Michigan
Florida
Michigan Crushes Gators, Falcons in Final Home Meet
3/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Event: #1 Michigan vs. #13 Florida and Bowling Green State
U-M Team Finish: 1st Place of 3 Teams (197.075)
Record: U-M (16-5)
Attendance: 1,514
Next U-M Meet: Saturday, March 18 -- at Big Ten Championships (State College, Pa.), 6 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The top-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team returned home Saturday (March 11) and demolished No. 13 Florida and Bowling Green State. The Wolverines swept all four events and finished first with a score of 197.075, followed by Florida (194.500) and BGSU (192.175). Senior Sarah Cain (Grand Island, Neb./Grand Island HS) once again put on a strong performance, winning the all-around for the sixth time this season, with a mark of 39.550.
As part of Senior Night festivities in front of 1,514 fans at Crisler Arena, the team honored seniors Cain, Sarah-Elizabeth Langford (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) and Kate Nellans (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein HS) during a pre-meet ceremony. Seventeen Wolverine alumnae also returned as part of the festivities.
The Wolverines took an early lead after the first rotation, scoring 49.550 on the vault. Langford took first place with a perfect 10, the first of her career. Cain and Christine Michaud (Mill Valley, Calif./The Branson School) finished second and third with scores of 9.950 and 9.900, respectively.
Michigan widened its lead after the second rotation on the bars. The team finished first with a 49.325 score. Bridget Knaeble (New Hope, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) led the way for the Wolverines with a 9.950, tying her season and career best. Cain and Tara Tagliarino (Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant HS) finished second and third, scoring 9.900 and 9.875, respectively.
Cami Singer (Monument, Colo./Lewis Palmer HS), Cain and Shannon MacKenzie (Midland, Mich./Midland HS) swept the top three positions en route to Michigan's victory on the balance beam in the third rotation. Singer finished in first place at 9.950, her season and career best. The Maize and Blue finished with a score of 49.250, 0.750 ahead of second-place Bowling Green State on that event.
The fourth rotation, the floor excercise, was the only event where Michigan did not win the top three positions. However, the Wolverines still owned three of the top five scores on that event. Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) led the team, finishing in second place with a mark of 9.825. Cain and Jodie Rosenberg (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) tied for fourth at 9.800.
The two victories improved Michigan's record to 16-5, and U-M also upped its record against ranked opponents to 9-5.
The Wovlerines will travel to State College, Pa., for the Big Ten Conference Championships on the campus of Penn State next Saturday (March 18) at 6 p.m. Michigan, the defending Big Ten champion, has won seven of the last eight league titles.
Final Results
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. Michigan | 49.550 | 49.325 | 49.250 | 48.950 | 197.075 |
| 2. Florida | 49.100 | 48.675 | 47.950 | 48.775 | 194.500 |
| 3. Bowling Green State | 47.850 | 47.875 | 48.500 | 47.950 | 192.175 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
ALL-AROUND Sarah Cain 39.550 (1) VAULT Bridget Knaeble 9.775 Janessa Grieco 9.850 Karina Senior 9.825 Sarah-Elizabeth Langford 10.000 (1) Christine Michaud 9.900 (t3) Sarah Cain 9.950 (2) UNEVEN BARS Kate Nellans 9.750 Amy Kuczera 9.800 Cami Singer 9.800 Tara Tagliarino 9.875 (t3) Bridget Knaeble 9.950 (1) Sarah Cain 9.900 (2) BALANCE BEAM Janessa Grieco 9.825 Cami Singer 9.950 (1) Shannon MacKenzie 9.900 (t2) Karina Senior 9.400 Kate Nellans 9.675 Sarah Cain 9.900 (t2) FLOOR EXERCISE Jodie Rosenberg 9.800 (t4) Melissa Peterson 9.750 Bridget Knaeble 9.725 Janessa Grieco 9.825 (t2) Karina Senior 9.775 Sarah Cain 9.800 (t4) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
NOTES
• Sarah-Elizabeth Langford's perfect 10 and first place in the vault snapped teammate Sarah Cain's streak of seven straight first-place finishes in that event. Langford's perfect score was the first time she accomplished that feat in any event for her career.
-- With victories against both teams, Michigan leads the all-time series with a 5-4 record against both Florida and Bowling Green State.
-- Michigan has now swept all four events in team scores in six of its 11 meets this season.
-- Michigan has now scored a 49.525 or higher on the vault in three straight meets. Michigan's vault score of 49.550 tonight was its second best this season and tied for eighth best in school history.
-- Cami Singer's balance beam mark of 9.950 is tied for a Michigan season best. Melissa Peterson (Shawnee, Kan./Shawnee Mission West HS) turned the trick vs. Kentucky (Jan. 28).
QUOTES
Coach Beverly Plocki
On Sarah-Elizabeth Langford's performance ... "I was so happy for her. To do it on Senior Night was pretty special."
On the Big Ten Championships ... "I want to clean up some mental mistakes on form. We're optimistic. We want to concentrate on the Big Tens. Hopefully we'll come out with another title."
Senior Sarah-Elizabeth Langford
On scoring her first perfect 10 in her last home meet ... "It was amazing and so much fun. I hope we can continue this for the rest of the season and use the momentum for the next meet."
Players Mentioned
