Michigan
Oklahoma
Michigan Takes Down Top-Ranked Oklahoma
3/2/2024 4:00:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
» Michigan defeated No. 1 Oklhaoma 416.300-409.550 on saturday at Cliff Keen Arena.
» U-M claimed the top three spots on still rings and finished with five of six individual event titles with the second-highest team score in the NCAA on the season.
» The Maize and Blue trailed through the first two rotations, but took the lead during the third rotation with a season-high team performances on still rings.
» Five different Wolverines achieved new career-high scores against the Sooners.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Scores: #4 Michigan 416.300, #1 Oklahoma 409.550
Records: U-M (11-1), Oklahoma (7-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 9 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 2 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team toppled No. 1 Oklahoma 416.300-409.550 on Saturday (March 2) inside Cliff Keen Arena.
The Sooners (7-2) led the Wolverines through the first two rotations, but a season-high team effort on still rings put Michigan into the top spot. Michigan (11-1) maintained the lead through the finish, at times leading by as many as nine points. Michigan's final tally of 416.300 was a season-best and the second-highest team score of any NCAA team this season. It was accompanied by season-high event totals on floor exercise, still rings and parallel bars. The Wolverines won three team events (still rings, vault, and parallel bars) and tied on pommel horse in their final non-conference matchup of the season.
Five different Wolverines took home individual event titles, with a Michigan athlete notching the top spot in every rotation except floor exercise. U-M swept the still rings podium, led by senior Javier Alfonso, and had a top-three finish in every event. Graduate student Crew Bold took home the meet's Newt Loken Award, propelled by his event-winning score of 14.95 on the parallel bars.
How it Happened
Floor Exercise
Michigan began the meet with a season-high 69.350, led by a 14.35 from sophomore Landen Blixt to take third place. U-M trailed the Sooners by 0.700 points after the first rotation.
Pommel Horse
The Wolverines compiled a 67.700 as graduate student Paul Juda claimed another first-place finish with a 14.75 on the apparatus, smashing his previous record to set a new career high. Freshman Kevin Chow also set a new personal best and took second with a score of 14.00. Michigan and Oklahoma both finished with a total of 67.700 on pommel horse, and the margin remained 0.700 as the Sooners led the Maize and Blue 137.750-137.050 after the second rotation.
Still Rings
U-M set another season record with a team score of 69.750. The Wolverines also swept the podium, as Alfonso took first with a score of 15.50 followed by senior Chris Read (14.05) and sophomore Fred Richard (14.00). With a running team tally of 206.800, U-M overtook the Sooners to enter the fourth rotation with a 5.350-point lead.
Vault
Junior David Wolma led the competition on the vault table with a score of 14.90 as the Wolverines tallied a team total of 72.50. He was followed by Juda, who took second place with a score of 14.65. Junior Lais Najjar did not finish on the podium, but notched a career-high score of 14.15 on the apparatus. The Wolverines extended their lead to 6.350 points going into the penultimate rotation.
Parallel bars
The Wolverines extended their lead over the Sooners to 9.000 points with a season-high team total of 69.950, led by Bold's event win with a career-high score of 14.95. A runner-up finish from senior Evgeny Siminiuc (14.50) cemented a team victory on the apparatus. Heading into the final rotation, U-M led Oklahoma 349.250-340.250.
High bar
Richard was the lone Wolverine on the high bar podium, taking the top spot with a score of 14.85. Sophomore Eric Hoe earned a career-high score of 13.45 on the apparatus, and the Wolverines totaled 67.050 on the event to defeat Oklahoma with a season-high team score of 416.300.
Up Next
The Wolverines return to Big Ten competition next Saturday (March 9) at 2 p.m. when they take on No. 7 Ohio State at Covelli Center in Columbus. The Wolverines are one of three teams tied for second in the Big Ten standings with a 1-1 conference record.
Players Mentioned
