Eight Women's Gymnasts Earn All-Big Ten Honors

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team earned a record-tying eight All-Big Ten Conference honors, including a program-best four first team awards to go with four second team accolades, announced Friday night (March 28) at the Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships banquet.

Fifth/senior Lindsey Bruck(Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus) led the charge, earning her fourth All-Big Ten honor and the third first team nod of her career, while junior Becky Bernard(Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) picked up her second-straight first team honor. Sophomore Sarah Curtis(Reno, Nev./Reno) earned the first All-Big Ten honor of her career, while freshman Kylee Botterman(New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) became the first freshman since current junior and 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Tatjana Thuener-Rego(Miami, Fla./American School) to earn first team honors.

Senior Katie Lieberman(Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) earned the fourth All-Big Ten second team honor of her career, to head four Wolverines who earned second team honors. Sophomore Kelsey Knutson(Ames, Iowa/Ames) and freshmen Kari Pearce(Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) and Trish Wilson(Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) picked up second team honors for the first time.

Michigan's haul of eight All-Big Ten honors equaled the most in program history, matching Michigan's eight honors earned in 2006, 2001 and 2000. Bruck and Lieberman also became just the 13th and 14th gymnasts in U-M women's gymnastics history to earn All-Big Ten honors all four years, joining an exclusive club that includes national champions Beth Wymer and Elise Ray as well as Sarah Cain, Becca Clauson, Jenny Deiley, Janessa Grieco, Bridget Knaeble, Wendy Marshall, Christine Michaud, Nikki Peters, Calli Ryals and Lisa Simes.

Each of Michigan's 2008 freshmen earned All-Big Ten honors, marking the first time since 2000 that three Wolverine freshmen took home all-conference honors. Botterman, Pearce and Wilson matched the feats of 2000 freshmen Janessa Grieco, Cami Singer and Tara Tagliarino.

Bruck is also a finalist for the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year award, while Botterman is a finalist for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, to be announced at the conclusion of the Big Ten Championships Saturday (March 29). The last two Michigan freshmen who earned All-Big Ten first team honors in their inaugural campaigns were named Big Ten Freshman of the Year (Tatjana Thuener-Rego and Jenny Deiley). Lieberman also earned Freshman of the Year honors after a second team nod in 2005.

Bruck has had one of the strongest seasons of her career, rebounding from a season-ending injury in 2007 to earn Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors three times and equal the Conference record for most gymnast of the week citations earned in a career with nine. Bruck picked up four all-around titles in her fifth-year senior season, posting the Big Ten's best all-around regional qualifying score and the eighth-best in the NCAA.

Botterman has been dominant on the vault all season, winning five titles and earning the team's only judges' 10.0 score in 2008, while having the best regional qualifying score in the conference on vault and the eighth-best in the nation. She also picked up two floor titles to give her the most individual titles among all U-M freshmen at seven.

Curtis is Michigan's other all-around competitor, earning three Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors and picking up three all-around titles this season. She also added three floor exercise crowns, three vault titles and a pair of uneven bar accolades. Bernard has dominated bars all year, winning six titles and holding the Conference's best regional qualifying score in the event and the seventh-best in the nation.

Lieberman has competed on vault and floor for most of the season, winning a pair of titles on each event and holding the fifth-best regional qualifying score on vault and the seventh-best on floor in the Big Ten. Knutson has been a beam specialist this season, winning three titles on the event and posting the second-best regional qualifying score in the Big Ten. Wilson was Michigan's other bars specialist this season, winning four titles and posting a career-best 9.925 vs. No. 1 Georgia before she suffered a season-ending injury. Pearce has competed on vault and floor for much of the season, winning her first vault title two weeks ago in the Maryland Quad and holding the Conference's fourth-best regional qualifying score in the event.

This is the sixth year in which the All-Big Ten awards were determined by a vote of the seven head coaches prior to the Big Ten Championships. Previously, gymnasts earned a spot on the all-conference team by finishing among the top six on an event or the top three in the all-around at the league meet.

Michigan competes in the Big Ten Championships Saturday (March 29) at 2 p.m. at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines are looking to repeat as champions and pick up their 15th title in the last 17 years.

2008 All-Big Ten Conference Honors

FIRST TEAM
Jennifer Simbhudas, Iowa
Allison Buckley, Illinois
Becky Bernard, Michigan
Kylee Botterman, Michigan
Lindsey Bruck, Michigan
Sarah Curtis, Michigan
Rhiannon Banda-Scott, Michigan State
Nicole Curler, Michigan State
Carmelina Carabajal, Minnesota
Brandi Personett, Penn State

SECOND TEAM
Kelsey Knutson, Michigan
Katie Lieberman, Michigan
Kari Pearce, Michigan
Trish Wilson, Michigan
Rochelle Robinson, Michigan State
Rebecca Best, Ohio State
Kaylan Clevinger, Ohio State
Maalika Moore-Thomas, Ohio State
Alexandra Brockway, Penn State
Aslynn Satterfield, Penn State