The pommel horse has been something of a thorn in the Michigan men’s gymnastics team’s side this season. The Wolverines rank dead last in the Big Ten on the apparatus and have struggled to find consistency on it throughout the year. And after a rough start on the floor which put it in third at the Big Ten Championship, the last event Michigan wanted to see was the pommel horse — an event which has drained momentum from the team in the past.
But something different happened on Saturday. The Wolverines finally put the pieces together and found their footing. In doing so, they also found their highest score on the event of the season, and swung the momentum of the meet in their favor.
“I’m grateful that my pommel showed today,” junior Fred Richard said on Friday. “Whole team did. We just kept that momentum.”
Michigan began the event with junior Zach Granados leading off. Despite Granados not competing much this season and suffering his worst score in two years on the apparatus against Nebraska on March 21, he came out swinging, stringing each element of his routine together and sticking his dismount.
It was exactly the kind of routine Michigan needed to get started on pommel. Granados earned a 4.800 difficulty score and an 8.550 execution score, placing him seventh overall in the competition and getting the Wolverines going with a solid 13.350 points already banked.
But Michigan wasn’t going to survive on seventh-place performances from all of its gymnasts. That’s where the Olympians came in.
Graduate Paul Juda was up first. Despite his score of 13.100 being tied for his lowest of the season due to a near fall, Juda’s steadiness kept him on the horse and kept Michigan in the competition as Richard took the floor.
Richard’s speed on the pommel horse has always been his strength, and Friday was no different. He flew through the apparatus, swinging flairs and double circles in his typical quick style. More than that, though, Richard demonstrated his technical skills as well, with a triple Russian in the middle of his routine and a very strong handstand dismount proving exactly how versatile he is on the event. In recent months, Richard has worked with Olympic gold medalist Rhys McClenaghan on refining his skills, and he feels it has paid off.
“Yeah, it works,” Richard said, laughing. “We hit the pommel routine! Best pommel set of the year. It’s working. Still a lot to learn. I’m gonna keep pushing it. I want to be one of the best on every event, so I don’t want any event to be a weak event.”
Richard’s 8.8 E score and 14.100 overall score gave Michigan a boost, but it still needed one final performance to seal the deal. Aaronson Mansberger has ranked among the best in the country for the entire season, and the freshman is the Wolverines’ anchor on the most notorious event in men’s gymnastics.
But Mansberger had no problems on Friday. His lines were as solid as ever and his swings just as big. In the biggest competition of the season, Mansberger’s 5.500 D score and sky-high 9.200 E earned him second on the event with a 14.700 — a college career high.
“(Senior) Rithik Puri said it best,” Juda said. “If you’re a freshman and you anchor pommel horse like Aaron Mansberger, you’re no longer a freshman. That is a weight on your shoulders that only non-freshmen can handle, and I’m just super proud of him.”
At the end of it, Michigan had earned its highest pommel horse score of the season with a 55.250, and was in the lead of the meet by six-tenths of a point over Ohio State. The Wolverines never looked back. What was their worst event became their springboard to victory as they claimed their fifth straight Big Ten title.
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