NCAA Gymnastics: Michigan Celebrates Landmark Victory Over No.1 Ranked Team

The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines men’s gymnastics team recently shone brightly at Cliff Keen Arena. The Maize and Blue executed their spectacular performance by scoring the season’s second-highest score. With the notable score of 416.300, the University of Michigan earned the top three spots on still rings along with winning five of six individual event titles in the NCAA season.

Despite leading in the opening two rounds (7-2), top-ranked Oklahoma could not take down the formidable Wolverines. With the collective team efforts, Michigan took the lead during the third rotation, proceeding to a magnificent victory. After clinching the major home win in Ann Arbor, a city in Michigan, the Wolverines cherished the moment with a big shout-out.

Michigan secures major home win against Oklahoma

After securing the triumph over the Oklahoma Sooners in their home city, Ann Arbor, the Michigan Wolverines took to its official Twitter page to cherish the win, captioning the post “The feeling when you beat No. 1 at home….” Michigan men’s gymnastics team maintained the lead through the finish. Finally, with the season’s best score, they placed themselves way ahead of the University of Oklahoma’s score of 409.550. It was also the season’s second-highest team score of any team in NCAA history. The score came riding on the season-high event totals on floor exercises, still ring, and parallel bars.

In their final non-conference game of the season, the Wolverines finished with a tie on the pommel horse while securing victory in three team events (still rings, vault, and parallel bars). With their exuberance and high spirit, five different Michigan Wolverines set new career-high scores, taking home event titles in the impressive showdown against the Sooners in Michigan.

Senior Javier Alfonso stood atop the still rings podium. Alongside, he also placed himself among the top three in all the events. Meanwhile, graduate student Crew Bold grabbed the Newt Loken Award for his outstanding performance. His prowess was especially on display on the parallel bars, with a score of 14.95. Michigan’s head coach opened up on a conversation after the spectacular win.

Coach Yuan Xiao reflects on Michigan’s victory

Yuan Xiao, the head coach of the Michigan men’s gymnastics team, expressed his views after securing the grand victory.  “we are fully prepared for this moment. From a month ago, we know the number one team is going to come to Michigan.” Interestingly, the coach has a personal tie with the OU.

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Xiao adds, “We had the honor to compete with my former university. I also worked for five years at OU and Mark Williams. Now, we have the honor to compete with the best team, number one team, at Michigan. So our team is fully prepared for this.”

The Wolverines find themselves among three teams who are tied for the second place in the Big Ten standings, each boasting a 1-1 conference record. The Wolverines will next face off against No. 7 Ohio State at Covelli Centre in Columbus next Saturday, March 9.

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