Weekly Release #8
2/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
This Week: No. 2 Georgia Visits Crisler Arena
Friday, Feb. 27 - vs. Georgia (Crisler Arena), 8 p.m.
Next Week: No. 13 Michigan at No. 1 UCLA
Sunday, March 7 - at UCLA (Pauley Pavilion), 2 p.m. PST
Next Up for the Wolverines
The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team (8-3, 3-1 Big Ten) hosts No. 2 Georgia at 8 p.m. Friday (Feb. 27) in Crisler Arena. After defeating No. 4 Utah 196.725-196.350 on Feb. 14, the Wolverines face two more top-four teams this week (Georgia, Feb. 27) and next (No. 1 UCLA, March 7).
Jam The Gym 2004
Having already set attendance records this season for a home dual meet (3,903 vs. Michigan State) and regular-season home event (4,089, State of Michigan Classic), Michigan will go after its all-time home attendance record (4,523, 1993 Big Ten Championships) when the No. 13 Wolverines host. No. 2 Georgia for "Jam the Gym" on Friday (Feb. 27). WWWW-FM will broadcast from the Crisler Arena concourse from 6:30-8:30 p.m, and fans are invited to meet radio personalities and register to win prizes courtesy of WWWW-FM. Free team trading cards and 10.0 Club giveaways at the door will be sponsored by the UM Credit Union. Additionally, team posters and commemorative meet programs will be available.
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 No. 2 Georgia
The No. 2-ranked Georgia GymDogs (10-3, 6-0 SEC) are coming off of a string of six straight victories, most recently against then-No. 1 Alabama (197.825-197.550) on Feb. 20 in Athens, Ga. Georgia is 6-1 against No. 1-ranked opponents. The GymDogs posted their season-high score (198.050) in a win against LSU at home on Feb. 13. Georgia is the No. 1-ranked team on floor exercise, with a regional qualifying score of 49.485. Georgia is led by head coach Suzanne Yoculan, who is in her 21st season with the GymDogs. Georgia on the Web ... www.georgiadogs.com.
Last Year Against Georgia
Michigan faced Georgia once during the regular season in 2003. In an early-season meet (Jan. 24), the Wolverines fell to then-No. 2 Georgia 197.200-195.750 in Athens, Ga. In the NCAA Championships Super Six Team Finals, Michigan finished fifth (196.050) to Georgia's third (197.150). In 2002, U-M won its first dual meet against the Bulldogs in 14 attempts with a 197.175-197.025 victory on Feb. 10 at Crisler Arena.
History Not on Our Side
Michigan owns a 2-29 all-time record against Georgia. The Wolverines' first victory over the Bulldogs was at the 1995 NCAA Super Six team finals. Michigan tied for second in the nation (196.425), while Georgia was fifth (196.075). The Wolverines' only victory over Georgia in 14 dual meets was a 197.175-197.025 win on Feb. 10, 2002 at Crisler Arena.
Last Weekend at West Virginia
The No. 13-ranked Woolverines finished second in a tri-meet at No. 23 West Virginia on Sunday (Feb. 22). 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).
| 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 |
Wolverines in the Rankings
Michigan's score of 196.200 at West Virginia brings its Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) to 196.280, maintaining the squad's 13th-place GymInfo ranking (Feb. 23).
What is a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS)
A team's regional qualifying score is based on the six highest team totals, three of which must be from away competitions. After dropping the highest score, the remaining five are averaged to determine the regional qualifying score.
Ray, Ryals Among Nation's Top 10 All-Around Gymnasts
Elise Ray and Calli Ryals have consistently earned top all-around scores this season. Their all-around regional qualifying scores of 39.445 and 39.350, respectively, are the fifth and ninth best in the NCAA. UCLA's Jeanette Antolin stands in the No. 1 spot with a 39.750 RQS.
Crowding Crisler
Back-to-back record crowds saw Michigan beat intrastate rival Michigan State (Jan 31) and take the State of Michigan Classic (Feb. 6). The attendance of 3,903 for Michigan State is the largest crowd to attend a U-M dual gymnastics meet, eclipsing the previous mark of 3,854 set in 2001 vs. UCLA (March 9). The State of Michigan Classic attendance of 4,089 is the third-largest all-time and highest regular-season crowd. These attendance figures bested last season's highest home meet attendance by more than 1,000 and more than doubled the 2003 average home attendance.
Competing Against the Best
The Wolverines will face all of last year's Super Six NCAA Championships teams during the regular season. The Wolverines faced Nebraska on Jan. 11 and Utah on Feb. 14. The squad travels to UCLA (March 7) and will host Georgia (Feb. 27) and Alabama (March 12).
Kroll and Ray Selected as Captains
Junior Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny HS) and Elise Ray will serve as co-captains for the 2004 Wolverine squad. Ray was a co-captain in 2003.
Contact: Jessica Steyers (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
