Michigan
Michigan State
U-M Dominates Podium in Final Regular-Season Event
3/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- In the final meet of the regular season, the University of Michigan women's gymnastics team was looking to create momentum as it heads into postseason competition. The Wolverines did just that as they posted a 196.700 to win a three-way competition against Michigan State (196.575) and Pittsburgh (194.450) tonight (Saturday, March 22) in front of 592 spectators at Jenison Field House.
Michigan (11-6, 3-1 Big Ten) swept the top three spots in the all-around. Junior Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS) tied her season best of 39.550 to win the all-around, while senior co-captain Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) placed second with a personal best of 39.525, increasing her career high in the event for the third consecutive week. Freshman Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River HS) took third place in the all-around with a 39.325.
The all-around recognition came after several trips to the podium for the trio. Ryals led the way as she tied her career high to win the uneven bars (9.950) and tied for first on the balance beam (9.925) to give her three of five possible titles. Grieco tied Ryals for first on the balance beam with a 9.925, tying her career high on the apparatus. Grieco also posted a career-high 9.900 on the uneven bars to tie for second place. Meanwhile, Deiley used a 9.900 to win her sixth vault title in the last seven meets.
Sophomore Kara Rosella (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills School) started the Wolverines on the balance beam with a solid 9.750. After a rough second performance, Deiley put Michigan back on track with a 9.850 as the third performer. After a shaky mount, freshman Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) followed with a steady routine and a stuck landing for a 9.900. Grieco and Ryals both delivered superb 9.925 routines to share first place. The Wolverines tied their best team performance of the season on the apparatus with a team total of 49.350 and led the Spartans (48.900 on vault) and the Panthers (48.250 on uneven bars) after the first rotation.
On the floor exercise, Rosella again started the Wolverines off successfully, posting another 9.750 in her first floor routine in five meets. Despite rough landings on her tumbling passes, sophomore Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny HS) held her routine together for a 9.700. Clauson, with two solidly stuck tumbling passes, posted a 9.875 to share fifth place. Deiley followed with a confident 9.850, and Grieco put together an exciting routine for a 9.900 and a share of third place. Ryals had a potentially perfect routine until a slight slide on her last tumbling pass dropped her score to a 9.875.
Michigan's floor routines led to a 49.250 and a 98.600 halfway through the competition. The Wolverines increased their lead over both opponents, as Michigan State earned a 49.200 on the uneven bars to remain in second place with 98.100 and Pittsburgh accumulated a 48.975 on the balance beam for a team score of 97.225.
On the vault, sophomore Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame HS) earned a 9.750 and provided a steady starting score for the Wolverines. Grieco, Clauson and Ryals followed with solid scores of 9.800, 9.775 and 9.800, respectively. After a small shuffle on her landing, Kroll posted a 9.875. Completing the third rotation, Deiley contributed a 9.900 on her way to the event title. The efforts led to a 49.150 in the rotation and helped Michigan further extend its lead, giving it a cumulative score of 147.750. Meanwhile, Michigan State kept hold of second place with a 49.000 on the balance beam and a 147.100 after three rotations. Pittsburgh closed the gap on Michigan State with a 49.150 team total on the floor exercise to accumulate 146.350 points.
In the final rotation, Grieco swung all the way through to a stuck landing on the uneven bars, posting a personal-best 9.900 for second place. Ryals improved on Grieco's score with exceptional form to earn a 9.950 and win the event. Deiley had an impressive routine hindered only by a low landing on her double layout to post a 9.725, and Mirkovich swung hard on the bars but steps on the landing held her to a 9.700. Sophomore Erica Rubin (Chatsworth, Calif./Harvard Westlake HS) responded well after she was unexpectedly moved from exhibition to the sixth position and then had to follow a fall. Rubin returned to the bars lineup for the first time in five meets and earned a respectable 9.675.
Even though Michigan's stellar start on the uneven bars led to some minor struggles, the Wolverines posted a team total of 48.950 which was good enough to keep them in first. Michigan State came alive on their final rotation of the evening, electrifying the crowd with three scores of 9.900 or above on the floor exercise to nearly overtake the Wolverines. The Spartans' 49.475 gave them a team total of 196.575, just .125 less than the Wolverines. Finishing on the vault, Pittsburgh posted a 48.100 and maintained its third-place position with a 194.450.
Michigan begins the postseason with the Big Ten Conference Championships at 6 p.m. CST Saturday (March 29) in Champaign,Ill. The Wolverines have won four consecutive conference titles and 10 of the last 11.
Final Results
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 49.150 | 48.950 | 49.350 | 49.250 | 196.700 |
| 2. Michigan State | 48.900 | 49.200 | 49.000 | 49.475 | 196.575 |
| 3. Pittsburgh | 48.100 | 48.250 | 48.975 | 49.125 | 194.450 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
ALL-AROUND Calli Ryals 39.550 (1) Janessa Grieco 39.525 (2) Jenny Deiley 39.325 (3) VAULT Lauren Mirkovich 9.750 Janessa Grieco 9.800 (t5) Becca Clauson 9.775 Calli Ryals 9.800 (t5) Chelsea Kroll 9.875 (2) Jenny Deiley 9.900 (1) UNEVEN BARS Janessa Grieco 9.900 (t2) Calli Ryals 9.950 (1) Jenny Deiley 9.725 Lauren Mirkovich 9.700 Kara Rosella 8.950 Erica Rubin 9.675 BALANCE BEAM Kara Rosella 9.750 Chelsea Kroll 8.750 Jenny Deiley 9.850 (t5) Becca Clauson 9.900 (t3) Janessa Grieco 9.925 (t1) Calli Ryals 9.925 (t1) FLOOR EXERCISE Kara Rosella 9.750 Chelsea Kroll 9.700 Becca Clauson 9.875 (t5) Jenny Deiley 9.850 Janessa Grieco 9.900 (t3) Calli Ryals 9.875 (t5) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
Q U O T E S
Senior Co-Captain Janessa Grieco
On the last regular-season meet of her career ... "These past few weeks have been a little emotional for me, but I'm happy with what happened tonight."
On her personal-best uneven bar performance ... "I'm really excited. I just kept telling myself to stick the landing and I did. It was great."
On the team ... "It wasn't our best meet of the season, but I'm really proud of how we hung in there. We did what we needed to do and we had fun."
On looking forward to the next couple of weeks ... "We're ready and excited for the next few weeks. We are ready to have some fun."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
