Michigan
State of Michigan Classic
Wolverines Take Third Place at State of Michigan Classic
2/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team had been able to fight through injuries to stay among the best teams in the nation, but its second competition in three days was too much for the injury-plagued Wolverines. U-M, ranked 11th in the nation, was only able to muster a 193.900 to finish third at the State of Michigan Classic today (Sunday, Feb. 2) after posting a season-high 196.525 at Alabama on Friday (Jan. 31). Michigan State won the meet (195.075), Central Michigan captured second (194.900), Eastern Michigan was fourth (192.525) and Western Michigan was fifth (192.000).
| | Mirkovich finished first on the bars for the second time in three weeks. |
Despite the low team score, senior Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) won the all-around with a career-high 39.350. Freshman Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River HS) was second in the all-around with a 39.325, while Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS) tied for third (39.300).
The Wolverines opened on vault and posted their second best score of the season, a 49.050. A fall on the first routine put pressure on the remaining five, but the team has been used to competing under pressure and came through in the clutch. Grieco and Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) got things back on track with solid vaults. Grieco came up with a 9.750, while Clauson posted a 9.900, her second consecutive score of 9.900 or better on the apparatus, to win the event. Ryals was short on her vault but posted a 9.725 to set up Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny HS), who took a small hop on her landing to earn a 9.800. Deiley closed out the routine with a nice vault which earned a 9.875 to finish in a tie for fifth place.
After a good start, the team's lack of depth was apparent on the uneven bars in the second rotation. Grieco opened the rotation with a career-high 9.825, but Kroll suffered a fall and had trouble on her dismount. With only five competitors in the bars lineup, the squad was forced to count Kroll's 8.400. Despite the setback, Ryals put together a solid routine with a great dismount to score a season-high 9.875. Deiley kept the momentum going with another great routine and posted a 9.850, just one-quarter of a tenth shy of her career high. The event closed with an outstanding routine by Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame HS). She paced the team and won the event with a career-high 9.900 to give the Wolverines a total of 47.850 on the uneven bars.
The third rotation did not get much easier, but the team fought through falls on the first two routines to post a 48.000 on the balance beam. After the early struggles, Deiley performed a 9.725 routine to help the Wolverines get going. She was followed by Grieco, who tied her season high with a 9.900 and finished second. Ryals earned a 9.750 before Kroll closed out the rotation with a 9.350. Kroll was going to rest if the first five routines hit, but falls forced her to perform.
Michigan looked to the floor to turn things around in the final rotation and was able to do just that. Kara Rosella (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills HS) performed one of her best routines of the season and earned a 9.700 to lead off. Clauson came up short on her first two passes but recovered well on her final pass to post a 9.600. Deiley went third and tied her career high with a solid routine that earned the team 9.875 points and put her in a tie for second place. Grieco earned the same total as the fourth competitor to share second place, and Ryals closed out the rotation and won the event with her third consecutive score of 9.950 to give the Wolverines a 49.000 on the floor.
Michigan returns to the friendly confines of Cliff Keen Arena for its next meet, a showdown with No. 24 West Virginia and No. 18 Kent State at 7 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 8).
Final Results
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. Michigan State | 48.350 | 49.125 | 49.000 | 48.600 | 195.075 |
| 2. Central Michigan | 48.625 | 48.925 | 48.350 | 49.000 | 194.900 |
| 3. MICHIGAN | 49.050 | 47.850 | 48.000 | 49.000 | 193.900 |
| 4. Eastern Michigan | 48.450 | 47.050 | 48.500 | 48.525 | 192.525 |
| 5. Western Michigan | 47.500 | 47.700 | 47.875 | 48.925 | 192.000 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
ALL-AROUND Janessa Grieco 39.350 (1) Jenny Deiley 39.325 (2) Calli Ryals 39.300 (t3) VAULT Lauren Mirkovich 9.000 Janessa Grieco 9.750 Becca Clauson 9.900 (1) Calli Ryals 9.725 Chelsea Kroll 9.800 (t5) Jenny Deiley 9.875 (2) UNEVEN BARS Janessa Grieco 9.825 Chelsea Kroll 8.400 Calli Ryals 9.875 (t2) Jenny Deiley 9.850 (t4) Lauren Mirkovich 9.900 (1) BALANCE BEAM Kara Rosella 9.275 Becca Clauson 9.200 Jenny Deiley 9.725 Janessa Grieco 9.900 (2) Calli Ryals 9.750 Chelsea Kroll 9.350 FLOOR EXERCISE Kara Rosella 9.700 Becca Clauson 9.600 Jenny Deiley 9.875 (t2) Janessa Grieco 9.875 (t2) Calli Ryals 9.950 (1) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
N O T E S
Junior co-captain Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS) missed tonight's meet, her fifth consecutive, after reinjuring her shoulder during the week at practice. Sophomores Kallie Steffes (Naperville, Ill./Central HS) and Erica Rubin (Chatsworth, Calif./Harvard Westlake HS) also missed the meet due to injury.
Injuries forced Michigan to compete just five athletes on the uneven bars and floor exercise.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Bev Plocki
On the team's performance ... "I'm extremely disappointed. I know our lineups are thin, but we should be able to work through that. We did well on Friday, so we know we can compete at a high level despite our injuries."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
