Michigan
NCAA Team Preliminaries
U-M Qualifies for Second Straight NCAA Super Six Finals
4/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Site: Boise, Idaho (The Pavilion)
Event: #1 Michigan at NCAA Championships (Team Preliminaries)
U-M Team Finish: 3rd Place of 6 Teams (195.925)
Attendance: 4,304
Next U-M Meet: Friday, April 14 -- at NCAA Championships Super Six Team Finals (Boise, Idaho), 7 p.m. MDT
BOISE, Idaho -- The top-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team qualified for the NCAA Championships Super Six Team Finals by placing third in the preliminary round with a team mark of 195.925 on Thursday (April 13). Buoyed by great work on the floor exercise and vault, the Wolverines led after two rotations, but struggles on the balance beam left them in third place, behind UCLA (197.250) and Nebraska (196.000).
Sarah Cain (Grand Island, Neb./Grand Island HS) paced the Wolverines and nearly brought home the first individual all-around title in Michigan history, but fell just 0.025 short with a total of 39.575.
Just like in their NCAA Region 5 Championships victory, the Wolverines, the national leader on the floor exercise, maintained their consistency on that event with a 49.300 to lead after the first rotation. Michigan did not count a score lower than 9.825, led by Cain with a 9.900. Junior Karina Senior (Markham, Ontario/Milliken Mills HS), who owns Michigan's top season average on the floor exercise, checked in with a 9.875. UCLA (balance beam) and Nebraska (vault) were tied for second after the first rotation with marks of 49.050.
Michigan then moved on to the vault in its second rotation and promptly increased its lead after recording a 49.450, its fourth-best vault score of 2000. Like the floor exercise, Cain led the attack with a near-perfect vault to garner a 9.975. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) followed by matching her career high of 9.900, while vault specialist Christine Michaud (Mill Valley, Calif./The Branson School) matched Grieco with a 9.900 of her own, marking the fifth time this season she has scored a 9.900 or higher. Michigan's running score of 98.750 led after two rotations, with Iowa State's 97.500 in second.
Following a bye, the Wolverines moved on to the uneven bars, where they delivered a solid 49.025 but lost their lead to UCLA. For the third straight event the Wolverines leaned on eight-time All-American Cain and again she led the way with a 9.875. Cain's fellow senior Kate Nellans (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein HS) came through with her best bars set in six meets to deliver a 9.800. However, the Maize and Blue trailed UCLA 147.950-147.775 heading its final rotation, on the balance beam.
In the final rotation the Wolverines struggled to their worst balance beam score (48.150) since the season opener to fall to third place, but still advance to the Super Six Team Finals. Sophomore Shannon MacKenzie (Midland, Mich./Midland HS) notched a 9.875, giving her four straight meets with at least a 9.875 on beam. Cain also was solid in her fourth event of the evening with a 9.825, giving her an all-around tally of 39.575.
Joining No. 1-ranked Michigan in the Super Six Team Finals on Friday (April 14, 7 p.m. MDT) will be No. 2 UCLA and No. 5 Nebraska from the second session, and session I qualifiers No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Utah and No. 6 Alabama.
Four Michigan individuals earned first team All-America honors by placing in the top four (plus ties) in one or more events. Cain (vault, uneven bars, floor exercise, all-around), Grieco (vault), Michaud (vault) and MacKenzie (balance beam) also qualified for the individual event finals on Saturday (April 15, 7 p.m. MDT).
Final Results (Session II)
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. UCLA | 49.525 | 49.300 | 49.050 | 49.375 | 197.250 |
| 2. Nebraska | 49.050 | 48.425 | 49.100 | 49.425 | 196.000 |
| 3. MICHIGAN | 49.450 | 49.025 | 48.150 | 49.300 | 195.925 |
| 4. Penn State | 48.800 | 48.550 | 48.825 | 49.175 | 195.350 |
| 5. Iowa State | 48.850 | 48.700 | 48.800 | 48.975 | 195.325 |
| 6. West Virginia | 48.775 | 48.475 | 48.175 | 48.750 | 194.175 |
Final Results (Session I)
1. Georgia 196.775 2. Utah 196.125 3. Alabama 196.075 4. Louisiana State 194.950 5. Oregon State 194.750 6. Brigham Young 194.500
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
ALL-AROUND Sarah Cain 39.575 (T2) VAULT Bridget Knaeble 9.750 Janessa Grieco 9.900 (T4) Karina Senior 9.800 Sarah-Elizabeth Langford 9.875 Christine Michaud 9.900 (T4) Sarah Cain 9.975 (1) UNEVEN BARS Kate Nellans 9.800 Amy Kuczera 9.725 Cami Singer 9.750 Tara Tagliarino 9.775 Bridget Knaeble 9.825 Sarah Cain 9.875 (T3) BALANCE BEAM Janessa Grieco 9.750 Cami Singer 9.750 Shannon MacKenzie 9.875 (T3) Karina Senior 8.450 Kate Nellans 8.950 Sarah Cain 9.825 FLOOR EXERCISE Jodie Rosenberg 9.825 Melissa Peterson 9.825 Bridget Knaeble 9.850 Janessa Grieco 9.850 Karina Senior 9.875 Sarah Cain 9.900 (T3) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
NOTES
• Michigan has now made it to the Super Six Team Finals for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Michigan is one of only four teams to reach the Super Six Team finals at least six times in the last seven years.
• Sarah Cain's 12 career All-America citations is the second most in school history, just trailing the 13 collected by Beth Wymer (1992-95).
• Michigan's second-team All-Americans include Sarah-Elizabeth Langford (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) on vault, Bridget Knaeble (New Hope, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) on uneven bars, Kate Nellans on uneven bars, and Karina Senior on floor exercise.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Beverly Plocki
On her team's performance ... "I am a little disappointed because we started the meet out so well, but balance beam is the equalizer in women's gymnastics and we struggled on that event tonight. However, Sarah Cain was great again tonight and helped us achieve our goal of reaching the Super Six finals. I do not want to sound too discouraged because we did survive for another day."
On Michigan's struggles on the balance beam ... "It was uncharacteristic of us to struggle on the balance beam because we have been strong on that event throughout the season. I do think when one person falls it can be have an effect on the rest of our lineup. Hopefully that is out of our system and we can go after a title tomorrow night."
U-M Senior Sarah Cain
On Michigan moving on to the Super Six Finals ... "Although tonight was not our best performance, we are where we set out to be at the beginning of the season. There are only six teams with a chance at the national title and we are one of them. Hopefully we can be at our best tomorrow night."
Players Mentioned
