The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/299859
NCAAS: MEN'S GYMNASTICS "I went and stuck my final tech‑ nique, and something just deep in‑ side me just came out, just scream‑ ing," Mikulak said. "I just got vicious, and I don't think I've ever had my heart race as fast as it did af‑ ter that routine. I came over and just gave everyone a hug. I almost can't remember it, it was so good." Mikulak posted a 91.1 in the all‑ around, which topped second‑place Akash Modi of Stanford (89.20). The Wolverines, a storied gymnastics powerhouse, had just one all‑around champion from 1931‑2009 (Gil LaRose, 1963). A Michigan gymnast has now won the title four out of the last five years (Chris Cameron, 2010; and Mikulak, 2011 and 2013‑14). At Sunday's individual competi‑ tion, Mikulak won the parallel bars national title, giving him seven ca‑ reer individual national champion‑ ships. Mikulak, who won the Nisson‑Em‑ ery Award (gymnastics' version of the Heisman Trophy) this year, tied Nebraska's Jim Hartung and Illinois' Joe Giallombardo for most individ‑ ual national titles in NCAA history. For Golder, this dominant string of success has been special — but it's not over, quite yet. "Coaching at Michigan for me was a dream come true," Golder said. "I remember walking into the stadium as an undergraduate and telling a friend of mine that one of these days I'm going to be the head coach at Michigan. And then to be able to assemble a team like this and win some national championships and then host it and win it at home for Michigan, it's special. "The team that I inherited went 0‑16 the previous year, and three years later we won the national championship in 1999. I had a very young team, and I thought that the next three were going to be easier than that one. And then I won my next one 10 years later. "To win three within a five‑year span, it's great, and I think we have the athletes to win next year. That's what we're going to set our sights on come Monday. We'll get through this, take a deep breath on Sunday, then get back at it. "It's just so much fun winning a national championship, we may as well do it again next year." ❏ Head coach Kurt Golder "To win three within a five-year span, it's great, and I think we have the athletes to win next year. That's what we're go- ing to set our sights on come Monday. We'll get through this, take a deep breath on Sunday, then get back at it. It's just so much fun winning a national championship, we may as well do it again next year."