Maize Narrowly Defeats Blue in Intrasquad

Friday, December 10

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

Maize and Blue Intrasquad (ex)

12/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics

Dec. 11, 2010

• Complete Results | Photo Gallery

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Event: Maize and Blue Intrasquad
Score: Maize 248.500, Blue 247.150
Attendance: 307
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan 15 -- at the Windy City Invitational (Chicago, Ill.), 7 p.m. CST

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite junior Rohan Sebastian (Oklahoma City, Okla./Bishop McGuinness Catholic) winning the all-around competition with a 83.05, the Maize team nipped the the Blue squad, 248.500-247.150, on Saturday (Dec 10) at the annual University of Michigan men's gymnastics Maize and Blue Intrasquad held inside Cliff Keen Arena.

Freshman Sam Mikulak (Corona del Mar, Calif./Carona del Mar) amazed the crowd in the first rotation with a difficult floor routine, earning a 15.00 and the top spot in the floor exercise for the Maize team, which took a narrow lead over the Blue team's pommel horse performance.

The Maize team widened its lead in the second rotation with top performances on the pommel horse from redshirt juniors Devan Cote (Hollis, N.H./Hollis-Brookline), scoring 14.25, and Adam Hamers (Salem, Ore./South Salem), scoring 14.10. Hamers earned All-America honors on pommel horse in the 2009 season.

In the third rotation, the Blue team put up solid vault scores to sweep the top three places and overcome the deficit from the first two rotations. Senior Andrew Vance (Plymouth, Mich./Catholic Central) of the Blue team took the top honors with a 15.60.

Blue held onto the lead going into the fourth rotation, where senior Thomas Kelley (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) performed a strength-filled ring routine, finessing his frontdouble pike dismount to a clean landing for a 14.95 score and the top spot in the event.

The Maize team recaptured the lead during the fifth rotation. Junior co-captain Syque Caesar (Port Saint Lucie, Fla./Lincoln Park Academy) highlighted the rotation for the Maize team with a difficult and clean parallel bar routine, taking first place with a 14.75.

With Maize leading by .85 going into the last rotation, solid performances from Maize team's Cote and Mikulak on the high bar diminished any chances for the Blue team to catch up. Mikulak wowed the crowd and garnered cheers from both teams as he flew over the bar in a difficult full-twisting layed out Tkachev.

The Wolverines will start the regular season in Chicago at the Windy City Invite on Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. CST at the UIC Physical Education Building.

RESULTS

Floor1. Sam Mikulak          15.002. Ben Baldus-Strauss   14.003. Rohan Sebastian      13.95 Pommel Horse1. Devan Cote           14.252. Adam Hamers          14.103. Ben Baldus-Strauss   13.40 Rings1. Thomas Kelley        14.952. Chris Cameron        14.303. Rohan Sebastian      14.25 Vault1. Andrew Vance         15.602. Rohan Sebastian      15.453. Ben Baldus-Strauss   15.35 Parallel Bars1. Syque Caesar         14.752. Devan Cote           13.553. Rohan Sebastian      13.30 High Bar1. Sam Mikulak          14.152. Ben Baldus-Strauss   13.803. Devan Cote           13.35 All-Around1. Rohan Sebastian      83.052. Sam Mikulak          82.053. Thomas Kelley        75.35