-T)
Thomas Kelley (ex.) 13.400 

STILL RINGS
Joe Catrambone 14.550
Ralph Rosso 14.900 (7-T)
Phillip Goldberg 15.050 (3-T)
Chris Cameron 14.900 (7-T)
Thomas Kelley 15.000 (5-T) 

VAULT
Chris Cameron 14.550
Thomas Kelley 15.400
Mel Anton Santander 15.300
Ralph Rosso 15.100
Ben Baldus-Strauss 15.450 (7-T)
David Chan 14.850 

PARALLEL BARS
Paul Woodward 13.250
Mel Anton Santander 13.300
Ryan McCarthy 14.400 (8)
Ralph Rosso 13.850
David Chan 14.050
Chris Cameron 14.450 (7)
Thomas Kelley (ex.) 14.700 (5)

HIGH BAR
Ben Baldus-Strauss 14.350
Mel Anton Santander 13.800
Ryan McCarthy 14.350 (10)
Chris Cameron 14.550 (5-T)
Joe Catrambone 14.750
Thomas Kelley 15.650 (1)

ALL-AROUND
Thomas Kelley 89.350 (1)
Chris Cameron 89.100 (2) 

( ) denotes place in the Top 10

N O T E S

Michigan earns its first Big Ten title since 2000. Head coach Kurt Golder has now amassed three Big Ten titles in total, with the other coming in 1999.

In the history of the program, U-M has 15 Big Ten championships, which is third in the conference for most titles won. Co-champion Illinois holds the most (24).

With tonight's first-place finish, Michigan is expected to gain its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The Maize and Blue currently holds three NCAA titles, placing U-M in a three-way tie with Penn State and Ohio State for second-most national crows within the Big Ten Conference. Illinois holds the most NCAA titles with nine.

This is the third time in U-M history that both the men's and women's gymnastics teams have earned the Big Ten title in the same season, with the other two coming in 1999 and 2000.

Michigan tabbed a season high on horizontal bar (59.300), floor exercise (60.150) and pommel horse (59.800).

Sophomore Chris Cameron earned a new career high on high bar with a 14.550.

Sophomore Thomas Kelley set a career best and team-season best on high bar with a 15.650.

Junior Mel Anton Santander set a career high (14.050) on floor exercise.

Senior Ralph Rosso gained a season-high 15.050 on floor exercise.

Cameron garnered a 15.450 on floor exercise, marking a career best and team-season high on the event.

Kelley tied a season-best 15.200 on floor exercise.

Cameron tabbed a 15.200 on pommel horse, marking a career best and team-season high on the event.

Junior co-captain David Chan set a season best on pommel horse with a 15.000.

Fifth-year senior Paul Woodward earned a career-high 15.000 on pommel horse.

Rosso tied his season high of 14.900 on still rings.

With a 15.000 on still rings, Kelley set a new personal best.