By Will Graves Associated Press Boston — Sam Mikulak’s feet hit the mat and a guttural scream soon followed. Winning national championships never gets old for the best American gymnast of his generation. Yet the title the 25-year-old captured Saturday felt different. Eighteen months ago an Achilles injury threatened to derail the former Michigan Wolverine's career. Back issues that popped up last week left him wary. A shaky performance during the opening round on Thursday fueled his angst, or at least close as the relentlessly optimistic Mikulak gets to angst. Mikulak knows all too well the potential he’s shown during a half-decade in the spotlight hasn’t exactly turned into the results he wants on the world stage. Listen hard enough and you can hear the clock ticking on his time as the standard bearer for the U.S. men’s program. So he arrived at the new Boston Garden for finals ready to send a message. Not just to the guys who will be his teammates when the Americans head to Qatar for the 2018 world championships in two months, but to himself. “I really wanted this day to be a proving myself type of day,” Mikulak said. Done. Pumped at the start and emphatic at the finish, Mikulak’s total of 87.750 was more than two points higher than the 85.150 he managed on Thursday, and the combined total of 172.900 was nearly five points clear of defending national champion Yul Moldauer. Perfect? No. Better? Absolutely. The two-time Olympian finished with the top scores on floor exercise, high bar and parallel bars to become the first American to win five national titles since Blaine Wilson ripped off five straight crowns from 1996-2000. “It’s a wonderful stepping stone,” said Mikulak, who was a seven-time NCAA champion at Michigan. “It definitely feels good. I think this is the favorite one that I’ve won so far just because I feel like I’m at a different place in my confidence, in my gymnastics and being able to ride this going into world championships will definitely set me off feeling a little more confident. And I’m just excited for what we got as a team.” Having the charismatic Moldauer showcasing the form that could make him a legitimate challenger to Mikulak sooner rather than later helped. The 21-year-old is dealing with a disc problem in his lower back and looked out of sorts on Thursday when he finished in a tie for ninth. Altering his routines slightly to take some of the pressure off his back, Moldauer scored 85.450 on Saturday to sprint all the way to second. Allan Bower finished third, followed by Donothan Bailey, Alec Yoder and Akash Modi. Moldauer was behind all of them coming into the finals before hitting all six of his routines in a remarkably resilient display. “You’re going to have a rough day but you can’t hold onto that,” Moldauer said. “You have to come forward from it. However you react is how you’re going to perform in the future. Just knowing that I could reset and come out and perform how I wanted to perform really helped me and helped my confidence and helped know that I could do it.” If healthy, Moldauer and Mikulak are virtual locks to make the five-man world championship team when it is announced next month. After that, however, men’s program high-performance director Brett McClure will have his work cut out trying to piece together a squad capable of taking on the international elite. “We’re not in first, obviously,” Moldauer said. “But I think we can be on the podium. If we can get our strategy right, if we can get our routines to be as clean as possible, we can be up there.” The men’s program is in the midst of a generational shift. Mikulak is the only member of the 2016 Olympic team that finished a disappointing fifth in Rio de Janeiro still competing. Yet the next wave is still finding its footing. The Americans won just a single medal at world championships last year and Modi acknowledged the uneven display the group as a whole put on during the first day of competition is nowhere close to what will be required if the U.S. wants to nudge itself back toward the world’s elite. Whoever makes the team, McClure’s biggest challenge will be making sure the men are sharp from the get-go. “We missed an opportunity to perform under a pressure situation (on Thursday), in an arena, on a podium,” McClure said. “I feel the energy tonight was much more focused. The realization kind of set in, ‘Oh yeah, that’s right, we’re getting ready for a world championships, we’re getting ready to qualify to the Olympics so let’s get it done. There were promising signs on Saturday, with Mikulak leading the way. He placed part of the blame for Thursday’s bumpy display on a lack of energy both on the podium and in the stands. He seemed intent on changing it from the second he saluted the judges before his floor exercise. The momentum built over the next two and a half hours, leading to the celebratory fist pump to his contingent of friends and family sitting in the first row after drilling his high-bar dismount. “We wanted to be high energy the whole time,” Mikulak said. “So we were like ‘Even if you don’t feel it, fake it till you make it’ and I think we made it.”<doc-sep>Defending champion Yul Moldauer finished second at 168.150, and his University of Oklahoma teammate, Allan Bower, placed third at 166.950. In a thoroughly dominating performance, Mikulak claimed the senior men’s crown, notching a 172.900 two-day all-around mark for his fifth national title, recapturing his perch atop the US men’s gymnastics throne. The last male gymnast to win five US Gymnastics Championships was Blaine Wilson from 1996-2000. For stretches during Saturday’s US Gymnatics Championships at TD Garden, it felt like Sam Mikulak was participating in a different sport than his competitors. Most were playing checkers. Mikulak was playing chess. “I have to say this is probably my favorite [national championship] that I’ve won so far,” said Mikulak. “I feel like I’m at a different place in my confidence and my gymnastics. Being able to ride this going into world championships will definitely set me off feeling a little more confident.” Mikulak is one of seven American male gymnasts who will make the trip to Qatar this October. The team was announced following Saturday’s medal ceremony. Joining Mikulak will be Moldauer, Bower, Akash Modi, Donothan Bailey, Alec Yoder, and Cameron Bock. Advertisement Mikulak, 25, of Newport Coast, Calif., peeled off a string of four straight gold medals at nationals beginning in 2013. Last year, an Achilles injury limited him to just two events. On Saturday, Mikulak proved he was as capable as ever. “We knew the first day was really not the day we wanted to have,” said Mikulak of he and his US Olympic Training Center teammates. “We all came together and said, ‘Hey, we’re a bunch of college guys, let’s come together like we’re a little college team and let’s have fun with this. Be high energy the whole time, even if you don’t feel it. Fake it ‘till you make it.’ I think we made it.” Advertisement Mikulak’s first pass of the day came during his graceful but challenging floor routine. It involved completing a 2½ twist into an immediate tucked double front, which he executed with precision. Sam Mikulak executed his floor routine with pointed and precise movements. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Mikulak closed the exercise with a triple full, receiving a 14.350 and setting the tone for his triumphant afternoon. After scoring a 13.650 on the pommel horse in the preliminary session Thursday evening, Mikulak flexed his bulging muscles with a stellar 14.950 on Saturday, punctuating the performance with two big claps and a fist pump. Mikulak’s suspended rings routine went off without a hitch. Then it was onto the vault where he spiraled through the air, landed with a slight hop, and flashed his pearly whites to the crowd. He walked away with a 14.250 to show for his efforts. The full Sam Mikulak experience was on display during the fifth rotation at the parallel bars. Mikulak was up last in a group comprised of five US Olympic Training Center members and Cypress Academy’s Colin Van Wicklen. Mikulak spent most of the rotation passionately shouting words of encouragement toward his USOTC teammates. “The first day, we’re all trying to stay conservative and not really get too loud, but I think that’s kind of where we thrive,” said Bailey. “Today we were a lot more together, a lot louder, and that helped a lot.” When it was Mikulak’s turn on the apparatus, his gait changed entirely, a stern expression and furrowed brow replacing his supportive smile. He proceeded to wow the crowd of 3,321 in attendance with a routine that definitively set him apart from his peers, receiving a 6.4 for its difficulty. Advertisement Ever a beacon of positivity, Mikulak emphatically pumped both of his fists, saluted the crowd, and let out a loud yelp of near epic proportions.. “I definitely put myself out there to exude as much energy to everyone as I could,” said Mikulak. “We huddled up before quite a few events and before the meet. Everyone’s saying different things, everyone’s picking each other up. You could tell that everyone wanted to be a part of it today.” Mikulak’s final event — the horizontal bar — was merely a formality. Unsurprisingly, he stuck the dismount. Sam Mikulak makes a release move on the horizontal bar, the final result of which was a mere formality in his fifth US Gymnatics national title. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff “I just felt relieved,” he said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself today because I did not want to have a similar performance as Thursday.” Mikulak also claimed gold medals for his high-marks on parallel bars (29.550), the horizontal bar (28.400), and the floor exercise (29.100). Moldauer entered Saturday in sixth place after a strained showing in the prelims. He reverted back to his old self in the final session, sticking most of his passes in a smooth floor exercise and jumping up to second place by the start of the fifth rotation. “It definitely fueled me, but I knew it couldn’t take over my emotions,” said Moldauer on how his performance Thursday impacted things on Saturday. “I just had to accept it and then reset and come here like I didn’t compete Thursday.” Advertisement Bailey and Yoder, who claimed gold in the pommel horse, rounded out the top five. The final podium for the US senior men's competition at the US Gymnastics Championships at TD Garden: (left to right) Akash Modi, Donothan Bailey, Yul Moldauer, Sam Mikulak, Allan Bower, and Cameron Bock give a final salute. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Senior Men’s final results At TD Garden All-around — 1. Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif., 172.900; 2. Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo., 168.150; 3. Allan Bower, Chandler, Ariz., 166.950; 4. Donothan Bailey, Mission Viejo, Calif., 166.800; 5. Alec Yoder, Indianapolis, Ind., 166.550; 6. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J., 165.550; 7. Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif., 163.200; 8. Colin Van Wicklen, Magnolia, Texas, 163.050; 9. Genki Suzuki, North Wales, Pa., 162.800; 10. Kanji Oyama, Huntington Beach, Calif., 162.150; 11. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla., 161.300; 12. Robert Neff, Brookfield, Wis., 161.050; 13. Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio, 160.550; 14. Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill., 159.950; 15. Kiwan Watts, Richmond, Va., 159.500; 16. Tanner Justus, Cypress, Texas, 158.650; 17. Anthony Stephenson, Fishers, Ind., 158.300; 18. Alexei Vernyi, Cypress, Texas, 157.800; 19. Shane Wiskus, Spring Park, Minn., 157.750; 20. Gage Dyer, Yukon, Okla., 157.650; 21. Jacob Moore, West Bloomfield, Mich., 157.450; 22. Bennet Huang, Palo Alto, Calif., 156.500; 23. Seth Delbridge, Floyds Knobs, Ind., 153.500; 24. Jake Brodarzon, Paramus, N.J., 150.600; 25. Kyte Crigger, Manassas, Va., 148.350; 26. Jalon Stephens, Shreveport, La., 109.850. Floor exercise — 1. Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif., 29.100; 2. Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo., 28.750; 3. Kanji Oyama, Huntington Beach, Calif., 28.650; 4. Allan Bower, Chandler, Ariz., 28.350; 5. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J., 28.300; 6. Gage Dyer, Yukon, Okla., 28.250; 7. Donothan Bailey, Mission Viejo, Calif., 28.150; 8. Jacob Moore, West Bloomfield, Mich., 28.050; 9. Genki Suzuki, North Wales, Pa., 28.000; 10. Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif., 27.650; 10. Robert Neff, Brookfield, Wis., 27.650; 12. Alec Yoder, Indianapolis, Ind., 27.550; 13. Colin Van Wicklen, Magnolia, Texas, 27.500; 14. Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill., 27.450; 15. Kiwan Watts, Richmond, Va., 27.400; 16. Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio, 27.350; 17. Anthony Stephenson, Fishers, Ind., 27.200; 17. Tanner Justus, Cypress, Texas, 27.200; 19. Alexei Vernyi, Cypress, Texas, 27.150; 19. Kyte Crigger, Manassas, Va., 27.150; 21. Sebastian Quiana, Oradell, N.J., 27.050; 22. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla., 26.600; 23. Bennet Huang, Palo Alto, Calif., 26.400; 24. William Jeffreys, Raleigh, N.C., 26.000; 25. Jake Brodarzon, Paramus, N.J., 25.650; 26. Shane Wiskus, Spring Park, Minn., 25.500; 27. Seth Delbridge, Floyds Knobs, Ind., 25.300; 28. Tyler Schaal, Miami, Fla., 22.950; 29. Alex Diab, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 13.900; 30. Jalon Stephens, Shreveport, La., 12.050. Advertisement Pommel horse — 1. Alec Yoder, Indianapolis, Ind., 29.850; 2. Allan Bower, Chandler, Ariz., 29.200; 3. Ellis Mannon, Indianapolis, Ind., 28.850; 4. Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif., 28.600; 5. Donothan Bailey, Mission Viejo, Calif., 28.050; 6. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J., 27.950; 7. Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo., 27.300; 8. Bennet Huang, Palo Alto, Calif., 27.200; 9. Stephen Nedoroscik, Worcester, Mass., 27.100; 10. Genki Suzuki, North Wales, Pa., 26.950; 11. Tanner Justus, Cypress, Texas, 26.800; 12. Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif., 26.650; 12. Adrian De Los Angeles, Long Beach, Calif., 26.650; 14. Jacob Moore, West Bloomfield, Mich., 26.250; 15. Kanji Oyama, Huntington Beach, Calif., 26.100; 16. Anthony Stephenson, Fishers, Ind., 26.050; 17. Kiwan Watts, Richmond, Va., 25.950; 17. Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill., 25.950; 17. Colin VanWicklen, Magnolia, Texas, 25.950; 20. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla., 25.900; 21. Robert Neff, Brookfield, Wis., 25.700; 22. Gage Dyer, Yukon, Okla., 25.650; 23. Seth Delbridge, Floyds Knobs, Ind., 25.200; 24. Shane Wiskus, Spring Park, Minn., 25.100; 25. Alexei Vernyi, Cypress, Texas, 24.800; 26. Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio, 24.500; 27. Jake Brodarzon, Paramus, N.J., 22.950; 28. Kyle King, Mesquite, Texas, 21.650; 29. Kyte Crigger, Manassas, Va., 19.950; 30. Tyler Schaal, Miami, Fla., 19.700; 31. Jalon Stephens, Shreveport, La., 8.300. Still rings — 1. Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio, 29.200; 2. Alex Diab, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 28.950; 3. Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo., 28.650; 4. Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif., 28.600; 5. Donnell Whittenburg, Baltimore, Md., 28.550; 6. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla., 28.500; 7. Allan Bower, Chandler, Ariz., 27.600; 8. Alec Yoder, Indianapolis, Ind., 27.550; 9. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J., 27.350; 10. Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif., 27.250; 11. Colin VanWicklen, Magnolia, Texas, 27.150; 12. Kanji Oyama, Huntington Beach, Calif., 27.000; 13. Shane Wiskus, Spring Park, Minn., 26.900; 14. Robert Neff, Brookfield, Wis., 26.600; 15. Tanner Justus, Cypress, Texas, 26.500; 16. Jalon Stephens, Shreveport, La., 26.300; 17. Kiwan Watts, Richmond, Va., 26.250; 18. Donothan Bailey, Mission Viejo, Calif., 26.050; 18. Alexei Vernyi, Cypress, Texas, 26.050; 20. Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill., 26.000; 21. Genki Suzuki, North Wales, Pa., 25.850; 22. Tyler Schaal, Miami, Fla., 25.400; 23. Jake Brodarzon, Paramus, N.J., 25.150; 24. William Jeffreys, Raleigh, N.C., 24.700; 25. Jacob Moore, West Bloomfield, Mich., 24.650; 26. Gage Dyer, Yukon, Okla., 24.550; 27. Seth Delbridge, Floyds Knobs, Ind., 24.300; 28. Bennet Huang, Palo Alto, Calif., 24.050; 29. Kyte Crigger, Manassas, Va., 23.900; 30. Anthony Stephenson, Fishers, Ind., 23.750. Allan Bower, of Chandler, Ariz., attempts to stick the landing on his vault attempt. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Vault —1. Anthony Stephenson, Fishers, Ind., 29.550; 2. Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo., 29.150; 3. Colin Van Wicklen, Magnolia, Texas, 28.900; 4. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla., 28.700; 5. Donothan Bailey, Mission Viejo, Calif., 28.650; 5. Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif., 28.650; 7. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J., 28.600; 8. Allan Bower, Chandler, Ariz., 28.400; 9. Kiwan Watts, Richmond, Va., 28.300; 10. Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill., 28.200; 10. Robert Neff, Brookfield, Wis., 28.200; 12. Alexei Vernyi, Cypress, Texas, 28.150; 13. Kyte Crigger, Manassas, Va., 27.900; 13. Jacob Moore, West Bloomfield, Mich., 27.900; 13. Bennet Huang, Palo Alto, Calif., 27.900; 16. Jake Brodarzon, Paramus, N.J., 27.750; 17. Genki Suzuki, North Wales, Pa., 27.650; 17. Sebastian Quiana, Oradell, N.J., 27.650; 19. Alec Yoder, Indianapolis, Ind., 27.600; 19. Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio, 27.600; 19. Shane Wiskus, Spring Park, Minn., 27.600; 22. Tanner Justus, Cypress, Texas, 27.550; 22. Seth Delbridge, Floyds Knobs, Ind., 27.550; 24. Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif., 27.400; 25. Kanji Oyama, Huntington Beach, Calif., 27.150; 26. Tyler Schaal, Miami, Fla., 26.600; 26. Gage Dyer, Yukon, Okla., 26.600; 28. William Jeffreys, Raleigh, N.C., 26.450; 29. Alex Diab, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 13.650; 30. Jalon Stephens, Shreveport, La., 13.600. Sam Mikulak executes a release move on his parrellel bars routine, which earned top marks in the rotation. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Parallel bars — 1. Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif., 29.550; 2. Donothan Bailey, Mission Viejo, Calif., 28.350; 3. Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo., 28.100; 4. Alec Yoder, Indianapolis, Ind., 27.950; 5. Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio, 27.800; 6. Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif., 27.750; 7. Allan Bower, Chandler, Ariz., 27.550; 8. Genki Suzuki, North Wales, Pa., 27.400; 9. Anthony Stephenson, Fishers, Ind., 26.950; 9. Donnell Whittenburg, Baltimore, Md., 26.950; 9. Kanji Oyama, Huntington Beach, Calif., 26.950; 9. Adrian De Los Angeles, Long Beach, Calif., 26.950; 13. Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill., 26.700; 14. Colin Van Wicklen, Magnolia, Texas, 26.550; 15. Seth Delbridge, Floyds Knobs, Ind., 26.500; 15. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J., 26.500; 17. Gage Dyer, Yukon, Okla., 26.400; 18. Alexei Vernyi, Cypress, Texas, 26.250; 19. Robert Neff, Brookfield, Wis., 26.100; 19. Sebastian Quiana, Oradell, N.J., 26.100; 21. Shane Wiskus, Spring Park, Minn., 26.050; 21.<doc-sep>
Mikulak attracted plenty of attention Thursday evening at TD Garden, but for reasons that fail to account for age. The affable 25-year-old conquered the parallel bars, logged a stellar floor routine, and survived a scare on his final test — the pommel horse — en route to a first-place finish and a score of 85.150 in the first of two sessions for the senior men. Hailing from Newport Beach, Calif., Mikulak was the all-around champion at the US Gymnastics Championships four years running beginning in 2013. The streak was snapped last year when Mikulak suffered an Achilles injury, limiting him to just two events at the competition in Anaheim. Many figured his best days as a gymnast had passed. Sam Mikulak is midway through his twenties, making him a pariah of sorts in a sport known for its youthfulness. .@SamuelMikulak leads the senior men's all-around standings after night one. He's got the top score – a 14.750 – on floor. #USGymChamps pic.twitter.com/nPWdRSRS90 — USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 17, 2018 Akash Modi of Stanford University finished in second place at 84.100, excelling with a successive three-release sequence on the high bar. The University of Oklahoma’s Allan Bower placed third with an all-around score of 83.850. Mikulak hopes for higher energy levels and a more fiery atmosphere when competition resumes for the senior men at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. “I just felt like we didn’t have any energy today,” he said. “I don’t know how everyone else was, but I think the fact that I’m in first right now speaks to [that] it wasn’t too good of a day for anyone. I’m hoping we can all turn it up with a little more energy going into Saturday. We’ll have a bigger crowd and a little more meaning and purpose.” Reigning champions often hold themselves to high standards. On a night of competition riddled with bobbles and slip-ups, Mikulak felt he was part of the mediocrity despite his favorable position on the leaderboard. Akash Modi, currently in second place, competes on the horizontal bar. Maddie Meyer/getty “I think it was kind of a wash,” said Mikulak. “You don’t want to win on days like this. I want to be able to slam routines and have it come down to the wire. That’s when it’s really exciting and intense because everybody’s doing their best, and you want to beat people at their best, not because you were the best loser.” Mikulak makes it a point to please fans, and drew the night’s loudest cheer after completing an evening-best floor routine for which he received a 14.750 mark. Mikulak beckoned the crowd to shower him with love, and they obliged. His performance on the parallel bars was equally impressive, receiving a sterling 6.1 mark for the difficulty of the routine and an 8.2 for execution. Still, Mikulak knows his showing Thursday would have been unacceptable had it come in international competition. Though garnering high marks for difficulty on his high bar routine, Mikulak fell while attempting the Cassina, a move he hadn’t flubbed in six months. The pommel horse provided its own unique challenges. “Usually I step up: left hand, right hand,” said Mikulak, who lost his grasp and had to re-start at the apparatus. “For some reason [tonight], I went right hand, left hand. It was like, ‘What are you doing?’ I can’t really be mad because that was the weirdest thing. That should be a very easy fix.” The World Gymnastics Championships are set to take place in Qatar this October, and Mikulak knows he’ll have to ratchet up his intensity if he wishes to thrive. “This would have been a very disappointing World Championship performance for sure,” he said. “Got another chance, and that’s just the mindset I have going into this next day.” Modi was one of the few gymnasts able to gain some semblance of consistency Thursday, finishing top-five in four of six events. For the 23-year old from New Jersey, this week in Boston represents a chance to carve out a spot on the plane to Qatar. Modi was an alternate at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “I would say high bar was the only routine that felt very good today,” he said. “Other than that, just working out the kinks. Overall, 6-for-6, good consistency, and nothing that I was really ashamed of.” Defending champion Yul Moldauer failed to deliver a clean program, stepping out of bounds on his first tumbling run on the floor exercise.