Weekly Release #10
3/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
This Week: No. 5 Alabama visits Crisler Arena on Senior Night
Friday, March 12 - vs. No. 5 Alabama (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Next Week: No. 19 Michigan at the Big Ten Championships
Saturday, March 20 - at Big Ten Championships (Minneapolis, Minn.), 7 p.m. CST
Next Up for the Wolverines
The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team faces the No. 5-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday (March 12, 7 p.m.) at Crisler Arena. After defeating then-No. 4 Utah 196.725-196.350 on Feb. 14, the Wolverines fell to No. 2 Georgia on Feb. 27 and No. 1 UCLA on March 7, bringing U-M's record against top-five teams to 1-2. Michigan will face another top-four team this week when No. 5 Alabama visits on March 12.
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. 5 Alabama
The No. 5-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1 SEC) opened its season with a first-place finish at the Super Six Challenge (vs. Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon State and Denver) on Jan. 9. Alabama posted its highest team score in a 197.925-196.175 win against Florida (Jan. 30). Its most recent victory came against Arkansas (197.325-196.450) on Feb. 27. The Tide suffered its only loss to date against No. 2 Georgia (197.825-197.550) in Tuscaloosa on Feb. 20. Ashley Miles, 2003 NCAA vault champion, is ranked third in the country on the event. Alabama is led by head coach Sarah Patterson, who is in her 26th season with the Tide. Alabama on the Web ... www.rolltide.com.
Last Year Against Alabama
Michigan faced Alabama once during the regular season in 2003. The Wolverines fell to then-No. 2 Alabama 197.200-196.575 on Jan. 30 in Tuscaloosa. At the NCAA Championships, the squads met twice. In team preliminaries, Michigan finished third (196.125) to Alabama's second (196.775). In the Super Six Team Finals, U-M finished fifth (196.050) to Alabama's second (197.275). The last time the Wolverines beat the Tide was in 2001, when Michigan finished ahead of Alabma (196.525-196.325) in the preliminary competition and in the Super Six Team Finals (197.275-196.550).
Last Weekend Against UCLA
The No. 19-ranked Wolverines dropped a 198.325-195.725 decision to No. 1 UCLA on Sunday (March 6) in Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. Senior/junior Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS) earned three top-five finishes, including a share of the balance beam title, en route to a fourth-place all-around finish (39.450). Though the Wolverines posted a balance beam event total of 49.275 in the final rotation, it was not enough to overtake the No. 1-ranked Bruins, who scored 49.475 or higher on each event.
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. UCLA | 49.500 | 49.650 | 49.475 | 49.700 | 198.325 |
| 2. MICHIGAN | 48.475 | 49.150 | 49.275 | 48.825 | 195.725 |
Wolverines in the Rankings
Michigan's score of 195.725 against UCLA raised its Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) at 196.410. This score is the 19th-best in GymInfo's rankings (March 8).
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 All-Around Gymnasts
Elise Ray and Calli Ryals have consistently earned top all-around scores this season. Their all-around regional qualifying scores of 39.475 and 39.350, respectively, are the 14th and 26th best in the NCAA. Ray is also ranked 14th on beam (9.910) and 15th on bars (9.905).
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.
Making Her Mark
Freshman Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus HS) has been a solid addition to the Wolverine lineups on beam and floor. This season, she has earned four scores of 9.900 or higher on beam, winning the event title twice. On floor, she has scored 9.850 or higher eight times.
Adding Depth
Freshman Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS) and sophomore Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham HS) have provided needed depth for the Wolverines on several events. McNamara set a career high on floor (9.850) against Georgia (Feb. 27), and she has regularly contributed to the team's vault score. Clauson tied her career high (9.900) on beam and has competed solidly on floor, with eight scores of 9.800 or better.
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, Utah on Feb. 14, Georgia on Feb. 27, and UCLA on March 7. The squad will host 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: Jesssica Steyers (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
