The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 
Wednesday, January 11, 2023 — 9 

Michigan shuts out CSU Bakersfield as Big Ten season looms

COLE MARTIN
Daily Sports Writer

In the first period of the Michi-
gan wrestling team’s dual meet 
against CSU Bakersfield on Sun-
day, No. 2 heavyweight fifth-year 
senior Mason Parris wasted little 
time.
Not even two minutes in, Par-
ris earned a near-fall on Jake 
Andrews before mercifully end-
ing his night with a quick pin — 
already his eighth pin and 15th 
win of the season.
And 
Parris’s 
quick 
finish 
encapsulated the afternoon for 
the Wolverines.
On Sunday, Michigan (5-0 
overall) made quick work of CSU 
Bakersfield (0-1), defeating the 
Roadrunners, 36-0, to secure the 
Wolverines’ first shutout in five 
seasons.
“It’s always a goal,” Michigan 
coach Sean Bormet said of the 
shutout. “We just wanted to see 
10 guys put their best wrestling on 
the mat.”
Michigan started the night 
with a decision win by 125-pound 
graduate Jack Medley, whose per-
formance was just the tip of the 
iceberg for the team.
The Wolverines continued to 
ride decision wins from No. 5 133-

pound redshirt sophomore Dylan 
Ragusin and No. 20 141-pound 
redshirt junior Cole Mattin. Mat-
tin bounced back from his loss on 
Friday night with a strong rever-
sal in the third period to eliminate 
any chance of his opponent earn-
ing the riding time point, clinch-

ing his victory in the process.
149-pound redshirt freshman 
Chance Lamer added to his come-
from-behind victory on Friday 
with a major decision win, scoring 
a near-fall and three takedowns.
No. 5 165-pound redshirt junior 
Cam Amine made his second dual 

appearance of the season after 
recovering from an injury. He 
wrestled to a technical fall and 
pushed Michigan’s advantage to 
21 points to remain undefeated 
on the season in the process. 
Clearly, his addition to the lineup 
is of paramount significance for 

Michigan.
“(Cam’s return) was great,” 
Bormet said. “Great injection to 
have him back in our lineup this 
weekend. … It added another big 
spark to our team (and) another 
huge jump with Cam and just the 
way he was competing.”

After Amine’s performance, 
Michigan’s victory was all but set 
in stone. An impressive takedown 
in the last seconds of the third 
period clinched a bounce-back 
victory for 197-pound redshirt 
sophomore Brendan Yatooma, 
and finally, Parris finished his 
opponent to end the domineering 
contest.
After a successful non-confer-
ence schedule, Bormet is hope-
ful about the growth the team 
has shown as the Big Ten sea-
son looms, which will have the 
Wolverines facing off against 
former national champions and 
top-ranked opponents.
But despite the challenges that 
lay ahead, Bermet is adamant 
that his team will be ready to face 
them head-on.
“We all know how tough the 
Big Ten is,” Bermet said. “We’ve 
got a tremendous schedule this 
year that we’re really excited 
about, some big challenges and 
some huge opportunities as a 
team. (We want to) keep the guys 
excited … energized (and) training 
hard and competing with time, 
energy and intensity.”
And for success in such a loaded 
conference, Michigan will need 
the intensity from its shutout to 
radiate throughout the rest of the 
season.

Sports

WRESTLING

Michigan finishes second in competitive Super 16 meet

The Michigan women’s gym-
nastics team’s first meet looked 
like a national championship. 
All four teams ranked in the pre-
season top 10, with the fourth-
ranked Wolverines facing off 
against No. 1 Oklahoma — the 
defending national champions — 
No. 5 Auburn and No. 10 UCLA.
At the inaugural Super 16 meet 
in Las Vegas on Saturday night, 
Michigan finished second with 
a score of 197.400 behind the 
Sooners — who took the top spot 
with 197.925. The Tigers finished 
third with 197.350 while the Bru-
ins finished last with a score of 
197.250.
The Wolverines faced some 
early adversity beginning the 
night on beam, an event that 
requires precision and leaves no 
room for error or nerves. 
“Beam is absolutely the hard-
est event to start on because you 
have all this excited energy when 
you’re starting a meet — espe-

cially a meet of this magnitude,” 
Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. 
Junior Naomi Morrison led 
off with a skillful mount, but 
two significant wobbles during 
the routine, however, earned 
her a 9.700. Senior Gabby Wil-
son and junior Carly Bauman 
followed and scored 9.725 and 
9.775, respectively. The struggles 
continued for Michigan as senior 
Sierra Brooks uncharacteristical-
ly received a 9.200 — the compe-
tition’s lowest score of the night 
on any event.
In order to scratch Brooks’s 
score with a higher one, the Wol-
verines needed their last two 
gymnasts to hit their routines. 
Star graduate students Abby 
Heiskell and Natalie Wojcik were 
up for the challenge. Neither vet-
eran was immune to the impreci-
sions affecting their teammates 
and made some small mistakes 
of their own, but poise and stuck 
landings gave Heiskell a 9.825 
and Wojcik a 9.850 to keep Mich-
igan’s night alive.
“We had some wobbles, but 
we hung in there,” Plocki said. 

“It was not the start that we had 
hoped for, but there’s plenty of 
teams in the country who would 
love to start with that score.”
With only a decent beam 
showing, the steep competition 
left the Wolverines in last place 
going into their floor rotation. 
Junior Reyna Guggino led off 
with a score of 9.800. Then, three 
straight scores of 9.925 gave 
Michigan an energy surge it des-
perately needed. 
The Wolverines’ success on 
floor did not stop there as Brooks 
took an opportunity to avenge 
her missed beam routine. She 
landed her first and second pass 
and showcased her personality 
and artistry to tie for first on the 
event with a score of 9.950.
Brooks’s massive floor perfor-
mance kickstarted a strong finish 
to the night. As her team tried to 
battle back, Brooks continued to 
deliver. She stuck her vault and 
received another 9.950 along 
with a double fist bump from 
her coach as she walked off the 
mat. In her last rotation, she hit 
her bar routine, complete with a 

masterful transition to the low 
bar and a stuck dismount to earn 
her third 9.950 on the night.
“I think (Brooks) probably let 
a little bit of nerves get to her on 
beam, but she’s a competitor,” 

Plocki said. “She let that go. She 
put it out of her mind. She came 
back and kicked butt on the other 
three events.”
Although Michigan remained 
in last place through the first 

ANNA FUDER/Daily

three rotations, strong floor 
and vault performances put the 
Wolverines within striking dis-
tance of Auburn and UCLA. Both 
teams also struggled when they 
rotated to the beam event, put-
ting Michigan in position to sur-
pass them.
Along with Brooks’s impres-
sive bar performance, Heiskell 
scored a 9.925 on bars and Wojcik 
sealed the Wolverine’s resur-
gence in the anchor position with 
a 9.975. Wojcik’s clean releases 
and perfect dismount led her to 
tie for first place in the event.
“We had the most difficult 
rotation, and we lost to last 
year’s national champions by 
about five-tenths,” Plocki said. 
“Overall, for the first meet, I’m 
very proud and really excited for 
what’s to come.”
Faced with tough competi-
tion and a poor start, Michigan 
embraced the adversity and 
proved that they are still one of 
the elite gymnastics teams in the 
country. But as they continue 
the season, they’ll look to fix the 
issues the meet also exposed.

Michigan continues success in season opener

As the reigning Big Ten Cham-
pions, the No. 2 Michigan men’s 
gymnastics team returned plenty 
of star power in hopes of another 
strong season. In its first meet of the 
season it delivered with convincing 
wins over No. 14 Greenville and No. 
15 Simpson. In the process it showed 
the potential the Wolverines have to 
sustain last year’s success.
Success is something that the 
Michigan men’s gymnastics team 
has become accustomed to lately. 
Just look at the last two years. The 
team won two straight Big Ten 
Championships, and won a share of 
the 2022 regular season conference 
title as well. 
Head coach Yuan Xiao was 
named Big Ten Coach of the Year 
and College Gymnastics Associa-
tion Regional Coach of the Year in 
his first season – all as the interim 
head coach. Xiao then earned the 
job officially following the season. 
The Wolverines were led last year 
by then-junior Paul Juda, an ath-
lete with an extensive list of awards 
including international appearanc-
es and 2022 NCAA national cham-
pionships in the all-around and 
vault events.

The list of awards this team has 
won can go on seemingly forever, 
but that does not guarantee them 
anything this year. 
Following 
Saturday’s 
event, 
senior team captain Adam Woo-
ten, 2021 and 2022 All-American in 
the high bar event, spoke about his 
feelings for the coming season after 
their first event.
“It’s a good base is how I would 
describe it in a general sense,” Woo-
ten said. “That being said, we have 
a really long way to go. When we’re 
starting the season there’s always 
going to be mistakes.”
In such a young season mistakes 
are bound to happen, yet the stan-
dard is high for the Wolverines. 
Wooten’s words prove that the Wol-
verines are without a doubt satis-
fied with their victory, but there 
is always a path for improvement 
throughout the season.
Michigan was not at full power 
for this meet, the most obvious 
absence being the aforementioned 
Juda as he sat out to let more inex-
perienced athletes compete. His 
absence leaves lots of room for high-
er scores at future events. Even with 
Juda’s absence, Michigan showed 
in its 400.600 score that it has what 
is needed to continue success in a 
strong program: talented young 
athletes behind the veterans.

“I’m biased obviously, but I 
don’t think we have a weak lineup 
that we could put up,” Wooten 
said. “I’m so proud of the guys.”
Veterans like Juda and Woo-
ten have proven track records, 
but Saturday’s meet proved that 
they have plenty of talent behind 
them. In their first collegiate 
meet, freshmen Landon Blixt and 
Fred Richard looked to carry on 
the tradition of the team’s recent 
success. Blixt took home first in 
the floor event en route to taking 
first in the all around competition, 
where he beat out his only compe-
tition, a teammate in sophomore 
Rithik Puri. Richard showed his 
prowess by taking home first in 
the horizontal bar event.
“We had our number one guy, 
Paul Juda, not competing but I 
see the depth,” Xiao said. “I think 
this is a team that will be growing 
from today.”
Past seasons show that this 
team is set up for success. They 
have proven winners and young 
contributors that have only shown 
glimpses of the success they can 
create. While only one meet in, 
Michigan has shown it has the 
potential to continue its long term 
success deep into this season.
Now, they look to make good 
on their promises.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

JENNA HICKEY/Daily

REKHA LEONARD
Daily Sports Editor

Michigan wins first meet, 
beats Greenville and Simpson

JONATHAN WUCHTER
Daily Sports Writer

In his first event at Michigan, 
Landon Blixt performed a strong 
floor routine, flipping through 
the air and sticking every landing. 
The bench and crowd erupted as 
the freshman’s 13.800 in the first 
rotation set the tone for the domi-
nant performance the Wolverines 
cultivated in their first meet of the 
season.
On Saturday afternoon, No. 2 
Michigan (2-0) defeated No. 14 
Greenville (1-1) and No. 15 Simpson 
(0-2) convincingly, winning all six 
events at both the team and indi-
vidual level. The Panthers edged 
the Storm 373.100-341.350, but nei-
ther came close to the Wolverines’ 
score of 400.600. 
“We wanted to see our freshmen 
compete for the first time at Cliff 
Keen (Arena),” Michigan Coach 
Yuan Xiao said. “They showed their 
talent.” 
Greenville and Simpson per-
formed on the floor in the second 
and third rotation, but no individ-
ual routine came close to catching 
Blixt’s. The Wolverines secured the 
top four individual performances in 
the event, with junior Kyle Shuttle, 
sophomore Lais Najjar and senior 
Casey Cummings just behind Blixt. 
Together their individual efforts 
gave the team an event winning 
score of 65.550.
In Michigan’s second rotation, 
pommel, Xiao continued to give 
opportunities to his freshmen, as 
Fred Richard and Eric Hoe com-
peted alongside Blixt. Once again, 
the freshman flexed strong rou-
tines as Richard and Blixt placed 
second and third. However, it 
was senior Markus Shears who 
impressed the judges and won the 

event with a 14.450.
While many of Michigan’s top 
gymnasts from last season, includ-
ing last year’s all-around individ-
ual national champion senior Paul 
Juda, gave way for younger team-
mates to gain experience, senior 
Adam Wooten provided some star 
power.
The Wolverines looked to sweep 
the first three events on the rings 
and build upon a commanding lead 
heading into the final three events, 
and Wooten delivered. Opponents 
failed to match his dominant rou-
tine, winning the event convinc-
ingly. His younger teammates 
provided strong support as they 
finished second through fifth in the 
event as well.
“I’m so proud of the guys that we 
have on this team,” Wooten said. 
“Everyone is working so hard.”
Michigan’s hard work led to a 
strong performance throughout 
the early events. Halfway through 
the meet it had the lead — its 
200.400 stood convincingly above 
the Panthers’ 184.400 and the 
Storm’s 165.250.
Next for the Wolverines was the 
vault. Even without Juda — last 
year’s vault individual national 
champion — Michigan continued 

its dominance. Cummings and 
sophomore David Wolma tied 
for the win with scores of 14.350. 
Four Wolverines posted scores 
over 14.000, helping Michigan 
post its best single event score of 
the match, 70.650.
Already holding a secure lead, 
the young Wolverines continued 
to live up to Xiao and Wooten’s 
praise. This time it was Najjar 
who finished first on the parallel 
bars, with Blixt placing second.
In the final event, high bar, 
Wooten’s solid 14.300 routine 
got bested by Richard’s score of 
14.550. Wooten and Richard led 
a team score of 67.100, completing 
the six event sweep for Michigan.
“I’m so happy for the team per-
formance,” Xiao said. “And we 
know this is not our full poten-
tial.”
Xiao’s squad — while filled 
with underclassmen — was able 
to dominate inferior competition 
even with many of the Wolver-
ines’ top gymnasts from the 2021 
Big Ten Championship team not 
competing. The development of 
these underclassmen could com-
pliment Michigan’s proven stars 
and help propel it to compete for 
the long season ahead.

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

The Michigan women’s gymnastics team finished second in its season-opening meet.

In it’s first meet of the season, the Michigan men’s gymnastics team showed potential to build off of recent success.

JENNA HICKEY/Daily
The Michigan men’s gymnastic team convincingly won its first meet of the season.

SAMUEL NOVOTNY
For The Daily

KATE HUA/Daily
For the first time in nearly five years, the Michigan wrestling team shut out an opponent.

