State nips 'M' gymnasts

It was a tale of firsts and lasts at Cliff Keen Arena last night.

For the seniors of the Michigan men's gymnastics team, the contest with No. 9 Michigan State marked the last home dual meet of their careers. It was also the last dual meet for either team before the Big Ten Championships next weekend. And maybe most important, it was Michigan's first chance to reach the .500 mark in more than three years.

But sixth-ranked Wolverines, favored heading into the competition, could not overcome missed routines early in the meet, and fell to the Spartans 229.475-229.15.

According to Michigan coach Kurt Golder, however, the loss did have a silver lining.

WARREN ZINN/Daily Michigan's Jose "LaLo" Halo and the Michigan men's gymnastics team fell to Michigan State last night in a close match at Cliff Keen Arena.

"We reached a seasonal best, and it's certainly going to help our ranking and help our chances of qualifying for the NCAA Eastern Regional," Golder said. "There's a lot to be happy about, but we lost, and we lost to an in-state rival."

Maybe so, but Michigan's team score is something else to add to the firsts of the night. The season-high total of 229.15 is the first time Michigan has scored above 229 in more than three years. It also marks the first time the Wolverines have combined to break 32 points on vault in several seasons.

"It's definitely mixed feelings," Michigan senior and co-captain Ed Ledgard said. "It is a loss for us, but at the same time it's a great team achievement. This is the highest score that we've gotten in quite a few years. We're really proud of ourselves, but we know we can do better."

Ledgard turned in a strong performance for the Wolverines, hitting all his routines while adding a new move to his high bar routine, which resulted in a 9.35 in the event.

Michigan senior Tim DeGraw captured the floor exercise in impressive style with a 9.75, edging out Michigan State's Tommy Housley.

Senior Tim Lauring tied with freshman Kevin Roulston to lead the Wolverines on the vault with a 9.7. Roulston also won the all around competition with a 57.35.

And scores aside, what Michigan-Michigan State contest would be complete without a few ooohs and aaahs?

In the middle of his high bar routine, with an attentive Ann Arbor crowd looking on, Michigan State redshirt freshman Chris Weedon hurled himself toward the ceiling of Keen Arena, missing the single horizontal bar on his way back to earth.

Weedon's ensuing crash onto the hard mats had everybody but Michigan State coach Rick Atkinson worried.

"He's from Canada. That was nothing for him," Atkinson said. "He's probably the toughest guy I've ever met, so him wiping out doesn't worry me in the least."

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