Gymnastics NATIONAL COLLEGIATE MEN’S Highlights Michigan’s men’s gymnastics title is one for the books: ”The ring is the thing.” It’s an expression that puts emphasis on winning championships above all else, but for the six schools competing for the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships on May 16, it had new relevance. For Michigan, the event at West Point will always be remembered as the night the school won its fourth NCAA Men’s Gymnastics National Championship while junior Chris Cameron took home the all-around national title. For those in attendance, however, it will be remembered for the frequent delays caused by the broken still rings. “This is my 22nd NCAA, I guess, and this has to be the strangest one ever,” said Oklahoma coach Mark Williams. “We’ve had some (parallel bars) break and some minor equip- ment things, but nothing that took nearly as long as this. It wasn’t completely fixed when they got it done. This will be one for the record books I guess.” As Illinois’ Tyler Williamson was in the middle of his rings routine in the third session, he felt something give. “I was swinging up backwards. I was about halfway up and the ring just wasn’t feeling right in my hand,” Williamson said. When Williamson returned back to earth, everyone realized the left ring was cracked. Army’s gymnasts rushed in along with a few other helpers to dismantle and reassemble the rings during the first break in action. After the agreed upon three-minute warm- up session, the gymnasts took the mats to finish the night, but there was a lingering sense of trepidation around the apparatus. Unfortunately for the Sooners, they were the next team up on a brand new set of rings. “Two of my guys slipped on the ring and fell,” Williams said. “It’s just an unfortunate scenario; we weren’t able to keep the momentum from the pommel horse. It was defi- nitely unforeseen, and we definitely hung in there the best we could.” After a few more competitors completed the rings, it became apparent that the replacement apparatus wasn’t quite right either. “Initially (the other five coaches and myself) had a meeting with the Men’s Rules Committee from the NCAA,” Williams added. “We had a majority that felt like the athletes should be able to go over because of the circumstances. “I think they did the right thing,” he continued. “It was just unfortunate that it was something we had to deal with in the first place.” The NCAA rules committee decided to allow the competitors who slipped off the replacement rings to get another shot. Those six gymnasts took to the rings at the end of the night, but it had little effect on the overall outcome. “It was the same scenario for everyone and I told the guys that it’s a matter of who handles it the best,” said coach Kurt Golder, after winning his second national title with Michigan. “We all have a delay and whoever handles this adversity best is going to be the champion tonight. I don’t know if we did that, but we are the champs.” After finishing second to Stanford in 2009, the rings fiasco was just a small hiccup in a yearlong mission. “They set a goal last year when they were runner-up and they didn’t lose sight of it,” Golder added. “They kept working hard and it paid off for them.” Michigan took first place with a final score of 360.500 while Stanford finished second with a score of 359.800. The Sooners (357.050) finished third and Illinois (354.900), California (354.700) and Ohio St. (347.350) took home fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. In the all-around, Cameron, the Big Ten champion, beat the defending champ, Oklahoma’s Steven Legendre, by 1.550 points while another Wolverine, Mel Anton San- tander, came in third with a score of 88.900. 2010 TEAM STANDINGS 2010 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS Rings: 1. Brandon Wynn, Ohio St., 15.900; 2. Tyler Williamson, (Note: Scores for the top six teams are from the team-final ses- All-around: 1. Chris Cameron, Michigan, 90.500; 2. Steven Illinois, 15.150; 3. Tim Gentry, Stanford, 15.125; 4. Chris sion. Scores for all other teams are from the team-preliminary Legendre, Oklahoma, 88.950; 3. Mel Anton Santander, Cameron, Michigan, 15.100; 5. Nicholas Noone, Stanford, session.) Michigan, 88.900; 4. Bryan del Castillo, California, 88.050; 15.050; 6. Anthony Ingrelli, Nebraska, 14.975; 7. Phillip 1. Michigan...............................................................360.500 5. Glen Ishino, California, 87.500; 6. Tyler Mizoguchi, Illinois, Goldberg, Michigan, 14.875; 8. Anthony Sacramento, Illinois, 2. Stanford ................................................................359.800 87.300; 7. Alex Naddour, Oklahoma, 87.250; 8. Jacob Dalton, 14.850; 9. Noam Shaham, Penn State, 14.750; 10. Steven 3. Oklahoma ............................................................357.050 Oklahoma, 87.050; 9. Thomas Kelley, Michigan, 85.700; 10. Lacombe, California, 14.625. 4. Illinois .....................................................................354.900 Brandon Wynn, Ohio St., 85.600; 11. Yoshi Mori, Illinois, Vault: 1. Eddie Penev, Stanford, 16.450; 2. Jacob Dalton, 5. California ..............................................................354.700 84.450; 12. (tie) Dennis Mannhart, California, and Tai Lee, Oklahoma, 16.100; 3. Josh Dixon, Stanford, 16.050; 4. (tie) 6. Ohio St. ..................................................................347.350 Ohio St., 84.150; 14. Paul Ruggeri, Illinois, 80.250; 15. Kyle Tim Gentry, Stanford, and Philip Onorato, Ohio St., 15.950; 7. Minnesota ............................................................350.000 Bunthuwong, California, 72.900. 6. (tie) Kent Caldwell, Michigan, and Christian Monteclaro, 8. Penn St. .................................................................345.550 Floor exercise: 1. Steven Legendre, Oklahoma, 16.100; California, 15.825; 8. Steven Legendre, Oklahoma, 15.675; 9. 9. Nebraska ..............................................................343.100 2. Eddie Penev, Stanford, 16.000; 3. Chad Wiest, Illinois, Tyler Mizoguchi, Illinois, 15.425; 10. Ian Jackson, Oklahoma, 10. Iowa ........................................................................341.550 15.725; 4. Jacob Dalton, Oklahoma, 15.675; 5. Alex Buscaglia, 14.750. 11. Ill.-Chicago ...........................................................333.450 Stanford, 15.600; 6. Bryan del Castillo, California, 15.300; 7. Parallel bars: 1. Ryan Lieberman, Stanford, 15.100; 2. 12. Temple ...................................................................332.700 Kent Caldwell, Michigan, 15.275; 8. Cole Storer, Minnesota, Mel Anton Santander, Michigan, 15.050; 3. Corey English, 15.225; 9. Chris Cameron, Michigan, 15.050; 10. Thomas Oklahoma, 14.900; 4. Nicholas Noone, Stanford, 14.875; 5. Kelley, Michigan, 13.650. Thomas Kelley, Michigan, 14.800; 6. Jim Kerry, California, Pommel horse: 1. Alex Naddour, Oklahoma, 15.425; 2. 14.600; 7. (tie) Ryan McCarthy, Michigan and Chris Cameron, Glen Ishino, California, 15.150; 3. Steven Spencer, Ohio St., Michigan, 14.500; 9. Paul Ruggeri, Illinois, 13.825; 10. C.J. 15.125; 4. Luke Stannard, Illinois, 14.575; 5. Corey English, Padera, Illinois, 13.650. Oklahoma, 14.375; 6. John Martin, Stanford, 14.075; 7. Mike Horizontal bar: 1. Ryan McCarthy, Michigan, 14.750; 2. Ian Jiang, Iowa, 14.000; 8. Jeremy Adams, Oklahoma, 13.700; Makowske, Michigan, 14.625; 3. (tie) Mel Anton Santander, 9. Chris Cameron, Michigan, 13.625; 10. Donathon Bailey, Michigan, and Andrew Stover, Ill.-Chicago, 14.475; 5. Alex California, 12.225. Buscaglia, Stanford, 14.425; 6. Noam Shaham, Penn St., 14.400; 7. Abhinav Ramani, Stanford, 14.300; 8. Josh Dixon, Stanford, 13.625; 9. C.J. Padera, Illinois, 12.700; 10. Dylan Parrott, Navy, 11.775. 2 MEN’S Gymnastics—History History Team Results Championships Year Champion Coach Points Runner-Up Points Host or Site Attendance 1938 ............................Chicago Dan Hoffer 22 Illinois 18 Chicago — 1939 ............................Illinois Hartley Price 21 Army 17 Chicago — 1940 Illinois Hartley Price 20 Navy 17 Chicago — Temple 17 1941 ............................Illinois Hartley Price 68.5 Minnesota 52.5 Chicago — 1942 ............................Illinois Hartley Price 39 Penn St. 30 Navy — 1948 ............................Penn St. Gene Wettstone 55 Temple 34.5 Chicago — 1949 ............................Temple Max Younger 28 Minnesota 18 California — 1950 ............................Illinois Charley Pond 26 Temple 25 Army — 1951 ............................Florida St. Hartley Price 26 Illinois 23.5 Michigan — Southern California 23.5 1952 ............................Florida St. Hartley Price 89.5 Southern California 75 Colorado — 1953 ............................Penn St. Gene Wettstone 91.5 Illinois 68 Syracuse — 1954 ............................Penn St. Gene Wettstone 137 Illinois 68 Illinois — 1955 ............................Illinois Charley Pond 82 Penn St. 69 UCLA — 1956 ............................Illinois Charley Pond 123.5 Penn St. 67.5 North Carolina — 1957 ............................Penn St. Gene Wettstone 88.5 Illinois 80 Navy — 1958 ............................Michigan St. George Szypula 79 Michigan St. — Illinois Charley Pond 79 1959 ............................Penn St. Gene Wettstone 152 Illinois 87.5 California — 1960 ............................Penn St. Gene Wettstone 112.5 Southern California 65.5 Penn St. — 1961 ............................Penn St. Gene Wettstone 88.5 Southern Ill. 80.5 Illinois — 1962 ............................Southern California Jack Beckner 95.5 Southern Ill. 75 New Mexico — 1963 ............................Michigan