Michigan
Minnesota
Michigan Posts Season High in Victory Over Minnesota
2/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's gymnastics team posted a season-high score and notched wins on four of six events to defeat the University of Minnesota by a score of 213.800-209.150 on Saturday night (Feb. 11) in Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan surpassed its previous season-high mark (207.400) by more than six points and avenged last year's narrow loss to the Gophers in Minneapolis.
Senior Luke Bottke (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) started Michigan off on a high note by notching a 9.45 for first place on the floor exercise. Freshman Scott Bregman (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State HS) and senior Gerry Signorelli (Colorado Springs, Colo./Mitchell HS) added a pair of 9.10s to tie for second place. The score marked a season high for Bregman.
The Wolverines kept their momentum rolling on the pommel horse with strong performances from junior Aaron Rakes (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar HS) and freshman Phillip Goldberg (Ringgold, Ga./McCallie HS). Rakes posted an 8.40 for fourth place just ahead of Goldberg's mark of 8.30 for fifth. After two rotations Michigan had erected a lead of 70.15-68.70.
Wolverine freshmen dominated the rings in the third rotation, taking three of the top four spots. Standout rookie Joe Catrambone (Deptford, N.J./Gloucester Catholic HS) grabbed first place with a clean 9.30 and a stuck dismount. Goldberg, who also stuck his dismount, showed great strength positions and was rewarded with a 9.10 for third place. Ralph Rosso (Morganville, N.J./St. John Vianney HS) rounded out the top four with a solid 9.05.
Senior Andrew DiGiore (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors School) grabbed his third victory of the season on vault by posting a 9.40. He took only a slight hop on his two and a half twisting vault. Sophomore Daniel Rais (Livonia, Mich./Franklin HS) boomed a huge double-twisting vault for a 9.25 and third place. After four events, the Wolverines had stretched their lead to142.85-140.15.
Catrambone and junior Andrew Elkind (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) paced Michigan on the parallel bars with a tie for second place and score of 8.75. Signorelli was right behind with an 8.70 for fifth place.
Michigan brought the crowd to its feet several times in the final rotation on high bar with Catrambone and Signorelli tying for first place with scores of 9.50. Both featured dynamic routines, huge release moves, and stuck dismounts. Elkind added a solid 8.75 to complete the Wolverine sweep of the top three spots on the event and seal the Michigan victory.
The Wolverines return to action next weekend when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on No. 5 Iowa and No. 3 Illinois on Saturday (Feb. 18) at 7 p.m. CST.
Final Team Standings
| Team Scores | FX | PH | SR | V | PB | HB | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 36.20 | 33.95 | 36.30 | 36.40 | 34.60 | 36.35 | 213.800 |
| 2. Minnesota | 35.05 | 33.70 | 35.25 | 36.15 | 35.40 | 33.60 | 209.150 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
FLOOR EXERCISE Ralph Rosso 8.50 Scott Bregman 9.10 (2t) Kent Caldwell 8.55 Gerry Signorelli 9.10 (2t) Daniel Rais 8.40 Luke Bottke 9.45 (1) POMMEL HORSE Arren Yoshimura 8.05 Phillip Goldberg 8.30 (5) Ralph Rosso 8.05 Gerry Signorelli 8.50 (3) Andrew DiGiore 8.75 (2) Aaron Rakes 8.40 (4) STILL RINGS Andrew Elkind 8.85 (5) Phillip Goldberg 9.10 (3) Ralph Rosso 9.05 (4) Joe Catrambone 9.30 (1) Andrew DiGiore 7.80 Aaron Rakes 8.70 VAULT Gerry Signorelli 8.80 Ralph Rosso 8.55 Scott Bregman 8.55 Luke Bottke 8.95 Daniel Rais 9.25 (3) Andrew DiGiore 9.40 (1) PARALLEL BAR Ralph Rosso 8.35 Aaron Rakes 8.40 Arren Yoshimura 8.05 Joe Catrambone 8.75 (2t) Gerry Signorelli 8.70 (5) Andrew Elkind 8.75 (2t) HORIZONTAL BAR Daniel Rais 7.35 Aaron Rakes 8.60 (5) Arren Yoshimura 6.25 Joe Catrambone 9.50 (1t) Gerry Signorelli 9.50 (1t) Andrew Elkind 8.75 (3t) ( ) denotes place in Top 5
Contact: Justin Toman (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
