In a long season, you always want to peak at the right time. Peak too early, and your team might falter before it can get to the postseason. Peak too late, and your team may never get there.
On Sunday afternoon against No. 6 Penn State, the No. 4 Michigan men’s gymnastics team hit its peak as it won its final meet of the regular season in a decisive fashion. Whether it was the peak of the entire season remains to be seen, but the Wolverines reached new heights with their program record score of 425.500. And the success started in the first third of the meet.
The floor and the pommel horse have been banes for the Wolverines all season — consistently their lowest scores. It has become a pattern for them to start the meet in a deficit after these two events and claw their way back in the final two-thirds of the meet. But starting two weeks ago against Oklahoma, Michigan has steadily increased its floor score, setting new season highs every week. Though the meet last week versus Ohio State brought the Wolverines’ lowest pommel horse score of the season, the meet versus the Nittany Lions on Sunday brought their highest.
“During the season … we’re learning,” Michigan coach Yuan Xiao said. “Learning from ourselves, learning from another program, but the most important thing (is) that we are learning from everyone. As coach, as athletes, we see what we’re capable (of) … Right now, we … feel everyone can do their routine at this moment. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”
Xiao may be right, because the Wolverines increased their scores in every single category against Penn State. Their pommel horse score jumped more than six points from their lowest season score of 63.50 last week to their highest of 69.95 this week. Floor saw a 0.65 point increase. Those margins put Michigan up over the Nittany Lions by 6.90 points only two events into the meet, and the Wolverines never surrendered that lead. It’s a different look for them, but one that looks good on the scoresheet.
Much of Michigan’s previous issues were sloppy mistakes, but it fixed those against Penn State in every event. There were minimal falls, no sloppy missteps and the Wolverines stuck a good amount of their landings. Michigan is a very talented team on paper, but the Wolverines have struggled mightily to keep their performances consistent from week to week and to eliminate silly mistakes that cost them points. But they eliminated those mistakes against Penn State, laying a foundation to build upon at the Big Ten Tournament in three weeks and at the NCAA Championship two weeks after that.
It should also be noted that this might not even be the peak for Michigan. Graduate gymnast Paul Juda has not competed for two weeks due to load management, but he is an integral part of the team. The Wolverines are breaking records without him, and with him, Michigan might very well achieve all that it believes it can.