Wolverines Set to Host Big Ten Championships

» In the NCAA four-score average, Michigan ranks No. 5 (408.583) in the country, and third in the Big Ten behind No. 2-ranked Minnesota (410.800) and No. 3-ranked Ohio State (409.267).
» U-M's top chances for individual titles lie in freshman Jacob Moore (floor exercise), junior Emyre Cole (floor) and freshman Cameron Bock (all-around). 2016 Big Ten vault champion Anthony McCallum is considered a meet-time decision, and could make noise on vault if deemed healthy.
» Michigan enters the Big Ten Championships on a high note after scoring a 417.700 against Illinois-Chicago on March 31, the third-highest score in the NCAA this season.

The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (8-4, 2-2 B1G) begins the postseason at home, hosting the 2018 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships on Friday and Saturday (April 6-7) at Crisler Center. Competition begins at 7 p.m. both nights. The championships will be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network, with Dean Linke and John Roethlisberger on the call.

The last time U-M hosted a championship event inside Crisler Center was 2014, when the Wolverines won the NCAA title. Michigan last hosted the Big Ten Championships in 2009, also at Crisler Center.

WOLVERINE BITES
• Michigan enters the championships with a 408.583 national qualifying average (NQA), which ranks third in the Big Ten. The Wolverines rank in the top four of the Big Ten on four events: third on both floor exercise (68.929) and still rings (68.393), and fourth on both vault (71.100) and parallel bars (66.721). U-M is also sixth on high bar (65.929) and seventh on pommel horse (66.750).

• In the NCAA four-score average, Michigan ranks No. 5 (408.583) in the country and third in the Big Ten behind No. 2 Minnesota (410.800) and No. 3 Ohio State (409.267). In U-M's last meet against Illinois-Chicago, the Wolverines scored a 417.700, the second highest of any Big Ten team this season behind Minnesota (419.100).

• Michigan has hit more than 75 percent of its routines five times this season, highlighted by 90 percent at the International Collegiate Challenge meet on March 3. On Saturday (March 31) against UIC, U-M hit 27-of-30 routines (93 percent) en route to scoring the third-highest team score in the NCAA this season with a 417.700.

• Following the victory over UIC (March 31), freshman Cameron Bock (gymnast of the week) and Jacob Moore (freshman of the week) took home Big Ten weekly plaudits. Bock scored an 84.850 in the all-around, the second-highest score in the country this season. He also took home event titles on parallel bars (14.600) and high bar (14.650), while Moore earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor following a pair of event titles on floor (14.90) and pommel horse (14.10). Moore's score on floor is the third-highest mark in the country on the event this season.

• Moore ranks second in the NCAA on floor exercise (14.617 NQA) behind fellow freshman Shane Wiskus of Minnesota (14.650). His top mark of the year is a 14.95, which ranks second to Wiskus' NCAA-best 15.00. Junior Emyre Cole ranks third in the NCAA and Big Ten on floor with a 14.467 NQA, while his season-best of 14.70 is the sixth-highest mark in the conference.

• Bock has competed in the all-around twice this season, most recently scoring an 84.850 in the all-around against UIC (Saturday, March 31). The tally was the top all-around mark in the Big Ten, and the second-best score in the NCAA. With only two all-around scores, he does not qualify for NQA rankings at this point in the season. Bock also checks in at No. 4 in the conference on parallel bars (14.250 NQA) and owns a high score of 14.60 (No. 6 in the Big Ten).

• Other Wolverines in the top-10 in the Big Ten individual rankings include senior Marty Strech (No. 8 on still rings, 14.067 NQA), Cole (No. 8 on vault, 14.550 NQA) and Bock (No. 9 on high bar, 13.667 NQA).

• Junior Anthony McCallum, the 2016 Big Ten vault champion, has not competed since the beginning of the season against Oklahoma (Jan. 27). Considered a meet-time decision, he has the chance to become the fifth two-time Big Ten vault champion in school history.

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
• In last season's disappointing seventh-place finish, U-M saw Cole (floor exercise, vault, parallel bars), McCallum (vault), and Adam Dean (high bar) advance to individual finals. Cole earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second time after placing fifth on parallel bars and sixth on vault, while McCallum took ninth on vault.

• Head coach Kurt Golder is a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (1999, 2000, 2013, 2014). Under Golder's guidance, Michigan has captured four Big Ten titles (1999, 2009, 2013, 2014).

• The Wolverines have won three of the last nine Big Ten Championships, dating back to the co-championship in 2009. Most prominently, U-M double-dipped with Big Ten victories in 2013 and 2014. As a whole, U-M has captured 16 Big Ten Championships.

Tweet of the Week

Any questions?#OurTi??e | #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/oQqCfUpnhZ
— Michigan Gymnastics (@UMichGym) April 3, 2018

Keep Up With the Wolverines
Stay current with everything going on with the Wolverines by following Michigan men's gymnastics on Twitter (@umichgym) and "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook! Fans can also follow in-meet commentary via the Twitter channel, with live streaming available for select meets via Facebook as well. Additional content will be provided via Instagram (@umichgym) and Snapchat (@umichathletics).

NEXT EVENT
Fri-Sat., April 20-21 -- NCAA Championships (Chicago, Ill.), 7 p.m. CDT