Michigan
NCAA Team and All-Around Finals
Four Wolverines Qualify for Event Finals at NCAAs
4/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
Site: Palo Alto, Calif. (Maples Pavilion)
Event: NCAA Championships (Team Finals)
U-M Team Finish: 6th Place of 6 Teams (354.250)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 19 -- Individual Event Finals at NCAA Championships (Palo Alto, Calif.), 7 p.m. PDT
Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- The sixth-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team finished sixth with a 354.250 team score at the NCAA Championships Team Finals on Friday (April 18) at Stanford's Maples Pavilion, and four Wolverines were among the 10 competitors (no ties) in each event who advanced to the Individual Event Finals.
Junior/sophomore Phil Goldberg(Ringgold, Ga./McCallie) (still rings), sophomore David Chan(Singapore, Hale School) (pommel horse), sophomore Mel Santander (Southborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) (vault) and freshman Thomas Kelley(Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) (high bar) will vie for All-America honors and national titles in their respective events Saturday (April 19), starting at 7 p.m. PDT.
Michigan started the evening on the rings. After a strong performance by each participating athlete -- highlighted by Goldberg's 15.500 and eventual tie for sixth place -- the Wolverines stood in third place after the first rotation with a team score of 59.600.
The Maize and Blue moved to vault. In only his second vault this season, Santander bested his impressive routine from last night, earning a 16.000 and 10th place for the last spot in the individual finals. U-M stood in second place after two events with a 122.700.
On the third rotation, the team headed to the parallel bars. Senior/junior Paul Woodward(Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) earned his highest score of the season with a 14.900 to lead the Wolverines on the event. Halfway through the meet, U-M remained in second place with a 180.900.
On high bar, Kelley had the highest score with a 14.900, good for a tie for second place overall. Senior/junior Arren Yoshimura(Denver, Colo./George Washington) earned Michigan's second-best score with a 14.650. At the end of the fourth rotation, Michigan held the second-place spot with 239.550.
Freshman Chris Cameron(Winter Haven, Fla./Lake Region) started things off on the floor exercise during U-M's fifth rotation with a 15.050. Junior Kent Caldwell(Charlotte, N.C./Latin) made his first floor appearance since the Stanford meet on March 22, earning a 15.150. With one event left, Michigan's team score was 299.800.
After a sixth-round bye, Michigan advanced to the pommel horse in its final event. Chan earned 14.300 for the team's best score and a tie for ninth. After the final rotation, Michigan stood in sixth place with a total team score of 354.250.
Only 10 competitors from each event advance to the Individual Event Finals, so ties for 10th are broken by using the scores from the National Qualifiers. Narrowly missing out on the individual finals was Woodward, who finished in a three-way tie for ninth on the parallel bars Friday but had a lower score in Thursday's qualifier (14.100) than all-around champion Casey Sandy of Penn State (15.000) and Cal's Kyle Brady (14.300).
The NCAA Team Finals will be broadcast Thursday, April 24, on ESPN2 at 4 p.m.
Team Standings/U-M Event Scores
| Team Scores | FX | PH | SR | V | PB | HB | Total |
| 1. Oklahoma | 62.600 | 56.200 | 61.700 | 64.150 | 59.650 | 58.900 | 363.200 |
| 2. Stanford | 61.850 | 57.350 | 62.050 | 63.750 | 58.550 | 59.200 | 362.750 |
| 3. Illinois | 60.650 | 56.650 | 60.800 | 63.800 | 59.350 | 58.500 | 359.750 |
| 4. Penn State | 61.100 | 56.250 | 62.000 | 63.100 | 58.600 | 56.600 | 357.650 |
| 5. California | 59.750 | 55.300 | 60.500 | 62.550 | 60.700 | 57.350 | 356.150 |
| 6. MICHIGAN | 60.250 | 54.450 | 59.600 | 63.100 | 58.200 | 58.650 | 354.250 |
U-M Individual Event Scores
FLOOR EXERCISE Thomas Kelley 14.950 Joe Catrambone 13.700 Chris Cameron 15.050 Jamie Thompson 15.100 Kent Caldwell 15.150 Ralph Rosso 14.850 POMMEL HORSE Phil Goldberg 13.650 Ryan McCarthy 13.100 Chris Cameron 11.700 David Chan 14.300 (t9) Paul Woodward 13.400 Mel Santander 12.350 STILL RINGS Joe Catrambone 14.400 Arren Yoshimura 14.900 Ralph Rosso 14.400 Chris Cameron 14.650 Thomas Kelley 14.550 Phillip Goldberg 15.500 (t6) VAULT Jamie Thompson 15.650 Kent Caldwell 15.500 Thomas Kelley 15.450 Mel Santander 16.000 (10) David Chan 15.750 Ralph Rosso 15.700 PARALLEL BARS Chris Cameron Mel Santander 14.850 Ryan McCarthy 13.000 Arren Yoshimura 13.700 Joe Catrambone 12.600 Paul Woodward 14.900 (t9) HORIZONTAL BAR Ryan McCarthy 14.250 Jamie Thompson 13.450 Mel Santander 14.500 Arren Yoshimura 14.650 Thomas Kelley 14.900 (t2) Joe Catrambone 14.600 ( ) denotes place in top 10
Contact: Stacey Schwartz (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
