Michigan
Maize & Blue Intrasquad
Blue Defeats Maize in Annual Intrasquad Exhibition Matchup
12/9/2023 4:04:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
» The Blue team defeated the Maize team for the first time in four years, ending the latter's four-peat hopes.
» Each team won three events on the afternoon.
» Graduate student Paul Juda placed in the top three of five separate events.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 2-ranked Michigan men's gymnastics team kicked off the 2024 season with its annual Maize and Blue Intrasquad Meet on Saturday (Dec. 9), with the Blue team topping the Maize team 246.600-245.400 inside Cliff Keen Arena. Blue's victory was its first since 2019.
The meet consisted of an alternating-team format, where both teams competed on the same event in rotating fashion. Judges counted three scores on every event, with as many as seven gymnasts per team competing on each apparatus.
The Blue team held the lead for most of the meet, jumping ahead after the first rotation and only lagging in points after Maize's dominant performance on pommel horse. Graduate student Paul Juda (Blue) took five top-three finishes, landing on the podium in every event except parallel bars. Freshman Pierce Wolfgang (Maize) debuted strongly, winning the all-around over junior Rithik Puri (Maize) 78.900-76.650.
How it Happened
Floor Exercise
Blue took two top-three finishes on the floor, with graduate student Casey Cummings winning the event with a score of 14.00 and Juda finishing in third with a 13.10. The pair was split by freshman Jake Islam (Maize), who ended in second with a 13.15.
Pommel Horse
Maize had a dominant performance on the apparatus. Sophomore Fred Richard won the event with a score of 14.05, followed by sophomore teammate Zach Granados with a 13.80. Third place went to Juda with a score of 13.60.
Still Rings
The Blue team swept the rings podium with senior Javier Alfonso in first with a score of 14.20, Juda in second with a 13.95 and freshman Akshay Puri in third with a 13.75.
Vault
Sophomore Landen Blixt won the event for Maize with a score of 15.10. Juda took second with a 14.80 and junior David Wolma (Blue) finished third with a 14.70.
Parallel Bars
Senior Evgeny Siminiuc (Maize) and junior Logan McKeown (Blue) tied for the win, each scoring 14.60 on the apparatus. Graduate student Crew Bold took third for Blue with a score of 14.250.
High Bar
Blue took two top-three finishes on the event, with Bold taking first with a winning score of 14.20 and Juda placing second with a score of 14.10. The duo was followed by Maize sophomore Robert Noll, who finished with a tally of 14.05.
Up Next
Michigan opens the regular season on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. when the Wolverines host Greenville and Simpson in a tri-meet at Cliff Keen Arena.
Players Mentioned
