After a tough loss last week to the then-No. 7 Penn State, the No. 7 Michigan men’s gymnastics team entered Saturday’s meet with something to prove.
Showcasing their resilience, the Wolverines (5-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) bounced back, posting a 322.100-315.450 upset over conference rival, No. 2 Illinois (2-2, 1-1).
Michigan began the meet strong with the floor exercise, earning a season high of 55.300. Junior Fred Richard made his season debut on floor, earning a score of 14.200, with an 8.900 for execution and a 5.4 in difficulty.
“It was definitely a great show,” Richard said. “I’m getting back in shape, I’m healthy, I’m coming back strong. I still have a lot of room, which is deadly for the other teams, but is great for Michigan.”
Sophomore Charlie Larson, ranked first in the country on floor, also took it on. Despite falling on one of his landings, he bounced back and scored a 13.250, which included a 7.950 in execution and a 5.300 for difficulty.
The Fighting Illini, ranked No. 1 nationally on the pommel horse, struggled to match their season average of 54.917, putting up a 54.550. Michigan’s lead scorer was pommel horse specialist freshman Aaronson Mansberger who contributed a 14.150 score. Though the Wolverines’ pommel horse score of 52.400 was lower than Illinois’, their performances were enough to maintain their overall lead in the meet, a reflection of their ability to recover and keep pushing forward.
Michigan’s rings rotation extended its lead, posting a solid 53.300, slightly above its season average. Senior Rithik Puri led the pack with a 13.650, his highest of the season, while graduate Paul Juda contributed a 13.450. Meanwhile, the Illini struggled with a 51.250, falling nearly 2.5 points below their average.
Both teams struggled on vault, scoring nearly five points below their season averages. The Wolverines posted a 49.600, with sophomore Jake Islam stumbling back on his landing and freshman Solen Chiodi sitting down scoring a 13.50 and 12.750 respectively. Illinois wasn’t immune to mistakes either, totaling 51.550. No. 1-ranked Garrett Schooley fell out of bounds, earning just a 12.850.
“You can see both teams had the pressure, missed their landing,” Michigan coach Yuan Xiao said. “It’s mental sometimes.”
The Wolverines scored a 56.900 on parallel bars, maintaining their momentum with strong routines across the board. Senior Logan McKeown ended the rotation with a 14.550, sticking his landing, causing Cliff Keen Arena to erupt in cheers.
“I could feel the fans and everyone with us,” graduate Evgeny Siminiuc said. “I can’t wait for NCAAs at Crisler because that’s going to be a really big arena.”
Michigan clearly fed off the crowd’s energy as it wrapped up the meet on high bar with strong performances. Richard earned 14.700, the highest score in the country this season. Siminiuc stuck his landing for a 14.000, his highest of the season, while Juda finished the event with a 13.650.
“We still have some mistakes here and there,” Richard said. “But overall, you can see the talent level of our team. We beat the No. 2 ranked team right here like it was nothing basically. So we have a lot of potential.”
After falling short last week, the Wolverines bounced back with a dominant performance against the Illini, showing their resilience. Despite some mistakes, Michigan maintained its lead throughout the entire meet with string performances in nearly every event, ultimately securing the win.
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