History
The Michigan Wolverines men's gymnastics team has had fiveWest era (1931–1933)
Wilbur West was Michigan's first men's gymnastics coach. In three years under West, the team compiled a record of 1–10. After the 1933 season, the gymnastics program was discontinued and was not resumed until 1948.Loken era (1948–1983)
Newt Loken came to the University of Michigan in 1944 as a master's degree student. On the side, he coached the cheerleading team. At the time of Loken's arrival, Michigan did not have a men's gymnastics program. In 1947, the athletic board awarded varsity status to men's gymnastics, and Loken was named the head coach. Loken remained the coach of Michigan's men's gymnastics team for 36 years and compiled a record of 250–72–1. His teams won NCAA men's gymnastics championships in 1963 and 1970 and 12 Big Ten championships. Loken coached 71 Big Ten individual event winners and 21 NCAA individual event winners. In 1963, the Wolverines compiled a 6–0 in the regular season and won the Big Ten championship with 210.50 points. They went on to win the NCAA championship with a score of 129 points. The 1963 team also won six NCAA individual championships. In 1970, the team compiled a perfect 12–0 record and won its second team championship with 164.150 points in the NCAA tournament. Loken also coached the cheerleading team at Michigan as well as the varsity sport of trampoline. From 1947 through 1964, trampoline was included as an event in gymnastics competitions by both the AAU and NCAA. The first trampoline world championships were held in 1964. Loken led the Michigan trampoline team to NCAA championships in 1969 and 1970. Loken produced more trampoline champions and world medal winners than any other collegiate coach. As of 2007, the 88-year-old Loken was still a regular at Michigan's men's gymnastics practices and events, and it was reported that he had not missed a Michigan home meet from 1948 to 2007. Assistant coach Scott Vetere said: "He knows everybody on the team, and if he forgets, he's 80-some years old, and he'll ask again. He's just a pure gymnastics guy – always wants to be around gymnastics, always wants to learn more, (always) wants to praise guys for what a wonderful job they're doing."Darden era (1984–1996)
Bob Darden (1984–1996) was head coach for 13 seasons. During Darden's tenure as head coach, the Wolverines compiled a record of 76–111–1 and had no Big Ten championships or NCAA tournament berths.Golder era (1997–2021)
Kurt Golder took over as Michigan's head coach in 1997. After Michigan finished the 1996 season with an 0–11 record, Golder quickly turned the program around. In 14 seasons from 1997–2010, Golder has led the Wolverines to a record of 246–166–1, four Big Ten championships, 10 NCAA tournament berths and two NCAA national championships. Since 1999, Golder's teams have finished in the Super Six at the NCAA tournament in 10 of 11 years. In 1999, Kurt Golder led the Wolverines to a 19–5 record in the regular season. The 1999 team went on to win the school's third team gymnastics championship with season-best 232.55 points in the NCAA tournament. The runner up was Ohio State, which finished with 230.85 points. Justin Toman was Michigan's leader at the 1999 tournament with a score of 58.075. The NCAA championship came just three years after a winless season in 1996. Golder was credited with taking over the program and building it into "a national powerhouse." Upon winning the 1999 NCAA championship, Golder told the press, "The plan was to get here in the fourth year and be in contention in the fifth year. We got lucky and got some great recruits. Everything fell into place." The 2009 Wolverines finished #2 as the runner-up at the NCAA tournament. Michigan gymnast Thomas Kelley was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Year in 2009. The 2010 Wolverines won the NCAA men's gymnastics national championship, defeating the second place team fromXiao era (2022–present)
The 2022 Wolverines captured their 19th Big Ten Championship. Junior Paul Juda won the all-around competition with a cumulative score of 85.350, while teammate Jacob Moore took third. On April 25, 2022, Xiao was promoted to head coach, agreeing to a five-year contract through the 2027 season.Coaches
Roster
Awards and honors
National awards
; Nissen-Emery Award *2002: Justin Toman *2014: Sam Mikulak *2023: Paul JudaConference awards
;Big Ten Gymnast of the Year *2000: Scott Vetere *2005: Justin Laury *2009: Thomas Kelley *2010: Chris Cameron *2011: Sam Mikulak *2013: Sam Mikulak *2014: Sam Mikulak *2021: Paul Juda *2022: Paul Juda ;Big Ten Freshman of the Year *1989: Louie Ball *1998: Kevin Roulston *1999: Scott Vetere *2003: Justin Laury *2008: Thomas Kelley *2011: Sam Mikulak *2020: Paul Juda *2023: Fred Richard ;Big Ten Coach of the Year *1999: Kurt Golder *2000: Kurt Golder *2013: Kurt Golder *2014: Kurt Golder *2020: Kurt Golder *2022: Yuan Xiao *2023: Yuan Xiao *2024: Yuan XiaoNCAA individual event champions
Michigan has had 23 gymnasts who have won NCAA individual championships. *1949: Edsel Buchanan – trampoline *1950: Edsel Buchanan – trampoline *1951: Edsel Buchanan – trampoline *1959: Ed Cole – trampoline *1963: Gary Erwin – trampoline *1963: Mike Henderson – floor exercise *1963: Gil LaRose – vault, horizontal bar, all-around *1963: Arno Lascari – parallel bars *1964: Gary Erwin – trampoline *1966: Wayne Miller – trampoline *1967: Dave Jacobs – floor exercise, trampoline *1968: George Huntzicker – trampoline *1969: Dave Jacobs – trampoline *1969: Ron Rapper – parallel bars *1970: George Huntzicker – trampoline *1970: Ron Rapper – parallel bars *1978: John Corritore – parallel bars *1992: Brian Winkler – floor exercise *1999: Justin Toman – parallel bars *2000: Justin Toman – parallel bars *2000: Kris Zimmerman – parallel bars *2002: Daniel Diaz-Luong – horizontal bar *2003: Andrew DiGiore – vault *2010: Ryan McCarthy – horizontal bar *2010: Chris Cameron – all-around *2011: Sam Mikulak – all-around *2013: Sam Mikulak – all-around, parallel bar, high bar *2014: Sam Mikulak – all-around *2016: Anthony McCallum - vault *2017: Anthony McCallum - vault *2019: Anthony McCallum - vault *2022: Paul Juda – all-around, vault *2023: Fred Richard – all-around, parallel bar, horizontal bar *2024: Paul Juda – floor *2025: Fred Richard – all-around *2025: Paul Juda – parallel barNational Team Members
Michigan has had 19 gymnasts who have been a part of the USA National Team. *Justin Toman: 1998–2003 *Scott Vetere: 1999–2000 *Daniel Diaz-Luong: 2001 *Kris Zimmerman: 2001 *Chris Cameron: 2009–2011 * Sam Mikulak: 2011–2021 *Adrian de los Angeles: 2012 *Stacey Ervin: 2013–2014 *Michigan gymnasts at the Olympics
Olympians
Alternates
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Michigan Wolverines Men's Gymnastics