Weekly Release #14
4/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
This Week: No. 5 Michigan at NCAA National Championships
Thursday, April 18 -- Preliminary Team Competition, 1 p.m. CDT
Friday, April 19 -- National Team Finals, 7 p.m. CDT
Saturday, April 20 -- Individual Event Finals, 7 p.m. CDT
Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Complete Release in PDF (6 pages, 107 KB)
Wolverines Ready for Their 11th NCAA National Championships
The No. 5 University of Michigan women's gymnastics team (25-3, 11-0 Big Ten) closes the season at the 2002 NCAA National Championships this week (April 18-20) in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The championships are hosted by the University of Alabama at the Coleman Coliseum. Michigan begins its quest for the program's first national championship in the afternoon session of the team preliminaries at 1 p.m. CDT on Thursday (April 18). The fifth-ranked Wolverines -- who are led by Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS) and Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS), the No. 1 and No. 2 all-around gymnasts in the country, respectively -- join No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Utah, No. 6 Louisiana State, No. 8 Nebraska and No. 12 Arizona in the first session.
Meet Coverage: Alabama Site | NCAA Championships Site
The Championships Structure
Twelve teams and 12 all-around competitors earned bids to the NCAA National Championships from the six NCAA regional competitions. The teams and individuals are split into two sessions for the preliminary team and all-around competition on Thursday (April 18). The top three teams from each session advance to the Super Six team finals on Friday (April 19) at 7 p.m. CDT to determine the national champion. The individual all-around champion is determined Thursday, with the highest all-around scorer from the two preliminary sessions winning the title. The top four individual event finishers (plus ties) from Thursday's sessions compete in the Individual Event Finals at 7 p.m. CDT on Saturday (April 20).
The Field
Michigan is joined in the afternoon session of the preliminary team and all-around competition by No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Utah, No. 6 Louisiana State, No. 8 Nebraska and No. 12 Arizona. The six teams in the evening session (7 p.m. CDT) are No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Alabama, No. 10 Stanford, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 13 Oregon State and No. 15 Florida. The teams were placed in the sessions based on their finish at the regional championships. Three first-place and three second-place teams were randomly assigned to each session.
Catch the Meet on Television One Week Later
The NCAA National Championships are scheduled to be televised tape-delayed at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 28, on CBS. Bonnie Bernstein and Amanda Borden will provide play-by-play and analysis, while Dominique Dawes, a former club teammate of Elise Ray, will be on the floor. Check local listings for details.
Michigan and the NCAA National Championships
- This is Michigan's 11th trip to the NCAA National Championships. U-M was first at the national championships in 1982 and has been back for each of the last 10 years (1993, '94, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, '00, '01 and '02).
- Michigan qualified for the national championships by finishing second at the NCAA Northeast Regional. This is the first time since 1998 the Wolverines did not win a regional championship to advance to nationals.
- Individually, Michigan's Calli Ryals is the top-ranked all-around gymnast in the nation with an RQS of 39.590. Teammate Elise Ray is second in the nation with an RQS of 39.550.
- Elise Ray and UCLA's Onnie Willis are the defending NCAA all-around co-champions. Both will be participating at the national championships looking to repeat as the best all-around gymnast in the nation. Ray was the first U-M gymnast to win the all-around title at the NCAA Championships. Beth Wymer (1992-95) won three uneven bars titles from 1993-95 for the Wolverines.
- Michigan is the shortest team in the NCAA Championships field with an average height of 5-1. Stanford is the tallest team with an average height of 5-3.
Other Important Info
- Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Alabama ticket office at 205-348-2262 or SouthTix at 1-800-240-2300. Tickets can also be purchased on-line at www.rolltide.com.
- There is a media press conference with the head coaches from Michigan, Florida, Utah and Alabama scheduled for 3-3:20 p.m. CDT on Wednesday (April 17) in the Back Gym at Coleman Coliseum.
- There will be satellite feeds which include Michigan highlights on Thursday and Friday. The coordinates and times are SBS 6, transponder 5 at 4:45 p.m. CDT for Thursday (April 18) and SBS 6, transponder 3 at 9:45 p.m. CDT for Friday (April 19).
Looking for the Big One
The Wolverines enter this year's NCAA Championships looking for the program's first national championship and the second national title by a women's team at U-M (field hockey, 2001). Six times a Michigan women's team has finished as the runner-up, including twice by gymnastics (1995 and 1999).
Against the Field
Michigan has faced four of the other five teams in the afternoon session of the preliminary competition. The Wolverines defeated both then-No. 2 Georgia (Feb. 10) and then-No. 2 Utah (Feb. 22) at home during the month of February in Crisler Arena. The Wolverines finished third to then-No. 17 Arizona at the season-opening Maui Invitational (Jan. 4) and were second to No. 8 Nebraska at the NCAA Northeast Region Championships (April 6). U-M has seen three teams from the evening session, recording a loss to UCLA (March 3), two victories over Minnesota (Jan. 19 and March 3) and a win at Oregon State (March 16).
Ten Consecutive for the Wolverines
Michigan's trip to the 2002 NCAA Championships is its 10th consecutive appearance at the national championships. U-M qualified for its first NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championships in 1982, but then went on a hiatus until 1993. Since its return to the NCAA Championships in 1993 under then fourth-year head coach Bev Plocki, Michigan has made it to the championships each year. The Wolverines are one only five programs (Alabama, Georgia, UCLA and Utah) to have appeared in each of the last 10 NCAA Championships.
At the NCAA Northeast Region Championships
Michigan advanced to the national championships by finishing second at the NCAA Northeast Region Championships (April 6) at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State in State College, Pa. After five of the six rotations, the Wolverines needed to score two tenths more than Iowa's score in the final rotation. The Wolverines posted a 49.100 on the vault for a team score of 195.600, while Iowa -- which had been leading the meet the entire night -- struggled on the floor and tallied a 48.775 for a team total of 195.475. U-M and first-place Nebraska (196.925) qualified for the NCAA Championships. The Wolverines were led by Elise Ray, who won the balance beam (9.900) and tied for first on the vault (9.925) en route to sharing the all-around title (39.450) with Iowa's Alexis Maday.
| Place, School | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. Nebraska | 49.400 | 48.725 | 48.675 | 49.125 | 195.925 |
| 2. MICHIGAN | 49.100 | 48.200 | 49.125 | 49.175 | 195.600 |
| 3. Iowa | 48.875 | 48.775 | 49.050 | 48.775 | 195.475 |
| 4. George Washington | 48.375 | 47.900 | 47.725 | 48.675 | 192.675 |
| 5. Penn State | 48.275 | 48.250 | 47.600 | 48.100 | 192.225 |
| 6. Pittsburgh | 48.475 | 45.725 | 48.250 | 48.525 | 190.975 |
Last Year at the NCAA Championships
Michigan recorded its best NCAA Championships score ever (197.275) and finished third to defending champion UCLA (197.575) and host Georgia (197.400) in the 2001 NCAA Super Six Team Finals on April 20 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga. Elise Ray, who tied for the NCAA all-around championship the previous night, backed up her title by scoring 39.625, the highest all-around score ever by a U-M gymnast at the NCAA Championships. U-M scored at least 49.250 in each event and had the top uneven bars score (49.275) of the night.
The Conference Streak
Michigan increased its Big Ten winning streak to 40 consecutive victories over conference opponents by finishing ahead of Iowa and Penn State at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. The Wolverines also posted wins over conference opponents in seven other meets this year. The last time a Big Ten school defeated U-M was Jan. 15, 1999, when Minnesota won 193.550-193.050 at Cliff Keen Arena.
Ryals and Ray are Top Two Gymnasts in the Nation
Michigan's Calli Ryals finished the season as the No. 1 all-around gymnast in the nation, and Elise Ray was right behind her in the No. 2 spot in the last GymInfo rankings (March 25). Ryals' all-around Regional Qualifying Score is 39.590, just .040 ahead of Ray's 39.550 RQS. Ryals was the top-ranked gymnast for the final five weeks of the season, while Ray was in second for two weeks at the end of the year.
Didn't See that Coming
Shannon MacKenzie (Midland, Mich./Midland HS) earned her third All-Big Ten honor at the 2002 Big Ten Championships. Her first two honors came on the balance beam, the event in which she specializes. This year, however, MacKenzie earned the honor when she tied for second place (9.900) on vault after spending over a full calendar year working on the apparatus.
Career Season Includes Big Ten Honor
Senior co-captain Jodie Rosenberg (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) earned her first All-Big Ten honor with a 9.850 on the floor exercise at the Big Ten Championships. She opened the season by placing among the top five in the first six meets of the year and then set a career high with her first 9.900 in any event with an outstanding floor routine on Senior Night against Denver and Washington (March 9).
Call It a Comeback
Freshman Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny HS) has been on the road to recovery the entire season. Since getting the nod to start competing, she has earned a vault title with a career-high 9.950 at West Virginia (Feb. 17) and tied for fourth with a 9.900 in the first floor routine of her career at the Shanico Inn-vitational (March 16). Kroll tied for second on the vault with a 9.900 and also earned All-Big Ten honors with a 9.850 on the floor exercise at the Big Ten Championships (March 23).
Second is the Spot for Ryals and Ray
Calli Ryals and Elise Ray are ranked second in three of the four individual events according to the latest GymInfo rankings (March 25). Ryals is second in the nation on the floor exercise with an RQS of 9.970, which is boosted considerably by the fact that she has three perfect scores of 10.0 in the floor exercise and two of them came in away meets. Ray is second on the uneven bars (9.955) and second on the balance beam (9.950).
Bring in the Moving Trucks...
Michigan has collected quite a load of individual event titles this season. The Wolverines have won 48 of a possible 70 event titles (69 percent) in 14 meets this season. Three times -- at Ohio State (Jan. 26), against Florida (Feb. 1) and against Denver and Washington (March 9) -- U-M won all four events and the all-around. Only at the Maui Invitational (Jan. 4), the UCLA Invitational (March 3) and the Big Ten Championships did the team fail to win at least three of the five titles.
... And Send Two Trucks for Ray and Ryals
Elise Ray and Calli Ryals have earned the majority of the team's event titles, combining to win 44 of the 48 event titles. Ray has won three titles on five occasions and won four titles against Denver and Washington (March 9), while Ryals won four event titles at the State of Michigan Classic (Feb. 3).
Always the Bridesmaid, (Almost) Never the Bride
Junior co-captain Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) posted a floor exercise score of 9.950 at the State of Michigan Classic (Feb. 3) and a career-high 9.975 against Denver and Washington (March 9) only to finish second to perfect 10.0 scores by Calli Ryals at each meet. Grieco does have one floor exercise title this season, a 9.900 against Northern Illinois (Jan. 13). Overall, she has been a model of consistency in the floor this season, placing among the top five in the event in eight of 12 meets and earning a 9.900 or higher seven times.
Ray in the Record Books
Elise Ray is fourth on the U-M career list for most all-around scores of 39.000 or higher with 19 in her one-plus seasons. Ray's 19th came in just the 21st meet in which she competed in the all-around.
Plocki Earns 250th Win
Michigan head coach Bev Plocki captured her 250th career victory with U-M's first-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Plocki now has 253 career wins in 13 seasons at the helm of the Wolverines' program.
Three Perfect 10s for Ryals
Sophomore Calli Ryals is just the sixth gymnast in U-M history to record three perfect 10.0 scores in a single season. The trio of 10s are the 16th, 17th and 18th perfect scores on the floor exercise in Michigan history. Her three perfect scores put her sixth on the U-M list for most career 10.0 scores.
Ryals Nearing Two 10.0 Records
Calli Ryals earned her third perfect score of the season with a 10.0 on the floor exercise against Denver and Washington (March 9). With one more 10.0 this year, she will tie the school records for most perfect 10s on the floor exercise in a single season and the most perfect 10s on any single event in a single season. Beth Wymer (1992-95) had four 10.0 scores on the floor exercise in 1994, while Heather Kabnick (1995-98) had four 10s on the vault in 1995. Two gymnasts recorded four 10s on the uneven bars, Wymer in 1995 and Nikki Peters (1996-99) in 1997.
Being Cal Ripken
Calli Ryals has competed in every event in all 14 meets this season. Not only has she been in the events, but she has been very good in the events. Over the course of the season, Ryals has been in the all-around in each of the 14 meets and placed among the top five 45 times in 56 events, including a stretch of 22 consecutive top-five finishes.
Back in Business
Elise Ray has scored a 9.900 or higher in 23 of the last 32 events at the eight meets in which she has competed since returning to the all-around following a foot injury. She has won 15 of the 32 events (47 percent), a number that jumps to 21 of 40 (53 percent) when her five all-around titles are included.
Never Really Out of Business
While her numbers since returning to the all-around have been impressive, Elise Ray posted some equally impressive marks while injured. In the five meets in which she did not compete in the all-around, Ray won five of the 12 events she did compete (42 percent) and placed first or second 10 times (83 percent).
Ray Continues to Dominate Bars
Elise Ray, who set a U-M record with a 9.921 season average on the uneven bars in 2001, continues to dominate the event in 2002. She opened the year with a near-perfect, career-high score of 9.975 to win the event at the Maui Invitational (Jan. 4). She won the bars title with a 9.875 at Ohio State (Jan. 26) and again with a 9.975 against Florida (Feb. 1). She has placed among the top five, with seven first-place finishes, in 13 of U-M's 14 meets, and her RQS of 9.955 is second in the nation.
Co-Captains
The 2002 Michigan women's gymnastics team has co-captains leading the squad. Senior Jodie Rosenberg is joined by junior Janessa Grieco as the captains. Rosenberg was a tri-captain in 2001 as a junior.
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
