Michigan
Illinois
U-M to Make Trip to Illinois for Key Top-Five Matchup
1/30/2024 10:40:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will return to team competition following a one-week hiatus, traveling for its first true road meet of the season at No. 5 Illinois (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) on Saturday (Feb. 3) at 2 p.m. CST inside Huff Hall.
Notes
• Michigan is ranked No. 4 in the latest RoadToNationals rankings (407.517), highlighted by No. 2 rankings on parallel bars (68.067), still rings (68.583) and high bar (67.600). Floor exercise checks in at No. 5 (66.083) to round out the top five.
• The Illini rank No. 5 (404.367), sparked by a No. 2 rating on vault (71.250). Top-five events are also highlighted by fourth-place rankings floor exercise (67.400), still rings (67.033) and high bar (66.817). Ashton Anaya ranks No. 5 on still rings (14.30), while Logan Myers checks in at No. 6 on high bar.
• Individually, Fred Richard leads the NCAA on pommel horse (15.00), while Javier Alfonso (14.767) and Paul Juda (14.45) rank second and third, respectively, on still rings. Juda also leads the country on vault (15.00), while David Wolma ranks second (14.80). Parallel bars are led by Evgeny Siminiuc (14.35), while Richard leads the country on high bar (14.40) and Siminiuc ranks ninth (13.80).
• U-M is a combined 19-5 in Big Ten dual meets over the last five seasons and 6-2 under head coach Yuan Xiao.
• Richard owns the highest score in the NCAA on pommel horse (15.00), while Alfonso boasts the second-highest mark on still rings (15.10). Juda's 15.00 on vault also leads the land, while Richard and Crew Bold both pace the country with a 14.40 on high bar.
• Juda, Richard and Wolma all took home conference and national honors following the Army meet (Jan. 19). Juda hauled in Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, while Richard earned Big Ten Specialist of the Week. Wolma hauled in CGA Specialist of the Week for his 14.80 on vault.
• Most recently against Army (Jan. 19), the Wolverines defeated the Black Knights with a 412.500 team score and led by as many as 29.55 points in the matchup. Juniors Logan McKeown (14.30) and Rithik Puri (14.00) set career bests on parallel bars and high bar, while both Juda and Richard made their season debuts.
• U-M will return to Champaign, Ill., for the Big Ten Championships on April 5-6, which will be contested inside Illinois' State Farm Center.
Players Mentioned
