Weekly Release #11
3/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
This Week: Regular Season Ends at Michigan State with Pittsburgh
Saturday, March 22 -- at Michigan State, vs. Pittsburgh (East Lansing, Mich.), 7 p.m.
Coming Up: Illinois Hosts Big Ten Conference Championships
Saturday, March 29 -- at Big Ten Championships (Champaign, Ill.), 6 p.m. CST
Wolverines Close Regular Season in East Lansing
The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team (9-6, 2-1 Big Ten) visits Big Ten Conference-rival Michigan State for a three-way meet against the Spartans and Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Saturday (March 22) at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan visited MSU's facility earlier this season for the State of Michigan Classic (Feb. 2). Michigan State won the meet (195.075), handing third-place Michigan (193.900) its first conference loss in four years. U-M needs to tally a 196.550 or higher to increase its Regional Qualifying Score and possibly improve its position for the NCAA Regional seeding process.
Get NCAA Regional Tickets Online Now!
Tickets for the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Northeast Region Championships, which Michigan hosts at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 12, are now on sale at MGoBlue.com. Either select Tickets from the choices on the front page or go to the women's gymnastics page and look for the graphic on the right side to purchase tickets online. U-M, which has won four regional titles in the last six years, has hosted three previous NCAA Regional Championships (1995, 1997 and 2001) and advanced to the NCAA National Championships each time.
Got Results
Visit mgoblue.com for the fastest and most reliable results from all of Michigan's competitions this season. In addition to results and event recaps, weekly releases, news releases, photos and other information can be found at mgoblue.com.
A Look at Michigan State
Michigan State (14-6) defeated Pittsburgh 195.250-194.650 last Saturday (March 15) in Pittsburgh, Pa., in the first of back-to-back meets with the Panthers. The Spartans opened the season with four consecutive losses, but have posted a mark of 14-2 since winning the State of Michigan Classic (Feb. 2). MSU has posted its top three team scores of the season in the last three meets, including a season-high 195.750 in a home meet against then-No. 24 Central Michigan and Ball State (March 1). Michigan State has an RQS of 194.985 which ranks 31st in the nation. Freshman Sarah Anderson boasts MSU's highest RQS in all four events -- vault (9.775), uneven bars (9.840), balance beam (9.845) and floor exercise (9.845) -- and the all-around (39.050). Michigan State is under the direction of head coach Kathie Klages, who is in her 13th year at the helm of the Spartans.
Michigan State on the Web... www.msuspartans.com
A Look at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh (6-11) lost 195.250-194.650 to Michigan State last Saturday (March 15) at home in the first of back-to-back meets with the Spartans. The Panthers have posted three of the program's top seven team scores this season, including the school's second-best total in a 195.400-194.100 victory over Missouri (Jan. 18). Senior Nathalie Sulpher is the Panthers' only gymnast with a RQS in the all-around (38.465) and has the team's highest RQS in the uneven bars (9.795). Junior Alyse Zeffiro has Pitt's highest RQS in the three other events -- vault (9.775), balance beam (9.825) and floor exercise (9.865). Pittsburgh is under the direction of head coach Debbie Yohman, who is in her 18th year at the helm of the Panthers.
Pittsburgh on the Web... www.pittsburghpanthers.com
Last Weekend Against Then-No. 4 Nebraska
Senior co-captain Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) lived up to the title of her beam music, "Wonderful Tonight," in her final regular-season home meet, helping the then-No. 9-ranked Michigan to a season-high score in a 197.500-197.225 loss to then-No. 4-ranked Nebraska (March 14) on Senior Night at Crisler Arena. Grieco tied for second on the balance beam (9.875), took fifth on the floor exercise (9.925) and scored a career-high 39.475 for fifth in the all-around. Also helping the Wolverines to their season-high mark was freshman Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River HS), who tied for first on the vault (9.900) and won the balance beam (9.925) on the way to a career high in the all-around (39.675). Sophomore Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny HS) also scored a 9.900 on the vault to tie for first place.
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. Nebraska | 49.325 | 49.350 | 49.250 | 49.575 | 197.500 |
| 2. MICHIGAN | 49.350 | 49.125 | 49.175 | 49.575 | 197.225 |
In the Rankings
Michigan fell one spot to No. 10 in the latest GymInfo rankings (March 17) with a Regional Qualifying Score of 196.745. The Wolverines had spent three weeks at No. 10 before moving up to No. 9 last week (March 10). UCLA remained in the No. 1 spot for the sixth consecutive week with an RQS of 197.980.
What is a Regional Qualifying Score
The formula for computing a Regional Qualifying Score may seem hard to understand, but it is not terribly complicated. An RQS is computed by gathering the top six event, all-around or team scores -- three of which must be from away meets -- and tossing out the highest mark. The average of the five remaining scores is the RQS.
Michigan's Six Scores for the RQS
197.225 vs. Nebraska (March 14)
197.025 at Denver (Feb. 22)
196.775 vs. UCLA (March 7)
196.750 at Utah (Feb. 28)
196.650 vs. Northern Illinois (Feb. 14)
196.525 at Alabama (Jan. 31)
Total Before Dividing by Five
983.725
U-M's Regional Qualifying Score
196.745
Pretty Impressive
Three Michigan all-arounders -- Jenny Deiley, Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS) and Janessa Grieco -- are all ranked among the top 25 all-around gymnasts in the nation in the last GymInfo rankings (March 17). Deiley leads the pack in the ninth position with an RQS of 39.475, while Ryals is ranked 22nd (39.385) and Grieco is 25th (39.350). Alabama's Jenna Rice is ranked No. 1 with an RQS of 39.665.
It's Official... Ray Will Not Compete in 2003
Junior Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS) underwent season-ending surgery on her shoulder in mid-March. Ray injured her shoulder in December and suffered a repeat of the injury in late January.
Bad Memories
No. 10 Michigan is returning to the site of the State of Michigan Classic (Feb. 2) where it finished third with a 193.900, the program's worst score since a 193.625 at the State of Michigan Classic on Feb. 6, 1999. Michigan State won the meet (195.025) and became the first Big Ten Conference team to defeat the Wolverines since Minnesota captured a 193.550-193.050 decision over U-M on Jan. 15, 1999, at Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan had recorded 40 consecutive wins over conference rivals between the losses.
A Rare Event
No. 10 Michigan's contest with Michigan State and Pittsburgh is just the fourth of 12 meets this season in which the Wolverines do not compete against a ranked opponent. Dual meets with Ohio State (Jan. 11) and Northern Michigan (Feb. 14) and the State of Michigan Classic (Feb. 2) are the three other meets in which U-M was the only ranked team competing at the event.
Senior Night Success
Janessa Grieco, Michigan's lone senior, enjoyed a successful final regular-season home meet. She tied for second on the balance beam (9.875), took fifth on the floor exercise (9.925) and scored a career-high 39.475 for fifth in the all-around on Senior Night. It was not her final chance to perform at home, as Grieco will compete in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on Saturday, April 12, in Crisler Arena.
Deiley Lands in Record Book
Freshman Jenny Deiley had scored a 39.475 in the all-around in each of the two meets prior to last Friday's (March 14) contest against then-No. 4 Nebraska. She broke out of that "slump" with a career-high 39.675 and found herself in the U-M record book. The total moved Deiley into a tie with Beth Wymer (1992-95) and Heather Kabnick (1995-98) for the 10th highest all-around score in program history.
A Word About the Postseason
Michigan's first stop in the 2003 postseason is the Big Ten Conference Championships on Saturday, March 29, in Champaign, Ill. The Wolverines will face six other Big Ten programs -- Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State -- for a shot at the league title. The conference championships, like wins and losses in the regular season, do not affect participation in the NCAA Championships. The Regional Qualifying Score is the only thing which determines which teams will compete at a regional site for a chance to qualify for the NCAA National Championships. The top 18 teams in the nation, based on RQS, will be seeded and assigned to the six regional sites (three per site), while the three remaining team slots will be filled by the highest-ranking teams within the region which are not part of the top 18. From each regional site, the top two teams and the top two all-arounders who are not part of an advancing team will receive an automatic berth to the national championships.
Ryals on Track to Top Her School-Record Floor Average
Calli Ryals is averaging 9.925 in 11 floor exercise routines this season. She set the school record for season average on the floor exercise (minimum seven performances) last year with an average of 9.913 (16 performances). Ryals is the only performer in school history to average over 9.900 on the floor.
More About Ryals and the Floor Exercise
Calli Ryals is ranked fourth in the nation on the floor exercise with an RQS of 9.955 in the latest GymInfo rankings (March 17) after spending the last three weeks ranked second. UCLA's Jamie Dantzscher is No. 1 with an RQS of 9.985. Ryals has been extremely consistent on the floor this season. She has recorded seven of U-M's top eight scores with two marks of 9.975 and five marks of 9.950. She also has two scores of 9.925 and has only scored less than that twice, a 9.825 against No. 1 UCLA (March 7) and a 9.800 against then-No. 12 Minnesota (Jan. 17). Ryals has won or shared the floor exercise title in seven of 11 meets.
Right There Every Time
Senior Janessa Grieco has developed a reputation as one of the most consistent performers for the Wolverines. However, it is not the top of the award stand where she has made her mark, it is simply being on the award stand. Grieco has performed in 194 events, including the all-around, in her career. While she has won just 12 event titles (six percent), she has finished among the top five 114 times (59 percent).
Deiley on Fire
Freshman Jenny Deiley has competed in 55 events this season, winning 15 event titles (27 percent) and finishing among the top five 42 times (76 percent) in her first 11 collegiate meets. Her 15 event titles and 42 top-five finishes are both team highs. In her most consistent event, the all-around, Deiley has won four titles and finished no worse than fourth in the 11 meets this season.
Slim Pickin'
Michigan went through most of the fall practice season in great health. However, all that changed in December. Michigan was without five of its 12 scholarship athletes for the season opener against Ohio State (Jan. 11). U-M returned Kallie Steffes (Naperville, Ill./Central HS) on vault against Minnesota (Jan. 17), but she has not competed since. Christine Mantilia (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan HS), torn anterior cruciate ligament, and Elise Ray, shoulder, are out with injuries.
Bring Them On
Michigan, which opened the season ranked sixth in the GymInfo preseason coaches poll, once again has one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Out of the Wolverines' 12 regular-season meets, eight include at least one team ranked among the top 25 in the GymInfo preseason poll. Seven of the eight contests with opponents ranked in the preseason are dual meets. Including the Big Ten Conference Championships, U-M will face 10 of the other 24 teams in the preseason top 25 at least once during the season.
Community Service Award
The women's gymnastics team repeated as winner of the U-M Community Service Award in 2002. The award is given to the U-M athletic team which performed the most community-related activities during the school year. In addition to signing autographs for up to two hours following each home meet, the team hit the road in 2002 as several members of the squad visited an elementary school in Detroit to demonstrate basic gymnastic skills and talk to the students about using athletics to gain opportunities in life. The team also captured the inaugural award for the 2000C01 school year.
Grieco and Ray Selected as Captains
Senior Janessa Grieco and junior Elise Ray will serve as co-captains for the 2003 Wolverine squad. Grieco was a co-captain in 2002 as a junior.
GymInfo Top 25 (3/17/03)
(by Regional Qualifying Score)
RANK, TEAM RQS 1. UCLA 197.980 2. Nebraska 197.340 3. Arizona State 197.305 4. Georgia 197.300 5. Alabama 197.215 6. Utah 196.980 7. Florida 196.975 8. Stanford 196.935 9. Oklahoma 196.900 10. MICHIGAN 196.745 11. Oregon State 196.500 12. Louisiana State 196.310 13. Washington 196.300 14. Iowa State 196.215 15. Ohio State 196.105 16. Auburn 196.100 17. California 196.055 18. Denver 196.035 19. Arizona 195.965 20. Iowa 195.895 21. Minnesota 195.835 22. Brigham Young 195.720 23. Kent State 195.535 24. North Carolina 195.440 25. Penn State 195.375
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
