Michigan
NCAA Qualifier
Michigan Advances to NCAA Finals
4/19/2024 10:14:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
» Michigan qualified for the NCAA Championships Finals with a 418.954 and a second-place finish, narrowly behind Oklahoma's 418.957, and will be seeded third in tomorrow's finals by virtue of Stanford winning session one.
» U-M earned event wins from Evgeny Siminiuc (parallel bars), Fred Richard (high bar) and Javier Alfonso (still rings).
» U-M will begin NCAA team finals on pommel horse on Saturday (April 20).
» The Wolverines scored a season-best 71.965 on parallel bars.
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Covelli Center)
Score: 2nd of 6 teams, (418.954)
Event: NCAA Qualifier, Session II
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 20 -- at NCAA Finals - Session III (Columbus, Ohio), 6 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The third-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA Team finals with a 418.954 team score, placing second in the NCAA Qualifier session on Friday (April 19) at Ohio State's Covelli Center.
Michigan (20-3) advances to the NCAA Championship Finals on Saturday (April 20). Meet time is slated for 6 p.m. U-M qualified third in the overall pair of sessions behind Oklahoma (415.491) and Stanford (417.389), who won session one of the qualifier.
Individual event wins came from senior Evgeny Siminiuc on parallel bars, sophomore Fred Richard (high bar), and senior Javier Alfonso (still rings).
How It Happened
Pommel Horse
Sophomore Zach Granados led off for U-M with a 13.80, while freshman Kyle Walchuk returned to the lineup for the first time since early January with a 13.60 on the event. In all, U-M compiled a 67.798 to sit in third after one rotation, trailing Penn St. by 4.001. Richard competed as an exhibition routine, scoring a 14.366.
Still Rings
Junior Rithik Puri got things started on still rings with a career-high 14.266, while Alfonso took the win with a 14.466. Richard anchored the event with a 13.733 for an event total of 67.798 and Michigan sat in third with a 137.029 team score. U-M trailed Oklahoma by 2.768 points.
Vault
The Wolverines moved into the lead with a 72.031 on vault, with Juda leading the charge with a 14.800. Junior David Wolma marked a 14.566, while senior Chris Read and sophomore Landen Blixt each registered 14.466s. After three rotations, the Maize & Blue held a team score of 209.060 and led Oklahoma by 1.364 points.
Parallel Bars
In the fourth event, Alfonso led off with a career-best 14.300, followed by sophomore Logan McKeown who scored a 14.366. Siminiuc showed out in the third spot with a 14.700 for the event title.
High Bar
U-M scored a 69.331 to earn a running score of 350.456, falling narrowly into second place behind Oklahoma (.570). Richard and Juda scored matching 14.166s, and Richard took the event win due to a higher start value tiebreaker. Graduate student Crew Bold and Siminiuc marked 13.733s.
Floor Exercise
U-M closed out the night on floor exercise, with a 69.498, led by Juda's 14.366 in the anchor spot. The team score appeared to be enough to overtake the Sooners, but U-M was penalized with a one-point team-neutral deduction.
Up Next
U-M advances to the 2024 NCAA Team & All-Around Finals on Saturday (April 20). Meet time is slated for 6 p.m., with live coverage via NCAA.com.
Players Mentioned
