Michigan
Utah
No. 2-Ranked Utah Hands Michigan First Loss of Year
2/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The fourth-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team suffered its first loss of the season, falling 196.500-196.100 to No. 2 Utah Saturday night (Feb. 11) at Crisler Arena.
Michigan trailed by 0.500 heading into the final rotation but closed on Utah in the floor exercise thanks to a pair of falls for the Utes on balance beam, but the visitors were able to stick their final two routines to remain undefeated on the year. Michigan falls to 8-1-1, while Utah climbs to 7-0.
In the first rotation, Utah outpaced the Wolverines to take a 49.350-48.650 lead thanks to six scores of 9.850 or better on the uneven bar. Michigan struggled on vault, failing to break 9.800 despite 9.775 scores from senior Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River) and freshman Tatjana Thuener-Rego (Miami, Fla./American School).
In the second rotation, Michigan posted its highest bars score of the year (49.425) to cut its deficit to 0.425 (98.075-98.500) thanks to a 9.900 from junior Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus) and back-to-back 9.925s from Deiley and Mirkovich. Kippley led off with a 9.800 followed by Thuener-Rego's 9.825. Bruck, Deiley and fifth-year senior Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame) cracked 9.900 and last-minute addition sophomore Katie Lieberman (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) hit for a 9.850 at the anchor spot, tying a career-best.
In the third rotation, Utah widened its lead to half a point (147.625-147.125) despite Michigan's best beam score of the year (49.050). The Wolverines counted four scores of 9.800 or better, including a career-best 9.850 from Kippley. Deiley and Thuener-Rego added 9.825s, while the Big Ten's leader on beam, junior Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings), led off with a 9.800.
Michigan started the floor exercise with back-to-back scores of 9.750 by Kippley and McNamara, while Utah hit for 9.850 and 9.800, respectively. The outcome looked grim when Bruck hit for 9.725 in the Wolverines' next routine, but Utah recorded a fall in its third routine on beam, opening a window of opportunity. Deiley electrified the crowd with a 9.850, and Utah faltered with a 9.300. Michigan suffered a fall in its fifth routine, while Utah recovered with a 9.875. Senior Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham) ended the rotation with a 9.850, but Utah regained its composure and finished off with a 9.900 to ice the Utes victory.
The Wolverines host New Hampshire in the Coaches Care Challenge on Friday (Feb. 17) at 7:30 p.m. in Crisler Arena. The Coaches Care Challenge is a benefit for the Coach Carr Cancer Fund. T-shirts for the event are available through the Michigan Sports Marketing Department. Purchase of a limited edition T-shirt also comes with a free ticket to the event.
Team Standings
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. Utah | 49.150 | 49.350 | 48.775 | 49.125 | 196.400 |
| 2. MICHIGAN | 48.650 | 49.425 | 49.050 | 48.975 | 196.100 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
VAULT Lauren Mirkovich 9.675 Carol McNamara 9.725 Lindsey Bruck 9.700 Jenny Deiley 9.775 (5) Katie Lieberman 9.650 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.775 (5) UNEVEN BARS Nellie Kippley 9.800 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.825 Lindsey Bruck 9.900 (t3) Jenny Deiley 9.925 (t1) Lauren Mirkovich 9.925 (t1) Becky Bernard 9.850 BALANCE BEAM Carol McNamara 9.800 Jenny Deiley 9.825 (t5) Nellie Kippley 9.850 (t3) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.825 (t5) Becca Clauson 9.750 Lindsey Bruck 9.650 FLOOR EXERCISE Nellie Kippley 9.750 Carol McNamara 9.750 Lindsey Bruck 9.775 Jenny Deiley 9.850 (t2) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.300 Becca Clauson 9.850 (t2) ALL-AROUND Jenny Deiley 39.375 (t1) Lindsey Bruck 39.025 (3) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 38.725 (4) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
N O T E S
Michigan posted its highest scores of the year on bars (49.425) and beam (49.050).
Michigan lost to Utah at home for the first time in program history (4-1) but still leads the all-time series 5-4.
Sophomore Katie Lieberman tied a career best on bars with a 9.850 to take fifth place. Lieberman was a late addition to the lineup and competed in the pressure-packed anchor spot.
Junior Lindsey Bruck tied a career high on bars with a 9.900. Bruck finished tied for third in the event.
Senior Jenny Deiley tied a season high on bars with 9.925 to tie for the bars title. Deiley has won seven bars titles in her career, including two this season.
Fifth-year senior Lauren Mirkovich recorded a season-best 9.925 on bars, giving her four straight scores of 9.900 or better on the apparatus. Mirkovich has won four bars titles this season and 11 in her collegiate career.
Sophomore Nellie Kippley posted a career best on beam with a 9.850.
In just the second beam routine of her career, freshman Tatjana Thuener-Rego shattered her previous best with a 9.825. Thuener-Rego had a 9.725 in her first routine at the State of Michigan Classic.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Bev Plocki
On tonight's performance ... "Tonight's meet was pretty good, but it wasn't our best. It wasn't a bad performance by any means, but to be a top program we need to be at our best every night."
On the highlight of tonight's meet ... "Definitely Megan Moore's exhibition performance on beam tonight. I was very happy that she got a chance to perform and do it well."
On competing against the top teams in the nation ... "Competing against the best can only make us better. We need to get a little tougher on vault, but competing against these higher-ranked teams puts pressure on us to do better and that's good for us as a team."
U-M Senior Jenny Deiley
On tonight's performance ... "We did really well tonight against a team like this. But there is always room for improvement."
On the overall performance of the team ... "I was proud of everyone's performances tonight. For me personally, I was happy with my performance on the bars tonight. I can improve on vault, but I am about where I think I should be in the season right now."
On competing against the top teams in the nation ... "Competing against higher-ranked teams helps all of us to prepare better and want to perform better."
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
