Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics Week 7 Recap: Cornhuskers, Wolverines roll into Winter Cup break with wins

Week 7 didn’t see much action from Big Ten men’s gymnastics as teams were preparing for Winter Cup. Even with resting most of their key competitors, Michigan put up a strong score and secured a victory. Nebraska put up their highest score of the season, becoming the fifth team in the NCAA to break the 410 barrier thus far this season. Ohio State, Penn State, and Illinois all had byes in Week 7.

Although no NCAA action will occur in Week 8, each Big Ten team has a competitor heading to Louisville for Winter Cup. Expect the guys competing to put up some big routines in the highly-anticipated kickoff of the U.S. elite season, with coveted spots on the national team, in the Olympic year no less, on the line.

#12 Springfield College, Arizona State (GymACT) @ #4 Michigan

Final score: Michigan: 407.750, Springfield: 384.850, Arizona State: 381.700

Michigan delivered another strong performance against Springfield and Arizona State (GymACT) to secure a victory as they moved to 10-1 on the season.

Paul Juda rested in Week 7 following an 86.2 all-around performance last week, likely in preparation for next week’s Winter Cup. Despite withdrawing from Winter Cup, Fred Richard made his return to floor with a downgraded routine, still earning a 13.800 score for third. Crew Bold tied with Arizona State’s Jackson Harrison for the event victory with a 14.050.

Kevin Chow led the Wolverines on pommels with a 13.600, which tied for second on the event. Chris Read won the ring’s rotation with a stuck dismount and a season-high 14.350. Richard also stuck his dismount on rings, leading to a 13.950 score and second place. Richard went back-to-back with sticks, nailing his vault for a 14.900 and the event win. Casey Cummings also nailed his vault landing, scoring a 14.550 for second. 

Michigan dominated the parallel bars rotation, sweeping the podium. Logan McKeown and Bold put up season-high, with scores of 14.600 and 14.500, respectively. Richard closed out the competition on high bar with a stuck dismount, scoring a 14.450. Robert Noll also delivered a stellar score with a 13.950. Richard displayed his ability to perform at a high level with minor injuries, but his health will be critical to Michigan’s postseason success.

Next week, Michigan will be bringing a large contingent of athletes to Winter Cup including Javier Alfonso, Landen Blixt, Crew Bold, Paul Juda, and Rithik Puri. Juda will be one of the favorites to win the all-around and high bar titles. Former Wolverine standout Cameron Bock and future Wolverine Solen Chiodi will both also be competing in the senior sessions.

Michigan will compete again as a team on Saturday, March 2, when they face Oklahoma in Ann Arbor following the Winter Cup break.

#11 Army, #10 Greenville @ #5 Nebraska

Final score: Nebraska: 412.900, Greenville: 395.700, Army: 393.550

In dominating fashion, the Cornhuskers secured a victory against Army and Greenville.

Nebraska started the meet with a strong floor rotation, posting their highest floor score of the season with a 70.800, which is the third highest floor score thus far this season. Team captain Taylor Christopulos dominated the first event, posting a career-high score of 14.750. Sam Phillips and Toby Liang also delivered season-high floor scores of 14.150 and 14.050, respectively. Cooper Giles had a career-high performance on pommel horse, earning a 14.650 for the event title. Yanni Chronopoulos also posted a career-high score of 14.000 for second behind Giles.

Although the Cornhuskers struggled on rings, Chris Hiser put up a strong performance, scoring a 13.800 for the event win. Chase Mondi debuted a Lopez on vault, scoring a massive 14.850 and becoming the first Cornhusker to perform a triple full on the event. Christopulos matched Mondi’s score, with the pair tying for second place on the event. Asher Cohen and Phillips tied for first on parallel bars with matching 14.100s. This score gave Phillips a new career high on the event.

The Cornhuskers finished the competition with a season-high team score of 70.100 on high bar. Tiderman broke the school high bar record, scoring a 14.650, beating out the previous record of 14.600 held by Anton Stephenson. Phillips continued to post career-high scores with a 14.250 to finish second. The Cornhuskers rebounded strong after a disappointing Week 6 loss to Michigan. Nebraska will want to carry this momentum through the bye week to try to catch Illinois and Michigan at the top of the conference. 

Head coach Chuck Chmelka will be bringing Liang and Christopulos to Winter Cup. Christopulos will likely be a strong contender for one of the available national team spots. Former Cornhusker Evan Hymanson will also be competing in Louisville.

After Winter Cup, Nebraska will travel face Air Force and California on Sunday, March 3.

#3 Illinois

In the first half of the season, Illinois has made steady progress toward the top of the conference. Illinois currently holds the third strongest 3-score average in the NCAA and is ranked top three in the NCAA on five events. Could this be the year that Illinois topples Michigan’s hold of the Big Ten?

As for Winter Cup competitors, Illinois will be bringing Brandon Dang, Tate Costa, Vahe Petrosyan, and Connor McCool. Dang and McCool will be front-runners for the titles on pommel horse and floor, respectively. Alum Alex Diab will also be competing, representing EVO and vying for the rings title. Future Illini Ian Sandoval will join his future teammates in the senior session in Louisville.

Illinois will compete as a team again in Week 9 against Simpson and William & Mary. 

#6 Penn State

The Nittany Lions did not compete in Week 7. Penn State is 1-1 in Big Ten play and will look to finish strong against Illinois and Michigan after the Winter Cup break. The Nittany Lions are still overcoming injuries and some extra bye weeks could allow their full lineup to return. 

Josh Karnes, Michael Artlip, and Matt Cormier will travel to Louisville in Week 8 for Winter Cup. Coming off of injury, Cormier could make his all-around return in the national competition. Karnes will be in contention for a national team spot and potentially the all-around podium. Penn State legend and 2021 world pommel horse champion Stephen Nedoroscik will represent EVO and be one of the top contenders for the pommel horse title.

The Nittany Lions return to action as a team with an home meet against Springfield College on Saturday, March 2.

#7 Ohio State

Ohio State was on a bye last week following its loss to Penn State in State College. Despite their early season adversity, some well-timed bye weeks could position the Buckeyes for success in the second half of the season.

“We’re really going to stress working on putting together a full meet 1-for-1, 30-for-30, and not just highlights on a couple events,” team captain Donovan Hewitt said about how the Buckeyes will look to improve during their downtime the next couple of weeks.

As for Winter Cup, Kameron Nelson will be the lone competitor for the Buckeyes. Nelson could reintroduce the H-rated triple back into his routine.

Following Winter Cup, Ohio State will return to action as a team when the Buckeyes face rival Michigan on Saturday, March 9.