Blue Comes Back to Defeat Maize in Annual Intrasquad

Saturday, December 7

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

Maize and Blue Intrasquad (ex)

12/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics

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Dec. 7, 2013

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Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: Maize & Blue Intrasquad
Score: Blue 336.45, Maize 324.75
Attendance: 616
Next U-M Meet: Saturday, Jan. 18 -- at Windy City Invite (Chicago, Ill.), 7:30 p.m. CST

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics squad began its 2013-14 season with its annual Maize & Blue Intrasquad meet, with Blue defeating Maize, 336.45-324.75, Saturday (Dec. 7) at Cliff Keen Arena.

Overall, the Blue team claimed the victory with wins on floor (57.30), parallel bars (56.20) and high bar (54.75), while the Maize team claimed a victory on pommel horse (55.40), vault (57.50) and still rings (57.50). With this win, the Blue team now pulls ahead 4-3 in the intrasquad record from the past seven seasons.

A trio of highly touted freshman in Jonathan Chin (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica), Anthony Stefanelli (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East), and Tristian Perez-Rivera (Caguas, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame) also made their debut during the meet.

After the first rotation, Maize led the Blue, 56.70-55.25, with a high score of 15.05 from junior Taylor Harrower (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) on the floor exercise. Sophomore Nolan Novak (Albuquerque, N.M./Valley) led the way for the Blue team on the pommel horse, scoring a 14.45.

Lead changes were continuous, as the Blue team pulled ahead going into the third rotation with a score of 112.55, while the Maize team was close behind with an overall score of 112.10. Stefanelli came up big for the Blue team with a floor-exercise score of 14.55, following close behind junior Hub Humphrey (Kalamazoo, Mich./Kalamazoo), who scored 14.90.

On the still rings, senior Sam Mikulak (Corona del Mar, Calif./Corona del Mar) led the pack with a score of 14.95 for the Maize team, while classmate Jordan Gaarenstroom (Laguna Hills, Calif./Halstrom) led the Blue team, scoring a 14.55. Other standouts on the rings were junior Reid Swanger (Austin, Texas/St. Andrew's Episcopal) and senior Alex Bubnov (Fanwood, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood), who both scored a 14.45.

The Maize team had a group of high scores on vault from juniors Adrian de los Angeles (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) (14.95) and Harrower (14.70). Finishing with solid routines were junior Paul Rizkalla Jr. (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) and graduate student Syque Caesar (Port Saint Lucie, Fla./Lincoln Park Academy) for the Blue team with scores of 14.40 and 14.75.

The fifth rotation presented both challenges and highlights for the competition, with the Blue team coming back to take the lead 280.25-276.15. Junior Nick Hunter (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) and Bubnov helped give the Blue team a boost with their scores of 14.40 and 13.95 on the high bar.

The Blue side never looked back after taking the lead, as Caesar hit a solid 15.10 on parallel bars to go along with a 14.60 from Gaarenstroom to seal the victory in the final rotation.

Gaarenstroom was the lone all-around competitor on the night, scoring an 83.75 in the first all-around competition of his Michigan career.

The Wolverines kick off the 2014 season at the annual Windy City Invite, to be hosted by UIC on Saturday, Jan. 18, in Chicago. Meet time is slated for 7:30 p.m. CST.

Team Standings	FX	PH	SR	VT	PB	HB	Final
Blue	57.30	55.25	56.05	56.90	56.20	54.75	336.45
Maize	56.70	55.40	57.50	57.50	49.05	48.60	324.75

BLUE

Floor Exercise (57.30)Anthony Stefanelli     14.55 (3t)Jordan Gaarenstroom    13.30Hub Humphrey           14.90 (2)Syque Caesar           14.55 (3t) Pommel Horse (55.25)Jordan Gaarenstroom    13.00Paul Rizkalla Jr.      12.95Dylan James            13.60Nick Hunter            14.20 (3)A.J. Schottstaedt      12.60Nolan Novak            14.45 (1)Stacey Ervin           12.50 Still Rings (56.05) Garrett Hamers         13.60Jordan Gaarenstroom    14.55 (2)Hub Humphrey           13.45Paul Rizkalla Jr.      13.00Alex Bubnov            14.45 (3t) Vault (56.90)  Alex Bubnov            13.75Hub Humphrey           13.90Jordan Gaarenstroom    13.85Syque Caesar           14.75 (2)Paul Rizkalla Jr.      14.40Anthony Stefanelli     13.50 Paralell Bars (56.20)Dylan James            12.90Nick Hunter            13.60Syque Caesar           15.10 (1)Jordan Gaarenstroom    14.60 (2) High Bar (54.75)Nick Hunter            14.40 (1)Syque Caesar           13.20Jordan Gaarenstroom    13.20Anthony Stefanelli     12.85Alex Bubnov            13.95 (2) MAIZE   Floor Exercise (56.70)Adam Dean              13.45Corbett Schmitz        12.75Taylor Harrower        15.05 (1)Tristian Perez-Rivera  14.35Kevin Fraser           13.85 Pommel Horse (55.40)Mark Panhorst          13.00Corbett Schmitz        12.45Tristian Perez-Rivera  13.70Sam Mikulak            14.40 (2)Adrian de los Angeles  13.60Matt Freeman           13.70 Still Rings (57.50)Jonathan Chin          13.50Colin Mahar            14.10Mike Begin             11.30Reid Swanger           14.45 (3t)Matt Freeman           14.00Sam Mikulak            14.95 (1) Vault (57.50)Kevin Fraser           13.70Taylor Harrower        14.70 (3)Tristian Perez-Rivera  14.15Adrian de los Angeles  14.95 (1) Paralell Bars (49.05)Tristian Perez-Rivera  10.40Corbett Schmitz        12.10Jonathan Chin          13.70 (3)Mark Panhorst          12.85 High Bar (48.60)Adam Dean              10.45Taylor Harrower        12.45Tristian Perez-Rivera  12.45Mark Panhorst          13.25 (3)