Michigan
Iowa
Wolverines Defeat No. 7 Hawkeyes in Home Opener
1/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8 University of Michigan men's gymnastics team defeated No. 7 Iowa 217.800-208.000 on Saturday (Jan. 20) at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines were led by senior/junior Andrew Elkind (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East HS), who earned the team's Newt Loken Award by having the highest score in one event throughout the evening.
Elkind's performance on the parallel bars was the best of the night as he posted an outstanding personal-best score of 9.800 for first place. Fifth-year senior Justin Laury (Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS) combined forces with Elkind, taking second place (9.500). After the parallel bars, Michigan boosted its lead to 8.300 points.
The Wolverines got off to a good start by claiming the first rotation, the floor exercise, with a point total of 37.900 to Iowa's total of 36.650. Sophomore Kent Caldwell (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin HS) led the U-M charge, taking first place with a score of 9.700. Sophomore Scott Bregman (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State HS) came in second place with a 9.550.
With a running score of 73.450 after the first two events, the Maize and Blue sat in first place with a five-point lead. Michigan never lost command, winning the final four events.
Despite Iowa's Drew Ignoto taking first place on the pommel horse (9.350), Michigan claimed the next four spots en route to capturing the pommel horse title, 35.550 to 31.800. Laury took second place with a 9.100, while freshman Mel Santander (Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional HS) finished third (9.050).
Michigan sophomore Ralph Rosso (Morganville, N.J./St. John Vianny) finished in first place on the still rings with a personal-best score of 9.700. Laury came in fourth (9.350).
On the vault, U-M took the top five places, with junior Daniel Rais (Livonia, Mich./Franklin HS) taking first place (9.000). Caldwell and Torrance Laury (Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS) came in second and third with scores of 8.850 and 8.800, respectively. Sophomore Jamie Thompson (Lakemont, Ga./Oconee County HS) claimed fourth (8.750), while Rosso (8.650) rounded out the top five on the vault.
Michigan closed the evening with a combined total of 34.850 on the high bar, with Wolverines finishing first, second and third. Sophomore Joe Catrambone (Deptford, N.J./Gloucester Catholic HS) came in first place with an score of 9.000. Justin Laury posted a 8.850 for second place, while senior Aaron Rakes (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar HS) came in third with his 8.800 performance.
The Wolverines will host the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday (Jan. 27) at 7 p.m. at Cliff Keen Arena.
Final Team Standings
| Team Scores | FX | PH | SR | V | PB | HB | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 37.900 | 35.550 | 37.250 | 35.400 | 36.850 | 34.850 | 217.800 |
| 2. Iowa | 36.650 | 33.100 | 36.800 | 32.500 | 35.600 | 33.350 | 208.000 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
Floor Exercise Mel Santander 9.000 Ralph Rosso 9.300 Jamie Thompson 9.350 (t4) Daniel Rais 9.300 Scott Bregman 9.550 (2) Kent Caldwell 9.700 (1) Pommel Horse Torrance Laury 7.750 Ralph Rosso 8.700 (t4) Paul Woodward 8.700 (t4) Justin Laury 9.100 (2) Mel Santander 9.050 (3) Andrew Elkind 8.100 Still Rings Joe Catrambone 9.000 Aaron Rakes 8.850 Torrance Laury 9.200 (5) Ralph Rosso 9.700 (1) Justin Laury 9.350 (4) Andrew Elkind 7.750 Vault Joe Catrambone 7.750 Jamie Thompson 8.750 (4) Kent Caldwell 8.850 (2) Daniel Rais 9.000 (1) Torrance Laury 8.800 (3) Ralph Rosso 8.650 (5) Parallel Bars Paul Woodward 8.950 (4) Mel Santander 8.600 Torrance Laury 7.950 Andrew Elkind 9.800 (1) Justin Laury 9.500 (2) Joe Catrambone 7.800 High Bar Daniel Rais 6.650 Mel Santander 8.200 Aaron Rakes 8.800 (3) Andrew Elkind 7.950 Justin Laury 8.850 (2) Joe Catrambone 9.000 (1) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
Contact: Joseph Conrad (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
