Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics Week 6 Recap: Paul Juda and Michigan rebound, Illinois on a tear

Week 6 of Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics did not disappoint, with more season-high scores and tight battles.

Illinois delivered the highest Big Ten team score of the season so far (416.150). Paul Juda led the Wolverines to a head-to-head victory over Nebraska. Penn State dominated the Buckeyes in their first Big Ten win of the year.

With nearly half of the Big Ten head-to-head matchups complete, Illinois has emerged as the leader in the conference.

#5 Illinois vs. #14 Simpson

Final score: Illinois: 416.150 – Simpson: 366.100

Illinois delivered a huge performance, scoring the highest NCAA team score of the weekend with a 416.150. This unorthodox competition included an assortment of teams, including EVO’s elite team (that boasts multiple Olympians), Georgia United, and the Florida Storm. Illinois and Simpson were the two NCAA teams in attendance.

Led by captain Connor McCool’s season-best score of 14.6, Illinois put up a solid performance on floor. Garrett Schooley also put up a 13.9. The Fighting Illini put up the second-highest NCAA score on pommel horse this season with a 71.15. Pommel standout Brandon Dang delivered another huge score of 14.95 to lead the event for Illinois. He was followed by three additional 14+ scores from Max Farkadau (14.6), Sebastian Ingersoll (14.3), and Connor Micklos (14.2). Illinois has historically been strong on the pommel event and appears to be continuing this tradition. Ashton Anaya continues to lay claim to rings event titles, scoring his season high of 14.85. With his deduction-less strength and upgraded dismount, Anaya is positioned to potentially three-peat as NCAA champion.

Amari Sewell delivered his season high on vault with a 14.850, securing the event title. Michael Fletcher and Evan Manivong took second and third on the event with a 14.45 and 14.4, respectively, giving Illinois consecutive weeks crossing the 72 mark on the event. Will Hauke collected his second event title on parallel bars for the season with a 14.0, closely followed by Fletcher with a 13.8.

Ryan Vanichtheeranont put up a career-high 14.25 to lead the way on high bar. The Fighting Illini were 0.15 away from their season-best high bar event score with a 68.550. Illinois has built up tremendous moments thus far into the season and has proven to be a strong contender for postseason titles.

Illinois will be on bye this week ahead of Winter Cup. They’ll compete again as a team in Week 9, when they face Simpson and William & Mary at home.

#3 Nebraska @ #2 Michigan

Final score: Michigan: 407.700 – Nebraska: 398.850

Michigan

Following a loss to Illinois, Michigan bounced back to beat Nebraska at home, 407.700-398.850. Team captain Paul Juda dominated the day, collecting five event titles and putting up his highest all-around score since the 2021 season.

Juda took the first event titles of the day with a 14.35 and 14.15 on floor and pommel horse, respectively. Despite having a shaky pommel rotation, the Wolverines were able to come back strong on rings, securing the top three scores on the event. Javier Alfonso took his fourth event title of the season on rings with a 13.8. Juda once again nailed his vault, scoring a 15.1 to edge out Nebraska’s Zac Tiderman for the event title. David Wolma also scored a stellar 14.8 on the event. The Wolverines started to truly pull away from the Cornhuskers on parallel bars, where they secured the top three scores on the event. 

Juda delivered his highest parallel bars score since 2022 with a 14.45, which gave him another event title on the day. Juda then finished his dominating day with a 14.6 on high bar, which is a season high for him and secured the team victory. His effort led to the highest all-around score in the NCAA thus far into the season with an 86.2. Robert Noll also had a significant contribution on high bar with a 13.9 to place second.

The Wolverines successfully defended their house without standout Fred Richard in their lineup. They have yet to utilize both of their stars in the all-around, which could lead to a large score increase post-Winter Cup break.

Of note: Richard withdrew from next week’s Winter Cup on Tuesday. Richard told us he’s all good, just not in top form due to minor injuries, and he wants to be ready for the postseason and Olympics. He’s still expected to compete this weekend for Michigan when the Wolverines face Springfield at home.

Nebraska

Nebraska fell to Michigan on the road in Week 6, putting up a season low with a 398.850. Despite mistakes throughout the competition, the Cornhuskers did show bright spots in their head-to-head matchup in Ann Arbor.

Chase Mondi drilled his floor routine to place second on floor with a 13.9, securing an early lead in the competition. The squeaky-clean floor set looks to have much potential for upgrading throughout the season. Both Nebraska and Michigan struggled on pommels, putting up team scores in the 63 range. With that being said, Cooper Giles delivered a solid 13.7 as the top score for the Cornhuskers and placed second overall on the event. Nebraska made some mistakes on rings, allowing Michigan to regain the lead. Yanni Chronopoulos was the top score for Nebraska on the event with a 13.7, which tied for third. Despite letting their lead slip on rings, the Cornhuskers stormed back with the highest team vault score in the nation so far this year with a 73.200. Zac Tiderman put up a career-high 15.0 to take second place on the event with a stuck Yurchenko 2.5. Alex Nitache was not far behind with a 14.75, followed by Taylor Christopulos with a 14.7.

In a routine including a crisp Peach with a half turn, Sam Phillips tied for third on parallel bars with a 13.75. Tiderman also posted Nebraska’s top high bar score with a 13.75. A few uncharacteristic falls at the end of the competition let to the Wolverines pulling away with a victory.

The Cornhuskers will look to bounce back in a tri-meet at home against Army and Greenville in Week 7. 

#6 Ohio State @ #7 Penn State

Final score: Penn State: 407.500 – Ohio State: 399.300

Penn State

Penn State secured its first Big Ten win of the season and got redemption over Ohio State, who beat them previously at the Navy Open.

In this winning effort, the Nittany Lions put up their highest team score of the season with 407.500.

Michael Artilp and Akseli Karsikas led the Nittany Lions on floor with a 13.8 and 13.7, respectively. Artlip’s crisp form and triple connection have put him into the top 10 in the nation on the event. A strong pommel rotation allowed the Nittany Lions to grab hold of the lead. Ethan Dick (13.75), Josh Karnes (13.6), and Landon Simpson (13.45) took the podium spots on horse, with Dick winning the event title. Michael Jaroh led the Nittany Lions on rings with a 13.9 score, followed closely by Nate Warren with a 13.8. Jaroh sealed the vault title over Ohio State’s Kameron Nelson with a crisp Kas 1.5, scoring a 14.5.

Ian Raubal won the parallel bars title with a 14.55 followed by Karnes with a 14.45. Penn State beat the Buckeyes by more than 4 points in this rotation, giving them a sizable lead in the final rotation.

Karnes then closed out the competition with a 13.8 on high bar, which placed him third. Kacper Garnczarek also contributed a strong 13.5 in the final rotation. 

This was the exact bounce-back competition that the Nittany Lions needed heading into the Winter Cup break.

“The guys focused and came in and had a 90% hit ratio and had six or seven stuck landings. That’s the kind of performance we are looking for,” stated Head Coach Randy Jepson following the competition. 

Penn State will be on bye this week, followed by Winter Cup, so the team will not compete again until Week 9, when they face Springfield at home.

Ohio State

Ohio State suffered a loss against the Nittany Lions after beating them at the Navy Open.

Kameron Nelson stuck his triple twist dismount to win floor with a 14.4. Zach Synder also delivered a solid score on the first event with a 13.6. What ended up determining the competition was the pommel rotation, in which Ohio State struggled with a team score of 59.850. Tyler Rockwood delivered on his routine, scoring a 12.9 to lead the Buckeyes on the event.

The Buckeyes came roaring back on rings, posting the top three scores of the day. Nelson collected his second event title of the day with a 14.2. He was followed by his fellow co-captains Rockwood, with a 14.1, and Donovan Hewitt with a 14.0. Nelson and Synder tied for second on vault with matching 14.45s. The Buckeyes made up ground on Penn State in these two rotations but faced difficulties on parallel bars. Rockwood continued to provide consistent routines for the Buckeyes with a 14.0 on the event, followed by Kazuki Hayashi with a 13.7. A few scores in the 12 range allowed the Nittany Lions to pull away. With that being said, the Buckeyes had some standout performances on high bar, including Jacob Harmon’s routine with a stretched Piatti, scoring a 13.95 for the event title. Caden Spencer came in second with a 13.9. Hayashi also posted a strong score with a 13.75.

If the Buckeyes can limit their falls, they will stay competitive in the Big Ten. Following the competition, team captain Donovan Hewitt stated that “all the pieces are there to go on a run…we have the talent and can compete with the best.”

Ohio State’s next meet will be in Week 10 against rival Michigan.