Weekly Release #9
3/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
This Week: No. 19 Michigan at No. 1 UCLA
Sunday, March 7 - at UCLA (Los Angeles, Calif.), 2 p.m. PST
Next Week: No. 3 Alabama visits Crisler Arena on Senior Night
Friday, March 12 - vs. Alabama (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
Next Up for the Wolverines
The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team faces the No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins on Sunday (March 7) at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. After defeating then-No. 4 Utah 196.725-196.350 on Feb. 14, the Wolverines fell to No. 2 Georgia on Feb. 27, bringing U-M's record against top-four teams to 1-1. Michigan will face two more top-four teams this week (No. 1 UCLA, March 7) and next (No. 3 Alabama, 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. 1 UCLA
The No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins (9-4, 4-2 Pac-10) are coming off of a narrow loss to then-No. 15 Washington (197.225-197.100) on Feb. 27 in Seattle. On Feb. 22, the Bruins tied the NCAA all-time scoring record (set by Stanford on Feb. 20) with a 198.875 against Oregon State in Los Angeles. UCLA is the No. 1-ranked team on vault, uneven bars and balance beam with regional qualifying scores of 49.500, 49.410, and 49.250, respectively. Additioanlly, UCLA boasts the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked all-around gymnasts in the country, with Jeanette Antolin and Kate Richardson leading the field. UCLA is led by head coach Valorie Kondos-Field, who is in her 14th season with the Bruins. UCLA on the Web ... www.uclabruins.com.
Last Year Against UCLA
Michigan faced UCLA once during the regular season in 2003. The Wolverines fell to No. 1 UCLA 197.250-196.775 on March 7 in Ann Arbor. At the NCAA Championships, the squads met twice. In team preliminaries, Michigan finished third (196.125) to UCLA's first (196.050). In the Super Six Team Finals, U-M finished fifth (196.050) to UCLA's first (197.825). The last time the Wolverines beat the Bruins was in 1999, when Michigan finished ahead of UCLA and Rutgers in Ann Arbor.
Last Weekend Against Georgia
Then No. 13 Michigan dropped a 197.000-196.300 decision to No. 2 Georgia on Feb. 27 in front of a Crisler Arena crowd of 3,743. Senior/junior Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS) won the uneven bars (9.950) and floor exercise (9.925) to pace the Wolverines. Michigan's highest event total came on the floor exercise, where the Wolverines compiled a 49.350. Four U-M athletes set or tied season-high scores on the floor -- freshman Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS), 9.850; senior Christine Mantilia (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan HS), 9.850; freshman Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus HS), 9.900; and Ray, 9.925 -- as Michigan edged Georgia, the No. 1-ranked team on floor, by half a tenth.Michigan was without the services of senior Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS), who was limited to one event (uneven bars) due to an injury sustained at West Virginia (Feb. 22).
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. Georgia | 49.250 | 49.200 | 49.250 | 49.300 | 197.000 |
| 2. MICHIGAN | 48.800 | 49.000 | 49.150 | 49.350 | 196.300 |
Wolverines in the Rankings
Michigan's score of 196.300 against Georgia maintains its Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) at 196.280. This score is the 19th-best in GymInfo's rankings (March 1).
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 39.445 and 39.350, respectively, are the 10th and 20th best in the NCAA. UCLA's Jeanette Antolin stands in the No. 1 spot with a 39.780 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.
Making Her Mark
Freshman Lindsey Bruck 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 above 9.850 or higher seven times.
Adding Depth
Carol McNamara and Becca Clauson have provided needed depth for the Wolverines on several events. Last week vs. Georgia (Feb. 27), McNamara set a career high on floor (9.850), 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 seven 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 and Georgia on Feb. 27. The squad travels to UCLA (March 7) and 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: Jessica Steyers (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
