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Michigan Gymnastics

February 13, 2007

Tankers ready to seek revenge

BY BY COURTNEY RATKOWIAK

The lights at Canham Natatorium dimmed after practice and, as his team headed to the locker room, junior Alex Vanderkaay dove into the pool wearing a brand-new, maize-and-blue fastskin. After swimming one lap, he voiced his opinion of the new attire.
"It feels weird!" he exclaimed.
"It feels fast," Michigan coach Bob Bowman corrected, laughing.
After four solid months of training without taper, the Wolverines are ready to fit into their new fastskins and face their Big Ten rivals at this weekend's conference championships in Columbus.

February 12, 2007

Blue finds redemption in victory

BY ALEX PROSPERI

What a difference a week can make.
After last week's utter collapse in the final event, the floor exercise, the Michigan women's gymnastics team exorcised some of its demons in a tri meet against No. 6 Nebraska and Illinois.
The Wolverines beat the Cornhuskers and Fighting Illini 195.825-195.350-192.525, due in large part to a season-high performance on the dreaded floor exercise (49.225).
Going into this weekend, Michigan coach Bev Plocki made sure there would be no repeat of last week.

February 12, 2007

Three athletes hold their own in Sin City

BY COLT ROSENSWEIG

Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and the Michigan men's gymnastics team owe a lot to New Jersey.
For the final day of competition this weekend at the Winter Cup in Las Vegas, three Jersey boys - senior co-captain Andrew Elkind, sophomore Joe Catrambone and sophomore Ralph Rosso - represented No. 1 Michigan. And against the country's best gymnasts, including former and current national team members, they held their own.
From the amount of noise those Wolverines were making, it seemed as if the entire team made it to the finals.

February 09, 2007

Frosh thrives after getting through injury

BY ALEX PROSPERI

When Michigan women's gymnastics coach Bev Plocki recruited freshman Kelsey Knutson, she saw first-team All-American talent in the three-time Iowa Gymnast of the Year.
But after arriving in Ann Arbor, Knutson had to play the waiting game.
After working hard during the fall, a back injury kept Knutson out of the team's first three meets. For Knutson, not being able to perform was a huge disappointment.

February 08, 2007

Christina Choi

Frosh thrives post-move

BY COLT ROSENSWEIG

Freshman Mel Santander almost decided to stay home this year.
Fortunately for the Michigan men's gymnastics team, he changed his mind.
The Michigan coaching staff initially recruited the top-flight all-arounder, but when he didn't show interest, the Michigan coaches let the matter drop. By this past summer, it seemed Santander would remain in Massachusetts, preparing with his personal coach for a shot at the Olympics.
But, unbeknownst to the Michigan coaches, Santander had applied and been admitted to the University.

February 05, 2007

Scott Bell

Blue drops No. 2 on road

BY COLT ROSENSWEIG

STATE COLLEGE - Forget Oklahoma.
One week after defeating the two-time national champion Sooners, the top-ranked Wolverines took on No. 2 Penn State.
In its biggest triumph of the season, the Michigan men's gymnastics team pulled off a last-minute win, 216.75-215.8. The victory was the squad's first in State College since 2001.
Michigan may have been ranked higher, but Penn State had the advantages.
In Recreation Hall, one of the toughest environments in collegiate gymnastics, a vociferous crowd was on hand to support their Nittany Lions.

February 05, 2007

Athlete of the week

Andrew Elkin
Men's gymnastics
The redshirt junior led Michigan to its second-consecutive big win, defeating No. 2 Penn State. Elkind finished first on the parallel bars (9.45) and also turned in solid performances on the rings and high bar.

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