Weekly Release #1
12/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Upcoming Schedule
This Week: Michigan Women's Gymnastics Maize and Blue Intrasquad
Friday, Dec. 8 Crisler Arena 7:30 p.m.
Next Event: Wolverines at No. 24 West Virginia
Friday, Jan. 12 WVU Coliseum 7:30 p.m.
Getting the 32nd Season Started With a Bang: The Intrasquad
Michigan gets its first taste of arena competition when the 2007 edition of the women's gymnastics team competes in the Maize and Blue Intrasquad on Friday (Dec. 8) at 7:30 p.m. at Crisler Arena. The Intrasquad splits the Wolverines into two teams (Maize and Blue) and pits each against each other like a regular dual meet.
Tentative Line-ups for the Intrasquad...
Maize Team
Nellie Kippley
Sarah Curtis
Jordan Sexton
Becky Bernard
Clare Flannery
Megan Moore
Carol McNamara
Blue Team
Lindsey Bruck
Tatjana Thunener-Rego
Maureen Moody
Huneth Lor
Kelsey Knutson
Jaclyn Kramer
Katie Lieberman
Last season, the Blue team took the Intrasquad 193.275-190.825, led by Becky Bernard's (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) beam title and a third-place result on bars. Katie Lieberman (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) also chipped in for the Blue team with a vault title.
Nellie Kippley (St.Cloud, Minn./Tech) led the Maize team with a floor exercise title and a pair of third-place finishes on the uneven bars and balance beam, while teammate Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus) finished the evening with a pair of runner-up results on vault and bars. Bruck also prevailed in the all-around with a score of 39.050.
The women's gymnastics program will be hosting a free poster giveaway at the Intrasquad. Head coach Bev Plocki will also conduct an in-squad clinic during rotations, offering insights on the 2006 team as well as tips for what to look for on each apparatus.
MGoBlue.com will offer live video streaming of all home meets on its All-Access site (subscription) throughout the season, and is also teaming with the University of Utah to broadcast live video of away meets. MGoBlue.com will also offer links to live scoring for each home meet.
A Look at the 2006 Wolverines
Michigan returns nine letterwinners and five All-Americans from the 2006 squad, including All-American seniors Lindsey Bruck and Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings). Junior All-American Katie Lieberman is back after back-to-back Big Ten vault titles, while All-American sophomores Becky Bernard and Tatjana Thuener-Rego (Miami, Fla./American School) return for their second campaigns.
Junior Nellie Kippley, an All-Big Ten Second Team selection, is back for her third year, and senior Clare Flannery (Ossining, N.Y./School of the Holy Child) and junior Megan Moore (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams) also return.
Michigan also welcomes five freshmen to its 2006-07 roster: Sarah Curtis (Reno, Nev./Reno), Kelsey Knutson (Ames, Iowa/Ames), Jaclyn Kramer (West Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills), Maureen Moody (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) and Jordan Sexton (Weddington, N.C./Weddington).
Notable News and Notes
Wolverines Sixth in Preseason Poll
Michigan was ranked sixth in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll, earning 594 points. Defending national champion Georgia topped the list with 793 points (28 first-place votes), while Utah was second with 758 points (seven first-place votes). Florida listed third with 697 points, Alabama ranked fourth with 684 points and UCLA earned enough votes for fifth with 615 points.
Demystifying the GymInfo Ranking
The GymInfo ranking changes its criteria as the season progresses. From January 8 to January 15, the GymInfo rankings are based on highest score. From January 22 to February 12, the rankings shift, based on total season average. Then, from February 19 to the end of the regular-season, the GymInfo rankings are based on the regional qualifying score (RQS).
Competing Against the Best
Michigan will face nine teams ranked in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll, including preseason No. 1 Georgia on March 9, preseason No. 2 Utah on Feb. 23 and preseason No. 7 Nebraska on Feb. 9. No. 14 Penn State on Feb. 16 and March 3, No. 17 Denver on Jan. 26, No. 18 Missouri on March 16, No. 21 Minnesota on March 3, No. 22 Michigan State on Feb. 3 and March 3 and No. 24 West Virginia on Jan. 12 round out the ranked teams U-M will face on its regular-season schedule. Seven programs that received votes but missed the top 25 in the poll are also on the Wolverines' schedule: Illinois, Ohio State, Iowa, Southern Utah, Maryland and Central Michigan.
NCAA Longevity
Michigan is one of four programs in the nation to qualify for each of the last 14 NCAA Championships. U-M advanced to its 14th straight -- and 15th overall -- NCAA Championship after winning the 2006 NCAA Northeast Regional in Ann Arbor.
Record Crowds - Seventh-Best in the Nation
Michigan recorded a Big Ten best seventh-best home attendance in the nation in 2006.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
