Entering Saturday’s meet, No. 1 Oklahoma had won 64 consecutive regular-season home meets over 76 opponents, a streak that stretches back to 2007.
That dominance was what the No. 6 Michigan men’s gymnastics team (6-3) had to contend with in Norman, Okla. In the end, it proved too much for the Wolverines as they fell to the top-ranked Sooners (10-1) by just over a point, 327.700-326.400. But even in the loss, they bested their season high by more than four points and put up a score only the top two teams in the country have beat.
“We knew this was going to be tough,” Michigan coach Yuan Xiao said. “We were prepared. And to compete in a tough meet and in a tough location, I’m really proud of all the guys, they did a fantastic job.”
The Wolverines kicked off the meet on pommel horse, a departure from the typical floor start in Big Ten competition. The apparatus would quickly prove challenging, as sophomore Kyle Walchuk and freshman Aaronson Mansberger both had points deducted for falls and Michigan fell behind by almost three points in the first rotation.
“At NCAAs, it’s not guaranteed that we get to start on the event that we want to,” graduate Paul Juda said. “We might get the last draw and have to start an event that we might not want to. We’ve got a really capable horse squad, people that are extremely good at the event and can swing really well. But when those guys don’t hit, it kind of puts a damper on our momentum.”
On rings for the second rotation, the Wolverines began cutting into Oklahoma’s lead. Juda stuck his dismount for a 14.250 — the top rings score of the meet — and led the team to its season high on the event, making up nearly 1.5 points.
Moving to the floor exercise, Michigan sophomore Charlie Larson put up a 14.300 to take home the event title. Freshman Solen Chiodi showcased the team’s depth as he stuck three of his five passes for a 13.750.
“They did a great job,” Xiao said. “Paul added upgraded sets for the new season. Solen wasn’t on the travel list, but with Jake Islam sick, we had to call him this morning before we came to the bus, and he just came and competed so well.”
The Wolverines opened the second half of the meet on parallel bars, where their 55.150 beat the Sooners by almost three points. Junior Fred Richard tied his season high and took home the event title with a 14.450, and senior Logan McKeown placed second with a 13.950.
On high bar, Richard performed back-to-back Cassinas en route to a 14.300 and Michigan’s fourth event title of the meet. Sophomore Pierce Wolfgang and Juda added a 13.750 and 13.450, respectively as the Wolverines cut Oklahoma’s lead to within two.
“Pierce Wolfgang was really a stand out too,” Xiao said. “Today he competed on a couple events and was leading the team. That’s what I’m looking for, some kids are just a talent. They need to show up, not shy away from competing. So I can see Pierce today really stands out for the team.”
Rounding out the meet on vault, Michigan showed off its consistency. All four gymnasts put up at least a 13.850, with senior David Wolma leading the way with a 14.100.
While the Wolverines competed on vault, the Sooners secured their win on high bar with a rotation including four of the top nine competitors in the country. Anchored by the top two, Emre Dodanli and Kelton Christiansen, Oklahoma’s score of 55.250 was plenty to hold off Michigan by over a point.
“If you asked me before the meet started, I would have told you that we needed a lot of things to go our way in order to win,” Juda said. “It’s at Oklahoma. It’s their senior night. They’ve got 70-plus straight wins at home. I would have told you that. But looking at the scores, it doesn’t look so much like that. We really could have done it. It came down to hit routines.”
In a hard fought meet with the first-ranked Sooners, the Wolverines showcased their strengths and put up their best team meet to date. But the performance just wasn’t enough to be the first team in 18 years to take down Oklahoma in Norman.
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