Intrasquad on-ramp for rest of gymnasts' season

The long road to the success begins on Friday for the Michigan men's gymnastics team, when the Wolverines will vault, flip, swing and roll into the 1999 season as they compete at the Maize and Blue Intrasquad at Cliff Keen Arena.

The Wolverines will be looking to improve on last season's 8-12 record, a record that included a trip to Amherst, Mass., for the NCAA East Regional, where they finished fifth.

The Maize and Blue Intrasquad will be "a good chance to see how people work under the pressure of competition," Michigan coach Kurt Golder said.

One thing Golder does not need to worry about is his pressure-tested duo of junior Jose "LaLo" Haro and sophomore Justin Toman.

Haro's list of accolades includes five national championships as well as two trips to the World Championships.

Jose Haro, more commonly known as "Lalo," starts his junior season this weekend when the Wolverines hold an intrasquad meet at Cliff Keen Arena.

Toman's resumé is nothing to scoff at either. He just returned from competing in Acapulco, Mexico, for the U.S. National Team, where he received a bronze medal.

"It's quite rewarding to work towards and accomplish such a long-time childhood goal," Toman said. "It is also an honor to compete at this level."

Haro and Toman - along with sophomore Kevin Roulston - "are the keys to this year's team," Golder said.

Roulston completed a successful freshman campaign last season by winning Big Ten freshman of the year honors. This summer, Roulston just missed qualifying for the U.S. National Team along with Toman.

The Wolverines' talented roster has them ninth in the preseason polls, but Golder said he expects his team to "greatly exceed" their ranking.

"Our goal is to be one of the three teams that compete for the national championship."

The highway to success will not be easy, however, as the Wolverines compete in "without question the toughest conference in the country," Golder said. "All six of the teams that competed at last year's East Regional were from the Big Ten."

"Friday night, we're going to see if we're heading down the right road."

With Roulston, "LaLo" Haro and Toman as the keys to the team, the Wolverines hope the road they start down Friday leads to Lincoln, Nebraska - home of this year's NCAA Championships.

WARREN ZINN/Daily

12-03-98