Season Review: 2019 Michigan Men's Gymnastics
5/22/2019 12:42:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
• Team Captains: Alec Krystek, Ryan Dunning
• Big Ten Conference: Regular-season co-champions
• Big Ten Championships: Third place
• NCAA Championships: Fourth place
The University of Michigan men's gymnastics team solidified its position on the national landscape with a Big Ten regular-season championship, a third-place finish at the 2019 Big Ten Championships and a fourth-place showing at the NCAA Championships. Anthony McCallum also claimed the NCAA vault national championship, the third of his career, while Jacob Moore won the Big Ten floor exercise title as the Wolverines compiled a 20-9 overall record, which included a 4-2 conference record.
Postseason Highlights
• The Wolverines captured a fourth-place team finish (406.354) at the 2019 NCAA Team and Individual Finals at State Farm Arena in Champaign, Illinois. Michigan was led by McCallum, who captured the vault championship with a 15.266 score, which made him just the second three-time NCAA vault champion in the modern era of NCAA men's gymnastics. Three other Wolverines secured All-America citations, including sophomores Cameron Bock and Jacob Moore, as well as redshirt senior Marty Strech. Bock earned a fourth-place finish in the all-around (82.464) to secure the second All-America honor of his U-M career. Moore placed third on the floor with a 14.700 performance in the event finals, and Strech recorded a 14.300 on still rings, which resulted in a seventh-place finish and earned him his first All-America honor in his final U-M meet.
• In the team competition, Michigan found itself down early and ended the first rotation in fifth place. A successful third rotation during which Michigan produced the second-highest score in the country on vault all year (73.264), propelled the Wolverines back to the middle of the pack. After battling with Nebraska and Penn State, a strong finish on the floor placed Michigan ahead of the Nittany Lions for the fourth-place trophy.
• U-M competed in the 2019 Big Ten Championships and placed third in the team competition (409.550) behind Penn State and Illinois. For the first time in program history, Michigan swept the medal stand in the all-around competition.Bock won the event title with a score of 84.600, and teammates Moore (83.200) and Emyre Cole (82.100) finished second and third, respectively. Bock's win in the all-around competition is the 16th in program history, and the first since Sam Mikulak in 2014. The Wolverines qualified eight gymnasts on 14 routines for event finals, with Bock, Cole and Moore earning a spot in three different events.
• The individual finals brought another podium sweep for the Wolverines, this time on the floor. Moore won the event with a 14.650, while Cole and freshman Kevin Penev both posted a 14.425 to round out the top three. Cole also found success in the vault competition, marking a 14.700 on the apparatus, and claimed second place in the event. Bock placed eighth in two of his three events -- parallel bars (12.625) and pommel horse (12.825). Junior Mack Lasker finished fifth on pommel horse, posting a 14.000.
Regular-Season Highlights
• The Wolverines compiled their best team score of the season (413.900) in their first regular-season home meet against Ohio State on Feb. 2. U-M won five of six events, and earned season-high marks on still rings (69.950) and parallel bars (69.800). Alec Krystek brought home one event title (high bar), Bock earned wins on still rings and parallel bars and Cole took home three titles on floor, vault, and the all-around competition.
• One week earlier (Jan. 26), an early trip to compete against Minnesota led to the Wolverines' best road score, as Michigan defeated the Gophers, 413.150-408.300, and earned five-of-six event titles. The Wolverines swept the podium on floor and still rings, with Moore winning the floor title (14.550) and Bock capturing the rings title (14.300). They also had the top two individual scores on high bar, with Bock's 13.850 and Justin Hopgood's 13.600. Bock also won two other event titles in the parallel bars and all-around competitions, with Cole winning an event title on vault.
• Bock was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week on three different occasions throughout the 2019 season, as well as College Gymnastics Association Gymnast of the week on Jan. 30. Cole earned Big Ten Gymnast of the Week (Feb. 5), while Penev earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the week of April 2.
• U-M captured 35 event titles on the season, led by Bock's 15. Cole secured six titles, while Moore had four. Overall, 12 different gymnasts won an event title in 2019.
• According to Road To Nationals, Bock finished the season as U-M's team MVP (1,018.595), followed by Moore (884.597), Cole (785.331) and Penev (439.857).
2019 Individual Top Scores
Floor Exercise: Moore, 15.300
Pommel Horse: Lasker, 14.600
Still Rings: Dunning, 14.550
Vault: McCallum, 15.266
Parallel Bars: Bock, 14.700
High Bar: Bock, 14.500
Honors and Awards
Cameron
Bock
Marty
Strech
Jacob
Moore
Kevin
Penev
Emyre
Cole
Ryan
Dunning
Mack
Lasker
Anthony
McCallum
Conference and National Awards
Big Ten Gymnast of the Week: Cameron Bock (Jan. 23, Jan. 29, April 2), Emyre Cole (Feb. 5)
Big Ten Freshman Gymnast of the Week: Kevin Penev (April 2)
CGA Gymnast of the Week: Cameron Bock (Jan. 30)
All-Big Ten: Cameron Bock, Jacob Moore, Emyre Cole
Second Team All-Big Ten: Kevin Penev
Big Ten Gymnast of the Championship: Cameron Bock
Big Ten Champion: Jacob Moore (floor exercise), Cameron Bock (all-around)
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award: Mitchell Brown
NCAA All-Americans: Jacob Moore (floor exercise), Cameron Bock (all around), Marty Strech (still rings), Anthony McCallum (vault)
NCAA Champion: Anthony McCallum (vault)
Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship
Alec Krystek
Academic All-Big Ten.
Mitchell Brown, So., LSA Undeclared, Fortville, Ind.
Parker Chiapuzio, So., Engineering, Tigard, Ore.
Nick Guy, So., LSA Undeclared, Indianapolis, Ind.
Justin Hopgood, Jr., Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience, Hudson, Ohio
Alec Krystek, Sr., Aerospace Engineering, Lake Orion, Mich.
Jonathan Liu, So., Computer Science, Wayland, Mass.
Jacob Moore, So., LSA Undeclared, West Bloomfield, Mich.
Justin Murphy, So., LSA Undeclared, Fenton, Mich.
Thomas Paul, So., Biomedical Engineering, Morgantown, W. Va.
James Read, So., Computer Science, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Anthony Tawfik, So. LSA Undeclared, Mississauga, Ontario
Players Mentioned
