Michigan
Ohio State
U-M Notches Season-High 444.55 in Win over No. 4 Ohio State
2/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: #2 Michigan 444.550, #4 Ohio State 440.800
Records: U-M (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten), OSU (3-3-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten)
Attendance: 616
Next U-M Meet: Saturday, Feb. 8 -- vs. Nebraska (Cliff Keen Arena.), 7 p.m.
• Complete Results
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics squad scored a season-best 444.75 and set season event highs on pommel horse (74.75), still rings (75.10) and high bar (72.75) in a defeat of the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (440.80) on Saturday (Feb. 1) inside Cliff Keen Arena. The meet also served as the NCAA championship banner event, as captains Syque Caesar (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Lincoln Park Academy) and Matt Freeman (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) unveiled the 2013 NCAA championship banner prior to the rivalry meet.
U-M, which led the dual from start to finish, began the day on floor with an outstanding effort, as Mikulak scored a new career high on the exercise with a 15.85 for event title; his performance included a stick bonus of .20. Caesar also had a solid showing, notching a 15.30 for second as U-M led 75.40 to 72.80 after one rotation.
Syque Caesar
In rotation two, U-M took to the pommel horse, where junior Adrian de los Angeles (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) set a new career best on the apparatus with a 15.15 to take third. Freeman equaled de los Angeles' effort, and Miikulak took second on the event with a 15.30 as U-M led 149.85 to 145.35 with a 74.45 on the event heading into the third rotation.
De los Angeles set his second career mark on still rings in rotation three, as the junior scored a 15.45 to earn second place. U-M distanced itself with a team event tally of 75.10 and led 224.95 to 217.40 heading into the fourth rotation.
Mikulak took his second event title of the afternoon on vault with a 15.30, with a stuck landing, leading the U-M charge of a 73.50 on the event. On parallel bars in the fifth rotation, the Maize and Blue went 1-2, with Caesar notching a 15.60, and junior Stacey Ervin (Taylor, Mich./Truman) took second with a 15.40 as the Wolverines totaled a 73.25 in all.
The celebratory event was closed out in style in the final rotation, as Caesar took third on the apparatus with a 14.90 to aid in the 72.75 team tally. De los Angeles was the all-around winner on the afternoon, collecting an 88.20 in his six events.
Michigan continues its two meet homestand next Saturday (Feb. 8), as the squad plays host to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The meet is slated for a 7 p.m. start from Cliff Keen Arena.
| Team Standings | FX | PH | SR | VT | PB | HB | Final |
| Michigan | 75.200 | 74.550 | 75.100 | 73.500 | 73.250 | 72.550 | 444.750 |
| Ohio State | 72.550 | 72.800 | 74.650 | 72.050 | 73.650 | 75.100 | 440.800 |
Event-by-Event U-M Individual Scores
FLOOR EXERCISE (75.40) Kevin Fraser 13.25 Tristian Perez-Rivera 14.75 Syque Caesar 15.30 (2) Stacey Ervin 14.85 Adrian de los Angeles 14.65 Sam Mikulak 15.65 (1) POMMEL HORSE (74.55) Nick Hunter 14.70 Matt Freeman 14.85 A.J. Schottstaedt 14.75 Dylan James 14.45 Adrian de los Angeles 15.15 (3) Sam Mikulak 15.30 (2) STILL RINGS (75.10) Colin Mahar 14.30 Paul Rizkalla Jr. 14.65 Matt Freeman 14.75 Jordan Gaarenstroom 15.10 Alex Bubnov 15.15 (3) Adrian de los Angeles 15.45 (2) VAULT (73.50) Syque Caesar 15.15 (3) Paul Rizkalla Jr. 13.95 Tristian Perez-Rivera 14.10 Stacey Ervin 13.85 Sam Mikulak 15.30 Adrian de los Angeles 15.00 PARALLEL BARS (73.25) Jordan Gaarenstroom 14.30 Nick Hunter 14.00 Stacey Ervin 15.40 (2t) Syque Caesar 15.60 (1) Sam Mikulak 13.95 Adrian de los Angeles 13.55 HIGH BAR (72.75) Mark Panhorst 13.95 Nick Hunter 14.50 Stacey Ervin 14.55 Syque Caesar 14.90 (3) Sam Mikulak 14.40 Adrian de los Angeles 14.40 ALL-AROUND Adrian de los Angeles 88.20 (1)
NOTES
• The 2013 NCAA championship banner is the ninth gymnastics-themed banner in Cliff Keen Arena (Big Ten championships banner, individual awards, six previous NCAA championship banners).
• Kevin Fraser took part in the floor exercise, marking the first meet competition for the senior in more than a year. He scored a 13.25 on the exercise.
• The Newt Loken Award winner on the meet was Syque Caesar for scoring a 15.60 on parallel bars.
• U-M has now defeated the Buckeyes seven straight years in dual meets.
• The team tally of 444.550 is the highest for U-M since Feb. 16, 2013, when the Wolverines scored a 446.150 in a victory over Ohio State.
Players Mentioned
