Michigan
NCAA South Central Regional
Wolverines Place First at NCAA South Central Regional
4/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The No.-8 ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team won the NCAA South Central Regional and earned a berth to its 13th straight NCAA Championships with a convincing 196.600, Saturday (April 9) at the Devaney Sports Center.
| | Mirkovich tied her uneven bars season best (9.925), good for a share of first. |
Needing 49.075 points in the final rotation to pass Nebraska for the title, Michigan withstood the pressure on bars, posting three scores of 9.900 or better in the final rotation, led by Mirkovich and Ray's 9.925s and junior Jenny Deiley's (Dayton, Minn./Elk River) 9.900, good for a tie for third.
Michigan took to the balance beam in the first rotation, looking to rebound from a pair of falls two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championships that threatened the Wolverines' seven-peat at the conference championships. Sophomore Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) led things off with a solid 9.725 and last-minute substitution junior Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) recorded a 9.750. Deiley hit for 9.800, followed by sophomore Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus) and Ray posting back-to-back 9.750s. Senior Shanna Duggan (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario/St. Basil) ended the rotation with a solid 9.800, giving U-M 48.850 points and third place behind host Nebraska, which scored 49.175 on bars, and Arizona, which scored 49.000 on floor.
U-M sat out with a bye in the second rotation and looked for a strong result on floor in the third rotation. Freshman Nellie Kippley (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) and Duggan set the tone early with back-to-back 9.825s and Bruck hit for 9.850 to up the ante. Deiley stuck a 9.825 routine in the fourth spot, and Ray capped the event with a 9.900 to give the Wolverines 49.250 points on floor and move them into second place, just 0.275 points behind Nebraska.
The Wolverines moved to vault in the fourth rotation, hitting a trio of 9.850s thanks to Bruck, Duggan and Big Ten co-vault champion, freshman Katie Lieberman (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest). Ray and Deiley also hit back-to-back 9.825s to give U-M 49.200 points in the event and control of the meet, pulling ahead of the Huskers by 0.175 points.
Michigan sat out the fifth rotation and watched Nebraska score a 49.225 on vault to finish at 196.300 for the meet. Needing 49.075 to stay ahead of the Huskers, Kippley led off with a 9.800, but Lieberman fell in her routine, leaving the Wolverines little room for error. Bruck stuck a 9.800 routine before Deiley nailed a 9.900 to give Michigan the boost it needed. Senior Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame) and Ray saved the best for last, hitting back-to-back 9.925 routines -- the highest scores of the night -- to score 49.350 and win the NCAA South Central Regional.
The Wolverines take the week off before traveling to the NCAA Championships Thursday through Saturday (April 21-23) in Auburn, Ala.
Final Results
| Team | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 49.175 | 49.350 | 48.850 | 49.225 | 196.600 |
| 2. Nebraska | 49.225 | 49.200 | 49.150 | 48.725 | 196.300 |
| 3. Missouri | 48.800 | 48.950 | 48.150 | 49.200 | 195.100 |
| 4. Arizona | 48.000 | 49.075 | 48.625 | 49.000 | 194.700 |
| 5. Arizona State | 48.200 | 48.925 | 48.525 | 48.475 | 194.125 |
| 6. Illinois | 48.275 | 48.500 | 48.525 | 48.550 | 193.850 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
VAULT Lauren Mirkovich 9.750 Lindsey Bruck 9.850 (t4) Shanna Duggan 9.850 (t4) Katie Lieberman 9.850 (t4) Elise Ray 9.825 Jenny Deiley 9.825 UNEVEN BARS Nellie Kippley 9.800 Katie Lieberman 9.225 Lindsey Bruck 9.800 Jenny Deiley 9.900 (t3) Lauren Mirkovich 9.925 (t1) Elise Ray 9.925 (t1) BALANCE BEAM Carol McNamara 9.725 Becca Clauson 9.750 Jenny Deiley 9.800 Lindsey Bruck 9.750 Elise Ray 9.750 Shanna Duggan 9.800 FLOOR EXERCISE Nellie Kippley 9.825 Shanna Duggan 9.825 Lindsey Bruck 9.850 Jenny Deiley 9.825 Becca Clauson 9.725 Elise Ray 9.900 (t2) All Around Elise Ray 39.375 (2) Jenny Deiley 39.350 (3) Lindsey Bruck 39.250 (4) ( ) denotes place in Top 5
N O T E S
As one of the top two teams in the South Central Regional, Michigan earns itself a berth in the NCAA Championships, Thursday through Saturday (April 21-23) in Auburn, Ala., at the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.
With its first-place performance, Michigan advances to its 13th straight NCAA Championships and its 14th in program history. The Wolverines are one of only five programs in the nation to advance to the NCAA Championships in each of the last 12 seasons.
Michigan's first-place finish at regionals is U-M's seventh regional title and the sixth title in nine seasons. The Wolverines have captured two-of-two regional titles in Lincoln, defeating the host Huskers, Arizona, Oklahoma, Illinois and Illinois-Chicago in 1999.
Fifth-year senior Elise Ray was co-champion on the uneven bars with a 9.925. She captured three individual event titles at the 2004 NCAA Regionals, winning bars, beam and the all-around competition at State College, Pa., against Georgia, Iowa State, Penn State, Missouri and New Hampshire. Ray has captured eight individual event titles at regionals in her career.
Senior Lauren Mirkovich was co-champion on the uneven bars with a 9.925, giving her two regional bars titles in her career. Mirkovich was co-champion in 2003 for the Northeast Regional champion Wolverines.
Michigan's 196.600 was the fifth-best team score in U-M regional history.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
