Michigan
West Virginia, Maryland
Michigan Edged in Final Rotation by No. 23 Mountaineers
2/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team finished second today (Sunday, Feb. 22) in a tri-meet at No. 23 West Virginia. The host Mountaineers (196.375) finished first ahead of Michigan (196.200) and Maryland (194.925). Michigan's 49.075 on vault in the final rotation was not enough to maintain its slim lead over the Mountaineers, who compiled a 49.400 floor exercise total.
Several last-minute lineup changes forced Michigan to utlize its depth, as sophomore Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River HS) and senior Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS) saw limited action due to injuries. Senior/junior Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS) won or shared titles on every event and in the all-around, where her 39.750 total is the sixth-best score in Michigan history. Senior Christine Mantilia (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan HS) had a career day, setting career highs on floor (9.850) and vault (9.875).
Michigan began the competition on uneven bars, where junior co-captain Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allgheny HS) led off with a season-high 9.825. Freshman Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus HS) followed with a 9.800, also a season high. Ryals contributed a 9.900, while Ray earned a season-high 9.925. Junior Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame HS) closed the rotation with a 9.625 score.
In the second rotation, the Wolverines moved to beam ahead of Maryland (48.550) but trailing West Virginia 49.225-49.075. Though the Wolverines were forced to count a fall, Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham HS) recorded a season-high 9.900, while Ryals added a 9.700. Ray matched her season high, turning in a clean 9.975 performance. Junior Kara Rosella (Ann Arbor, Mich./Greenhills HS), a late addition to the beam lineup for the second week in a row, anchored the team with a solid 9.675 score. At the end of the second rotation, all three teams were within two-tenths of each other. West Virginia led with a 97.775, U-M close behind with a 97.675, and Maryland within striking distance, at a 97.525.
Freshman Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS) got things started for the Wolverines in the third rotation on floor. Her score of 9.850 was a season high. Mantilia set a career high on floor with a 9.850, followed by Clauson's 9.900, tying her season high. Bruck's score, 9.925, also tied a season high, a score later matched by Ray. Mirkovich, a late addition to the floor lineup, posted a 9.750 to close the rotation for U-M. Michigan's floor total of 49.450 gave the Wolverines a 147.125-146.975 lead over West Virginia going into the fourth rotation, with Maryland in third with a 146.000.
Mirkovich led off in the final rotation with a 9.700 vault, her first performance on the event this season. Clauson added a 9.750. Mantilia stuck her vault, earning a career-high 9.875. Ray turned in another quality performance, scoring 9.925. McNamara, a late addition to the lineup, anchored with a 9.825. The Wolverines' 49.075 event total was not enough to hold off the Mountaineers fourth-rotation surge on floor.
The Wolverines return to Crisler Arena to face No. 1 Georgia on Friday (Feb. 27) at 8 p.m.
Final Results
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. West Virginia | 49.225 | 48.550 | 49.200 | 49.400 | 196.375 |
| 2. MICHIGAN | 49.075 | 49.075 | 49.200 | 48.600 | 196.200 |
| 3. Maryland | 48.475 | 48.950 | 48.225 | 49.300 | 194.950 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
ALL-AROUND Elise Ray 39.750 (1) Lindsey Bruck 38.425 (5) VAULT Lauren Mirkovich 9.700 Becca Clauson 9.750 Christine Mantilia 9.875 (4) Lindsey Bruck 9.375 Elise Ray 9.925 (1) Carol McNamara 9.825 UNEVEN BARS Chelsea Kroll 9.825 (5) Lindsey Bruck 9.800 Calli Ryals 9.900 (3) Elise Ray 9.925 (1t) Jenny Deiley 9.350 Lauren Mirkovich 9.625 BALANCE BEAM Chelsea Kroll 9.375 Becca Clauson 9.900 (2t) Lindsey Bruck 9.325 Calli Ryals 9.700 Elise Ray 9.975 (1) Kara Rosella 9.675 FLOOR EXERCISE Carol McNamara 9.850 Christine Mantilia 9.850 Becca Clauson 9.900 (5) Lindsey Bruck 9.925 (1t) Elise Ray 9.925 (1t) Lauren Mirkovich 9.750 ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Bev Plocki
On the team's performance ... "I'm disappointed in our performance. We were hoping for and had an opportunity to get a good road score and we just didn't do the job today. It wasn't that we didn't have spots of individual greatness; my frustration is that we have not put together a team effort of greatness."
Contact: Jessica Steyers (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
