This is a test of the #MGymDynasty System…

This is a test of the #MGymDynasty System…

NCAA Team and Event Finals Re-Cap

Dear Friends, Family, and Alumni of Michigan Men’s Gymanstics,

The coaching staff is proud present the final competition re-cap of the 2013 Season, a re-cap covering the claiming of the program’s fifth NCAA Team Title, fourth NCAA All-Around title, and thirty-second and thirty-third individual event NCAA Titles!

Following a great performance in the NCAA Team Qualifier on Friday evening, your Michigan Wolverines qualified with the highest score and thus selected their starting event first. Opting to begin Saturday evening’s competition on pommel horse, your Wolverines got off to just as solid a start as they did in the preliminary competition, hitting five for five routines and showing no nerves, only a calm and determined energy. Nolan Novak led off with a solid 14.05, and Dylan James hit one of his better routines of the season for a 14.7 and the Maize and Blue’s second highest score. Only Mikulak topped James’ score, beginning his all-around campaign with a 14.85. Matt Freeman finished out the rotation with a strong 14.3, and Adrian de los Angeles chipped in a 14.35.

Your Wolverines next went to rings where they posted another solid five-for-five scores. Alex Bubnov led off with a 15.25 and Jordan Gaarenstroom followed with a huge 15.6. Senior co-captain Rohan Sebastian added a 14.7 and Mikulak continued his all-around push with a 15.25. Freeman rounded out the five team competitors with a 15.0, and de los Angeles posted a 14.6 as an extra competitor whose score counted only for all-around.

Freshman Konner Ackerman again came through on vault, starting the rotation off with a 14.4, and then your Wolverines faced their first bit of adversity as Mike Strathern sat down his handspring double-front for a 13.9. The Maize and Blue rebounded immediately as Mikulak and de los Angeles both hit beautiful Kasamatsu one-and-a-halfs, scoring 14.9 and 14.8, respectively. Ervin then capped off the rotation with a 15.05 on his handspring double front.

The judges seemed to tighten scores on parallel bars, for despite another stellar rotation, the overwhelming numbers of the preliminary competition were absent; but being the true competitors that they are, your Wolverines did not let that faze them as they turned out another five-for-five. Ervin led off with a strong 14.7, and Nick Hunter, performing one of his best peach-halves of the year posted a 14.05. Syque Caesar turned in in a 14.9, de los Angeles a 14.8, and Mikulak a 15.35. By this point Michigan had been atop the leader board for several rotations, though only by a small margin, and with the five-up, five-count format, all in the arena knew that it would come down to the final rotation.

Michigan next took on high bar, and again in the face of intensifying pressure, particularly on an event that had given them trouble earlier this year, the Wolverines came through magnificently. Strathern led off with a huge Kovacs and beautiful fullspin-work, posting a 14.1. Nick Hunter earned a 14.25 following perhaps his best routine of the season. Fifth year co-captain Caesar looked completely unfazed by his miss on high bar the previous night, turning in a 14.55 and Adrian de los Angeles scored 14.5. Then Sam Mikulak stepped up and delivered a jaw-dropping routine and was rightly rewarded with a big 15.65, giving your Wolverines the final push into the last event of the evening.

During the three minute touch before floor, there was a tangible increase in energy and excitement throughout the arena as all the maize-clad Michigan supporters knew how much rode on these next five routines. Oklahoma, only five tenths behind Michigan, was on high bar, right next to the floor corral, and they were hitting routines and sticking dismounts left and right. But in a final show of the unshakeable confidence and cool, collected competitive spirit they had exhibited all weekend, your Maize and Blue came through on floor. Sebastian began the rotation sticking his middle three passes and looking solid and steady, his routine attesting to the team leader he has become this year. He posted a 15.2. Next up was Sebastian’s fellow captain who displayed the cool-headed experience of an Olympic veteran; Caesar stuck pass after pass and finished with a 15.25. Adrian de los Angeles kept the momentum rolling with one of his cleanest sets of the year, and finished out his all-around campaign with a 15.3. Mikulak also completed his six-for-six routines for all-around, coming through in a huge way for the team with a 15.15 when it mattered most. And despite two falls, Ervin’s difficulty-packed routine still brought in a 14.35 and was good enough to close out the competition. As Ervin’s score was flashed and the Wolverines checked the final standings, a huge cheer went up through the corral as teammates and coaches embraced and yelled and beamed ear to ear. Hitting 93% again, Michigan had claimed the 2013 NCAA Championship by an astounding three points over second place Oklahoma.

As the team marched onto the podium and received their championship hats and shirts and watches, and finally the team trophy, and the Michigan flag was raised and The Victors sounded throughout the arena and from the mouths of the smiling seventeen atop the award stand, it struck me that this is what Michigan is all about: a group of young men coming together, sacrificing and working through successes and failures for 365 days to complete a reversal from last in the team championship to first. It struck me that the evening’s line-up, which included Olympians and walk-ons, represented the very best of Michigan: a group of young men who made a decision to be the best they could, and who came through in spectacular fashion on the night when it mattered most.  This team could not deserve it any more, and the coaching staff could not be any more proud.

As if a team championship wasn’t enough for the evening, The University of Michigan also boasted the evening’s top two all-around scores, as Sam Mikulak claimed his second NCAA All-Around title and Adrian de los Angeles placed second, earning his first ever NCAA All-American citation. Michigan also qualified fifteen routines into event finals the following day.

Following a team title, Event Finals can sometimes be a let down, but in a continued bid to establish the Dynasty they have Tweeted about and worked for, your Wolverines again showed up ready to claim the top spots on Sunday. With four qualifiers on floor, Michigan boasted the third place spot claimed by Mikulak, the fourth place spot as Sebastian and Caesar tied to claim what was both gymnast’s first-ever NCAA All-American citation. De los Angeles tried a slightly different routine construction and finished ninth. On pommel horse both Mikulak and James hit excellent sets, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. Dylan James, completing his third hit routine of the weekend, and perhaps his best of the season, earned his first All-American citation. On rings Jordan Gaaresntroom appeared in his first rings final and finished just outside of All-American status in ninth place with a 14.65. Ervin also finished outside of the All-American finishers as he sat down his vault, but Mikulak performed yet another beautiful Kas 1.5 and claimed the seventh place spot in one of the better vault finals in recent NCAA history.

Parallel Bars was akin to a clinic put on by Michigan, as both Sam Mikulak and Syque Caesar performed nearly flawless routines and went one-two in the standings. This was Mikulak’s fourth NCAA  title, and he wasn’t done yet. On high bar Caesar again performed beautifully, and posted a 14.925 for third place, but Mikulak’s difficulty and near-flawless execution stole the show as he posted a 16.1 and claimed his fifth individual NCAA title and defended his 2012 NCAA High Bar Championship.

With all said and done, Michigan claimed the team, all-around, parallel bars and high bar titles, four of the total eight NCAA Titles that were up for grabs. It may be soon to use “Dynasty,” but one cannot deny that it was a Maize and Blue weekend!

For skill-by-skill analysis of every routine performed this weekend, please see Michigan’s Championship Central blog below.

In closing, the coaching staff would like to thank all family, friends, and alumni for their continued interest in and support of Michigan’s Men’s Gymnastics. Your involvement not only makes Championships possible, but it makes sharing and celebrating them all more enjoyable!

Thank you, and Go Blue!

Ian Makowske

Program Assistant
University of Michigan

Men’s Gymnastics

2013 NCAA Champions

imakowsk@umich.edu

 Relentlessly Striving to Make Michigan Athletics the Leaders and Best in Every Way!

Awards: Final Three Event Finals

On the back three events, your Wolverines finish with six All-Americans, Sam Mikulak finishing seventh on vault, and winning the National Title on Parallel Bars and High Bar! Caesar clinched the silver medal on parallel bars just .05 behind Mikulak, and he finished third on high bar.

Mikulak rounds out his 2013 NCAA Championships with three National Titles (All-Around, Parallel Bars, and High Bar, bringing his career total up to five NCAA Titles)! Michigan claimed four of the eight national championships up for grabs this weekend, including a total of thirteen All-American citations.

Go Blue!

Mikulak High Bar

In his fifth and final appearance in this afternoons Event Finals, Mikulak knocks another near flawless set out, showing a physical and mental toughness in his sixteenth, yes, sixteenth routine in the past sixty hours. Mikulak starts off with a big Kolman, catching smoothly, next a beautiful Rybalko, wouldn’t be surprised to see him upgrade that next year either given the way he’s been doing that. Perfect half Tak right to handstand, nice straddle Tkatchev half, another beautiful Tak, full this time, nice Yamawaki, straddle Tkatchev. Just a Stalder, good Quast, and capped off with a stuck lay out double-double! Doesn’t get much better than that!

Mikulak’s Score: 16.1 and he defends his National Title on high bar, picking up an additional one as well on Parallel Bars.

Go Blue!

Mikulak Parallel Bars

Michigan puts up yet another huge set on parallel bars, this time from Mikulak. Nice peach hand, huge front upside Suarez, pirouette giant Suarez immediate front uprise front one and a quarter to below the bar swing, Moy, pirouette, smooth as ever, this routine just flows. Tippelt, back toss, Stutz, double back pike dismount and a hop back on the landing but a great set over.

Mikulak’s Score: 15.5 and he just edges Caesar’s 15.45 for the first place spot with three competitors to go. Mikulak has one more set remaining on the evening, and with that he heads to high bar.

Caesar Parallel Bars

Well ladies and gentleman you can’t do that routine much better than that. Beautiful peach to handstand, better amplitude on the front uprise Suarez, pirouette, perfect giant, giant Suarez, nice Healy, nice Peters, front upside straddle front one and a quarter to the end, pirouette, Moy pirouette, sticks his double pike cold. He is a sticking machine today!

Cesar Score: 15.45

De Los Angeles Parallel Bars

In his second and final routine of the Event Finals, De Los Angeles opens with a beautiful peach half, peach, and Belle, he does that sequence so smoothly and so well, he’s really gotten that down in the past months. Little off on his Tippelt but he handles it and swings to handstand. Good Diam and Stutz, leg separation in the back toss and past handstand but he saves the extra swing with a front uprise. Nce double pike, small hop forward.

De Los Angeles Score: 14.325

Mikulak Vault

Continuing his evening, Mikulak lands his third Kasamatsu one and a half nicely, taking a small hop back, nearly sticking it. small leg separation on the entry and perhaps slightly off-axis on the flip but another great vault from Mikulak, showing why he was a 2012 Olympic vault finalist! Mikulak making us proud!

Mikulak Vault Score: 15.1

Caesar High Bar

On his second routine of the evening Caesar knocks out the best hi bar routine of his season, working through a full Tak to a nice Yamawaki, beautiful Rybalko, hoping to see that upgrade to El next year the way he did it he. Beautiful half Tak, nice endo full spin. Good Stalder, slightly passed handstand in the Quast but sticks his layout half-in half-out like a toothpick in a sandwich.

Caesar Score: 14.925

Ervin Vault

In his only Event Finals appearance of the day, Ervin looks to have trouble with his steps down the runway, is off on his punch off the board and thus his block and turnover suffers. He works to will himself around on his handspring double front but sits down.

Ervin Score: 13.775