Michigan
Illinois
Richard Leads U-M's Effort in Win Over No. 7 Illinois in B1G Opener
2/7/2026 7:13:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Scores: #4 Michigan 318.550, #7 Illinois 306.700
Records: U-M (6-1, 1-0 B1G), ILL (0-5-1, 0-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 14 vs. Springfield, Arizona State (Cliff Keen Arena), Noon
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team earned a dominant 318.550-306.700 win over No. 7 Illinois on Saturday (Feb. 7) at Huff Hall in the team's Big Ten opener.
The Wolverines took a narrow half-point lead (52.500-52.000) into the second rotation before running away with the meet. Big scores from U-M on the pommel horse and Fighting Illini falls allowed the Maize and Blue to take a 159.700-152.350 advantage at the halfway point. Illinois had a solid vault rotation, but a low score on the parallel bars and high bar was enough for Michigan to widen the gap and seal the win.
Fred Richard took home event titles on the pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars. Freshman Adam Lakomy had another impressive showing, scoring career highs on floor exercise (13.600) and vault (14.300), while Jake Islam recorded a season-high 13.550 on floor. Robert Noll posted a season high on rings and Pierce Wolfgang did the same on parallel bars.
How It Happened
Rotation 1
Lakomy and Islam put the Wolverines in a good position halfway through the rotation. Despite a pair of falls from Solen Chiodi resulting in a score of 11.800, falls from Illinois and a score of 13.550 from Charlie Larson gave U-M the edge after one rotation.
Michigan leads Illinois 52.500-52.000
Rotation 2
Zach Granados posted a 13.700 as the pommel horse leadoff to tie his season high and extend U-M's lead. Falls continued to plague the Fighting Illini, with just one gymnast scoring above a 13.000 and one below 12.000. A 14.050 from Richard and a 13.800 from Aaronson Mansberger widened the scoring gap.
Michigan leads Illinois 106.350-102.450
Rotation 3
Falls continued for Illinois, as it scored just 49.900 on still rings. Noll's season-high 13.550 as the leadoff gave Michigan the momentum, ending the rotation with a 13.800 from Richard and a 13.450 from Akshay Puri. The Wolverines continued to extend their lead to 7.350 points at the halfway point of the meet.
Michigan leads Illinois 159.700-152.350
Rotation 4
Larson scored a 14.000 to open the rotation before 13.250s from Chiodi and Landen Blixt extended Michigan's advantage. Richard posted a 14.300 on his first vault of the season, and helped U-M build its lead despite a 14.550 from Garrett Schooley for the event title.
Michigan leads Illinois 214.500-206.450
Rotation 5
Wolfgang added 13.200 to the team score as the parallel bars leadoff before Blixt and Chiodi posted 12.600s. Illinois tried to build momentum, but a 10.950 from Vahe Petrosyan and a meet-leading 13.900 from Richard widened the Wolverines' lead.
Michigan leads Illinois 266.800-256.500
Rotation 6
Carson Eshleman posted a strong 13.650 with just two routines left for each team. A 13.800 from Illinois in the anchor position was not enough to overcome a pair of scores under 13.000 and an 11.050, and a 13.100 from Richard sealed the win for the Maize and Blue.
Michigan defeats Illinois 318.550-306.700.
Up Next
The Wolverines will return home to host Springfield and Arizona State at noon next Saturday (Feb. 14) at Cliff Keen Arena. The meet will be streamed live on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
