Michigan
NCAA Qualifier
Wolverines Win Qualifying Session, Advance to NCAA Finals
4/19/2019 6:34:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
» Michigan placed first of six teams in qualifying Session I, scoring a 408.389 to advance to team and event finals on Saturday (April 20) at 6 p.m. CDT.
» U-M sat in second place heading into the final rotation, but jumped into first with a 71.432 on floor exercise to take top billing in the session.
» Cameron Bock led the all-around competition (83.731).
» U-M had the top floor exercise, pommel horse and still rings scores of the session.
Site: Champaign, Ill. (State Farm Arena)
Event: NCAA Championships (Qualifying Session I)
Scores: #3 Michigan 408.389, #2 Stanford 407.588, #7 Nebraska 405.723, #6 Minnesota 396.059, #10 Navy 393.123, #11 California 390.859
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 21 -- NCAA Championships - Finals (Champaign, Ill.), 6 p.m. CST
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Michigan men's gymnastics team won Session I of the 2019 NCAA Championships with a team score of 408.389, defeating five other teams on Friday (April 19) at State Farm Arena. With the win, the Wolverines advance to Saturday's (April 20) NCAA Championships team and event finals along with Stanford and No. 7-ranked Nebraska.
The Wolverines had the top floor exercise (71.432), pommel horse (64.531), still rings (69.497) scores of the session to help propel them to the first-place finish. Michigan topped No. 2 Stanford (407.588), No. 7 Nebraska (405.723), No. 6 Minnesota (396.059), No. 10 Navy (393.123), No. 11 California (390.859)
Michigan (18-6) began the afternoon on its weakest event, pommel horse, and scored a 64.531 in the first rotation to sit in fifth after one rotation. Bock led the way on the horse with a score of 13.466.
Moving to still rings in the second rotation, U-M was on pace with its season average, marking a 69.497 to move into second place. Bock and senior Ryan Dunning scored a 14.066, while senior Marty Strech notched a 13.933. After two rotations, U-M had a team score of 134.028.
The third rotation of the day for U-M came on vault, as Michigan compiled a 71.766 to move into first place with a lead of nearly 3.5 points over Stanford. Freshman Kevin Penev used a stuck landing for a career-high 14.500, while sophomore Nick Guy and senior Emyre Cole marked matching 14.700 scores.
On parallel bars, U-M was led by a 13.833 from Bock and the Wolverines earned a team total of 65.032. On vault, Nebraska marked an incredible 72.365 to move ahead of the Wolverines into first place and held a 2.1-point lead over U-M heading into the fifth rotation, high bar.
On high bar, U-M essentially secured its ticket to the team finals, marking a 66.131 to solidify a top-three finish. Bock led once again with a 13.800 as Michigan sat in second place with a running score of 336.957, trailing Nebraska (338.192) by 1.235 points.
On the final-rotation floor exercise, Michigan made its final push to jump into first place for good, scoring a 69.925. Penev marked his second career best of the day with a 14.600 on the exercise, while Big Ten floor-exercise champion sophomore Jacob Moore secured a 14.300.
Tweet of the Meet
.@UMichGym has punched their ??? to the NCAA Team Finals for the first time since 2015!#NCAAMGym | ?? @jessicafrankl pic.twitter.com/wJ34up78rC
— College Gymnastics Association (CGA) (@CollegeMGym) April 19, 2019
Michigan advances to the NCAA Championships finals session along with Stanford and Nebraska. The remaining three teams will be determined in Session II on Friday night, with the six team competing on Saturday (April 20) at 6 p.m. CDT at State Farm Arena.
Players Mentioned
