Wolverine Spirit: Unleashing the Heart of University of Michigan Athletics

Location: Chicago, Ill. (Navy Pier)

Competition: Windy City Invitational

Results: Illinois 321.700, #4 Michigan 316.600

Records: U-M (2-1), ILL (1-0)

Next U-M Competition: Saturday, Jan. 25 — versus Springfield College, Army (Springfield, Mass.), 2 p.m.

CHICAGO, Ill. — The No. 4-ranked men’s gymnastics squad from the University of Michigan was defeated by Illinois 321.700-316.600 during the Windy City Invitational on Saturday (Jan. 18) at Navy Pier.

The Maize and Blue captured two event titles in the parallel bars and the high bar, along with five placements on the podium. Robert Noll secured the high bar title with a score of 14.050, while Logan McKeown achieved the parallel bar title with a score of 14.350.

Charlie Larson and Aaronson Mansberger made their inaugural appearance for the Wolverines.

Event Summary

Floor Exercise

Syam Buradagunta began the rotation with a score of 13.100, while Larson delivered a 13.650 to claim second place and lead the Wolverines in this event. Larson’s score was merely 0.050 points shy of the title winner.

Pommel Horse

Mansberger made his U-M debut on the pommel horse, finishing the rotation with a score of 14.450 for a second-place result. McKeown registered the second-highest score for the Wolverines with a 13.100.

Still Rings

Noll commenced the rotation for the Wolverines, achieving a score of 13.350, which was 0.200 higher than his score during the season opener. Akshay Puri concluded the event and led U-M with a score of 13.650, securing second place. Puri’s score marked an improvement of 0.750 points in week two. Michigan amassed a score of 155.100 across the first three rotations.

Vault

David Wolma placed third with a 14.000 to initiate the rotation, while Noll produced the second-best score for U-M with a 13.850 in his season debut for the event.

Parallel Bars

Michigan demonstrated strong performance on the parallel bars, posting a team score of 54.450 against Illinois’ 51.200. McKeown secured the team’s first event title of the day, while freshman Carson Eshleman finished third with a 13.850. McKeown’s score increased by 0.600 points following the season opener.

High Bar

High bar proved to be the strongest event for the Maize and Blue, with the team achieving a score of 54.950, surpassing the Illini’s 51.150. Noll claimed first place, improving his score from last week by 0.650 points. Eshleman secured his second podium finish of the day, coming in third place, just 0.050 points behind the second-place contestant. Despite a robust conclusion to the final two rotations, the Wolverines could not close the gap and lost to Illinois.

Next up

The Maize and Blue will continue their journey, traveling to Springfield, Mass., to compete against Springfield College and Army next Saturday (Jan. 25) at 2 p.m.