Michigan
NCAA Qualifier
U-M Finishes Second in Qualifying Session II, Advances to NCAA Championships Finals
4/18/2026 12:34:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Site: Champaign, Ill. (State Farm Center)
Event: NCAA Championships Qualifier
Scores: #3 Stanford 327.992, #2 Michigan 324.623, #7 Illinois 319.658, #6 Penn State 311.357, #11 Army 308.593, #10 Navy 306.726
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 17 -- at NCAA Championships Finals (Champaign, Ill.), 6 p.m. CT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA Finals with a solid performance in Session II of the NCAA Championships Qualifier on Friday (April 17) at State Farm Center.
The Maize and Blue finished second in the session with a team score of 324.623, while Stanford (327.992) and Illinois (319.658) rounded out the top three. The trio will compete against No. 4 Nebraska, No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 Ohio State, all advancing out of Session I.
How it Happened
Parallel Bars
Carson Eshleman (13.433) and Pierce Wolfgang (13.266) got the Wolverines off to a solid start to the rotation before a pair of sticks from Solen Chiodi (13.366) and Fred Richard (14.600). Despite Richard's season-high and session-leading score, Michigan was in second behind Stanford after the first rotation.
High Bar
Wolfgang posted another solid score of 13.666 to open the rotation, while Landen Blixt added a stick and 13.533 to the team score. Eshleman posted a 14.166, the highest score of the session, and Richard anchored with a 13.766. A team-high high bar score of 55.131 was not enough to push Michigan into first and the Wolverines remained in second.
Floor Exercise
Jake Islam opened the third rotation with a solid 13.500 and Eli Osuna kept the momentum going with a 13.433 to come just 0.067 points shy of his career high. Chiodi suffered from a stumble in the middle of his routine and earned a 12.766, but a 14.066 from Blixt gave the Maize and Blue a strong finish to the rotation.
Pommel Horse
The Wolverines got off to a rocky start on the pommel horse, with Zach Granados falling on his dismount for a 12.266 and Kevin Chow posting a 12.666 in his season debut. Richard got U-M back on track with a season-high 14.100 and, despite a stumble on his dismount, Aaronson Mansberger earned a 13.866 to close out the rotation. Michigan remained in second behind the Cardinal with two rotations to go.
Still Rings
Eshleman and Islam posted scores under 13.000 before Joseph Hale made his collegiate debut with a 13.166 to give U-M a spark heading into the anchor position. Akshay Puri posted a season-high and session-leading 14.166, just 0.034 points from his career high, but Stanford remained in front heading into the final rotation.
Vault
Osuna opened the vault with a score of 13.900 to come 0.050 points shy of his career high, and Chiodi added a score of 13.866 with two routines to go. Blixt came 0.200 points from a career high with a score of 14.200, and Richard scored a season-high 13.833 to give Michigan a second-place finish.
Up Next
Michigan will vie for its second straight national title on Saturday (April 18) at 6 p.m. CT in the NCAA Championships Finals inside State Farm Center. The meet will be broadcast live on ESPN2, with individual-event livestreams available on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
