They are like two corn stalks in the middle of an Iowa cornfield. And the husker cut one of them down last night.
That's what happened to the Michigan men's gymnasts who competed in the NCAA championships in Iowa City. With most of the gymnasts competing in Iowa with their teams, individual qualifier Jose "LaLo" Haro was put at a disadvantage, because he didn't have the team support he said he needed to place well.
| This weekend |
|---|
| Who: Michigan men gymnasts Jose Haro and Timothy DeGraw |
| What:NCAA championships |
| When: Today and tomorrow, 7 p.m. |
| Where: Iowa City |
| Notable: Haro, who was expected to contend for the individual all-around title, was eliminated yesterday. DeGraw is still around on the floor. |
"LaLo was disappointed," Michigan coach Kurt Golder said. "He is very down on himself right now."
It was the first national meet for Haro, the No. 1 seed entering the competition.
His score of 56.9 in the all-around was bettered by nearly two points by the all-around winner, Olympian Blaine Wilson of Ohio State (58.625).
"Blaine is 10th in the world," Golder said. "It was no surprise that he did that well."
But fortunately for the Wolverines, one man was left standing. Timothy DeGraw, a transfer from Western Michigan, placed high enough in the preliminaries to qualify him for the finals in the floor exercise. He scored 9.8. "It wasn't his best score all season, but he did well," Golder said.
DeGraw has some luck on his side for Saturday. He is the last draw in the meet, and his routine caters to his ability. After suffering an ankle injury midway through the season, he is not able to do all of his hardest tumbling routines. His ankle feels fine now, and his new floor routine has been created to hide his injury.
"His routine is designed well for him," Golder said. "He doesn't have to stick a lot of his landings, only the dismount."
Old scores are not taken into consideration for the finals, so DeGraw should be in better standing for his floor exercise.
Six of the eight competitors in the finals are awarded with All-American titles, so it is a possibility that DeGraw could place well, according to Golder.
"Tim could finish sixth," he said. "It wouldn't surprise me if he won the whole thing."
The competition was not just a disappointment for the Wolverines. The No. 1 seeded Ohio State team placed fourth in the meet, one place away from qualifying to the next round.
They placed behind California, Oklahoma and Iowa. Placing fifth and sixth were Penn State and Stanford.
"It didn't surprise me that they didn't make the finals," Golder said. "Iowa beat them this season already."
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Jose "LaLo" Haro, expected to contend for the all-around title at the NCAA men's gymnastics championships in Iowa City, placed 11th yesterday and was eliminated from contention. "LaLo was disappointed," Michigan coach Kurt Golder said. "He is very down on himself right now." His teammate, Tim DeGraw, is still around, however. His 9.8 in the floor exercise yesterday was not his best of the season, but it put him in a position to make a run for the championship.