Ryals, Deiley Propel Michigan to First in NCAA Regional

Saturday, April 12

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:00 PM

Michigan

NCAA Northeast Regional

Ryals, Deiley Propel Michigan to First in NCAA Regional

4/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team needed to finish among the top two in tonight's (Saturday, April 12) NCAA Northeast Regional Championships to advance to the national championships. After a close competition throughout the evening, the Wolverines captured their sixth regional title in school history to qualify for their 12th trip to the NCAA National Championships after outlasting No. 3-ranked Arizona State in the final event. U-M totaled a 196.825 to edge the Sun Devils (196.725), who also qualified for the national championships April 24-26 in Lincoln, Neb.

Ryals has won or shared the floor exercise title in nine of U-M's 14 meets this season.

Helping Michigan to the regional title were first-place finishes in three events, as Wolverines took the top two positions in the all-around and tied for first on the uneven bars and floor exercise. Leading the way was Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS), who won the all-around title with a score of 39.500 after tying for first with teammates Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River HS) and Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame HS) on the uneven bars (9.900) and tying for top honors on the floor exercise (9.950). Deiley finished second in the all-around (39.475) and tied for second on the vault (9.900).

In the first rotation the Wolverines posted the second highest floor exercise score at a regional championships in program history (49.450). Leading off on the floor exercise was Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny HS), who put together an impressive routine for a 9.825. Following Kroll, and smiling all the way, Mirkovich earned a 9.800. Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) earned a 9.900 with strong tumbling and stuck landings. After a slightly low landing on her first tumbling pass, Deiley danced beautifully for a 9.850. Bringing the crowd into her routine, Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) had an exquisite performance to tie her season best with a 9.925 and tied fourth place. Ryals had a nearly flawless performance, combining unique choreography with powerful tumbling, to post a 9.950.

Mirkovich started Michigan off well on the vault, earning a 9.675 after a large step due to over-rotation. Grieco and Clauson performed nearly identical vaults including nailed landings to post scores of 9.800. Ryals and Kroll then scored back-to-back 9.775s, before Deiley finished the rotation with Michigan's best vault score of the evening (9.900) to tie for second. Halfway through the competition Michigan had a team total of 98.500, having earned a 49.050 on the vault.

Sticking her double-layout dismount off the uneven bars has become a signature move for Grieco, and she rocked yet another one on her way to a 9.800. Kroll managed to stay on the apparatus after dragging her feet on the low bar, but it dropped her score to a 9.525. Ryals, Deiley and Mirkovich swung their routines with ease and exactness to all post scores of 9.900 and tie for first place. Michigan finished the rotation with a 49.025 for a team total of 147.525 after three rotations.

Starting Michigan off on its final event, Kara Rosella (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills School) earned a 9.800 for a solid balance beam performance. Kroll contributed with a steady routine and a 9.850. Following Kroll, Deiley encountered a few wobbles en route to a 9.825. Tying her season best with a clean routine, Clauson posted a 9.900 and took second place, after which Grieco posted a 9.850 with a well-performed routine. Ryals was the final competitor for Michigan, putting together a 9.875 performance on the beam to take fifth place. After much consistency on the event, Michigan totaled a 49.300 to finish the night with a 197.825.31).

Final Results

Team Scores	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
1. MICHIGAN	49.050	49.025	49.300	49.450	196.825
2. Arizona State	49.050	49.050	49.200	49.425	196.725
3. Iowa State	48.650	48.950	49.350	49.575	196.525
4. Penn State	49.125	48.950	48.650	49.450	196.175
5. New Hampshire	48.825	49.075	48.350	49.150	195.400
6. Pittsburgh	48.650	47.825	48.875	49.150	194.500

Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores

ALL-AROUND Calli Ryals 39.500 (1) Jenny Deiley 39.475 (2) Janessa Grieco 39.375 Chelsea Kroll 38.975 VAULT Lauren Mirkovich 9.675 Janessa Grieco 9.800 Becca Clauson 9.800 Calli Ryals 9.775 Chelsea Kroll 9.775 Jenny Deiley 9.900 (t1) UNEVEN BARS Janessa Grieco 9.800 Chelsea Kroll 9.525 Calli Ryals 9.900 (t1) Jenny Deiley 9.900 (t1) Lauren Mirkovich 9.900 (t1) Erica Rubin 9.000 BALANCE BEAM Kara Rosella 9.800 Chelsea Kroll 9.850 Jenny Deiley 9.825 Becca Clauson 9.900 (t2) Janessa Grieco 9.850 Calli Ryals 9.875 (t5) FLOOR EXERCISE Chelsea Kroll 9.825 Lauren Mirkovich 9.800 Becca Clauson 9.900 Jenny Deiley 9.850 Janessa Grieco 9.925 (t4) Calli Ryals 9.950 (t1) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5

N O T E S

Michigan and Arizona State both advanced to the team preliminaries at the NCAA National Championships April 24-26 in Lincoln, Neb. Individually, Penn State's Katie McAvoy and Iowa State's Erin Dethloff both qualified for the all-around competition at the national championships. In addition, Penn State's Katie Rowland, the Big Ten Conference Gymnast of the Year, advanced to the NCAA Individual Event Finals on the vault and the floor exercise.

Q U O T E S

Head Coach Bev Plocki
On the team ... "I am so impressed with this team. They have continued to learn and improve every meet during the whole season. As a coach, what more can you ask for They are working hard every day and improving week in and week out."

Junior Calli Ryals
On earning a spot in the NCAA Championships ... "I think this meet is probably one of the most nerve-racking meets of the season, even more so than nationals. Because if you don't hit, you don't go to nationals."

Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423