With the comeback complete and the No. 7 Michigan men’s gymnastics team safely ahead of No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday, Wolverines graduate Paul Juda stepped up to the high bar.
“It’s really tough,” Juda said. “You’re standing before the high bar, and you’re not supposed to tell yourself it’s the last routine you’ll salute in Cliff Keen. But I was just really happy. The guys have been pushing me, they’ve been looking really good in the gym. And because of that, it makes me want to go to another level.”
And to another level he went. After a routine that included two high-flying Kovacs and multiple Tkatchevs, Juda stuck his double-twisting, double-layout dismount to raucous chants.
The high bar routine, which scored 14.3, was Juda’s first over 14 on the season and his highest score on the event in over a calendar year. It was also the third-highest high bar score nationally this season.
The path to Juda’s exclamation point was less than simple for Michigan on Saturday. But the 2024 U.S. Olympian held his team stable, leading the team to a rivalry upset on Senior Day.
Down one and a quarter points midway through the second rotation and coming off of back-to-back 12.500 scores, the Wolverines needed a spark. Juda, who was competing on pommel horse for the first time this season, provided just that. His 13.95, good enough for third place in the meet, and freshman Aaronson Mansburger’s impressive 14.6 routine slowed the Buckeyes and primed Michigan for a comeback.
After dampening Ohio State’s momentum on pommel horse, Juda — the 2023 Nissen-Emery Award winner for most outstanding senior male collegiate gymnast — stabilized the Wolverines on still rings. He followed up senior teammate Rithik Puri’s 14.0 routine with a 13.9 performance of his own. Epitomizing his overall performance on the day, Juda held steady throughout the routine, securing a 9.100 out of 10 for execution.
While Michigan began its comeback on vault, it accelerated it on parallel bars. Following a 13.55 from fellow graduate Evgeny Siminiuc, Juda, who took home the 2022 NCAA All-Around title, put up a 13.65 of his own. After performing a Bhavsar into a Tippelt, he finished his routine by sticking a tucked double-back dismount. With senior Logan McKeown posting a 14.15 next, the Wolverines retook the lead by three-tenths.
After a couple of challenging routines for the Buckeyes and three consecutive hits for Michigan, the Wolverines’ lead was up to nearly five points before Juda, a three-time NCAA All-American, capped off the meet.
“I’m so proud of all the seniors,” coach Yuan Xiao said. “Nine seniors in the program, from fourth years, fifth years to Paul Juda, they’ve done a phenomenal job.”
In a hotly-contested meet on Saturday, Juda’s performance proved that he’s in a class of his own — in more ways than one.
“I would trade every single one of my individual accomplishments for a team win,” Juda said. “I think that’s the reason that I came back so many times from so many injuries. I’ve felt all these highs individually. But all these guys, they work as hard as me. They work even harder sometimes, most times. I just want them to all feel it too.”
But Juda might not have to pick. In leading the Wolverines’ comeback and securing the upset over their biggest rival, he showed that his individual success and that of the team are firmly linked.
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