Michigan
NCAA Northeast Regional
U-M Advances to NCAAs for Ninth Consecutive Year
4/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- For the ninth consecutive year, the seventh-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team is headed to the NCAA Championships for a shot at the national title. As the host of the NCAA Northeast Regional, the Wolverines posted a team score of 197.225, tying their second-highest score of the season, on Saturday (April 7) at home in Crisler Arena to win their third consecutive regional title.
No. 6 Stanford also earned a team bid to the national championships, finishing second with a score of 196.725 to outlast No. 18 Louisiana State. The Tigers were within striking distance of the Cardinal until the final rotation, during which they were on the balance beam, but finished with a score of 196.300. Individual all-around competitors Nicki Arnstad of Louisiana State and Suzanne Poretz of New Hampshire also advanced to the national championships.
Leading the way for the Wolverines was senior Bridget Knaeble (New Hope, Minn./Totino-Grace HS). Her all-around score of 39.525 matched her career high and was enough to earn her a tie for first with Stanford's Lindsay Wing.
In the team competition, Michigan started the evening on the floor exercise and scored 49.300. Karina Senior (Markham, Ontario/Milliken HS) followed up her strong performance two weekend's ago at the Big Ten Championships with a 9.900 to tie for third. Knaeble scored 9.925, good for second place overall.
The team moved immediately to the vault and posted a mark of 49.250. Christine Michaud (Mill Valley, Calif./The Branson School), who has now won vault titles in five of the last six meets, continued her dominance with a score of 9.925 and a tie for first place. Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS) and Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) each scored 9.850 and tied for fifth. Beam specialist Melissa Peterson (Shawnee, Kan./Shawnee Mission West HS) vaulted in competition for the first time this season and posted a 9.825.
After sitting through a bye, the Wolverines returned to the floor on the uneven bars. Michigan has been strong on the event this season, and tonight was no different. Knaeble and Ray each scored 9.925 and tied for first place. Senior posted a score of 9.900 and finished tied for third, while freshman Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midland HS) tied for fifth with a score of 9.875.
Finishing on the beam in the fifth rotation before sitting out with a bye during the sixth and final rotation, Michigan looked to wrap up first place and a trip to Athens, Ga., for the NCAA Championships. After Ryals, performing second, fell, Peterson posted a mark of 9.825 to get the Wolverines back on track. Knaeble then tied her career high with a score of 9.875 to finish fifth. After a 9.800 by Shannon MacKenzie (Midland, Mich./Midland HS), Ray finished the competition for the Wolverines with a 9.900 and tied for second overall.
The 2001 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships will be hosted by the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. The Wolverines will participate in either the 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. six-team session of the national semifinals on Thursday, April 19. Should Michigan finish among the top three in its session, the team would compete the following evening (Friday, April 20) in the Super Six Team Finals at 7 p.m. The Individual Event Finals are scheduled for Saturday (April 21) at 7 p.m.
Final Results
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 49.250 | 49.450 | 49.225 | 49.300 | 197.225 |
| 2. Stanford | 49.300 | 49.175 | 49.000 | 49.250 | 196.725 |
| 3. Louisiana State | 49.100 | 49.250 | 48.900 | 49.050 | 196.300 |
| 4. New Hampshire | 48.050 | 48.675 | 48.550 | 48.950 | 194.225 |
| 5. Rhode Island | 47.825 | 46.300 | 47.900 | 47.050 | 189.075 |
| 6. Massachusetts | 47.775 | 46.550 | 46.550 | 47.650 | 188.525 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
ALL-AROUND Bridget Knaeble 39.525 (T1) Elise Ray 39.125 (5) VAULT Bridget Knaeble 9.800 Karina Senior 9.775 Melissa Peterson 9.825 Elise Ray 9.850 (T5) Janessa Grieco 9.850 (T5) Christine Michaud 9.925 (T1) UNEVEN BARS Calli Ryals 9.875 (T5) Cami Singer 9.400 Amy Kuczera 9.825 Karina Senior 9.900 (T3) Bridget Knaeble 9.925 (T1) Elise Ray 9.925 (T1) BALANCE BEAM Janessa Grieco 9.825 Calli Ryals 9.375 Melissa Peterson 9.825 Bridget Knaeble 9.875 (5) Shannon MacKenzie 9.800 Elise Ray 9.900 (T2) FLOOR EXERCISE Jodie Rosenberg 9.800 Janessa Grieco 9.875 (T5) Calli Ryals 9.800 Karina Senior 9.900 (T3) Bridget Knaeble 9.925 (2) Elise Ray 9.450 ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
N O T E S
With her tie for first, senior Christine Michaud has now won five vault titles in her last six meets. The missing link was a second-place finish at Utah (Feb. 23).
Melissa Peterson scored a 9.825 on the vault tonight. Previously this season, she only vaulted three times, all in exhibition, posting a high of 9.475.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Bev Plocki
On the team's overall performance ... "I'm really happy. We didn't have our very best meet -- which did make things a little bit more stressful -- but I was also proud of the fact that in situations where we had an opportunity to let down and have more mistakes, our team didn't do that. They kept fighting back and pulled together as a team. They had each other's backs, and we were able to wipe away the mistakes and not have to count any of them. I think that was really important for us to do here from a confidence standpoint heading into (NCAA) nationals."
On having Bridget Knaeble perform in the all-around ... "Bridget has been really solid in practice on beam, and she earned her spot. We felt that it was the right move for tonight. I don't know what will happen at nationals, but definitely tonight, she proved it was the right move."
On Knaeble's performance ... "She epitomizes the toughness and competitiveness of an athlete. She's incredible."
On Calli Ryals' fall on the balance beam ... "I was very nervous. When your second kid falls and you know your next four up have to hit, that's about as much pressure as it gets. The hardest thing about being a coach in gymnastics is that in basketball, football, and other sports, when something isn't going exactly right, you can call a timeout, get your team over and re-group. But when those kids are up on the beam, there's a bunch of things that I'd like to be telling them, 'Do this, do that, think about this,' but when they get up there, they're on their own. I have to trust the fact that we've done our job in practice, so they know what they need to be thinking about up there."
On performing in front of the home crowd at Crisler Arena ... "The fans were great. A couple of times when they got the 'Go Blue' cheers going, I know it makes my kids feel more at ease, more relaxed."
On heading into the NCAA National Championships ... "I feel really good about it. There's going to be a lot of really good teams there, and we've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. We're just going to go for it."
Senior Bridget Knaeble
On the team's confidence heading into the NCAA National Championships ... "We're confident. I'm so proud of our team tonight. I know that we have even more improvement to make, and I think we're very strong for nationals."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
