Michigan
NCAA West Regional
Wolverines Advance to Nationals for 16th Consecutive Year
4/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Site: Corvallis, Ore. (Gill Coliseum)
Event: NCAA West Regional Championships
U-M Team Finish: 2nd Place of 6 Teams (196.375)
Attendance: 3,507
Next U-M Event: Thu-Sat, April 24-26 -- at NCAA Championships (Athens, Ga.)
Complete Results | Photo Gallery
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The No. 5 University of Michigan women's gymnastics team traveled a long way to punch its ticket to the program's 16th consecutive NCAA Championships in a row, finishing second at the NCAA West Regional with a 196.375 Saturday night (April 12) at Gill Colisuem. Host No. 8 Oregon State (197.100) won the meet to claim its first regional title since 1992. No. 17 Michigan State taking third (195.125), followed by Washington (194.075), San Jose State (193.850) and Sacramento State (193.575).
Fifth-year senior Lindsey Bruck(Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus) took runner-up in the all-around with a 39.375, tying for second on the balance beam (9.900) and third on the floor exercise (9.875), while sophomore Sarah Curtis(Reno, Nev./Reno) was third in the all-around with a 39.350, placing third on the uneven bars (9.850) and tying for third on floor (9.875). Other notable performances came from freshman Kylee Botterman(New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central), who tied for third on floor (9.850), and senior Megan Moore(Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams), who tied a career high on beam and finished tied for eighth with a 9.850.
Michigan sat out with San Jose State on a bye for the first rotation, giving the other four teams a chance to break the ice to begin the meet. Oregon State got the crowd on its feet with a strong 49.225 on bars, buoyed by a 9.950 from Beaver Jen Kessler. Michigan State began its meet on vault with a 48.725 to place itself second, while Sacramento State totaled 48.475 on floor and Washington suffered multiple falls on beam to come in with a 48.150.
Michigan marched to bars to begin the second rotation with Bruck leading things off. Before Bruck even had a chance to touch the springboard for her mount, Oregon State's leadoff beam performer, Yuki Lamb slipped off the apparatus, putting the Beavers' fast start in jeopardy. Bruck nailed both her mount and dismount to score 9.825, and U-M's meet was on. Sophomore Maureen Moody(East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) scored 9.800, and Big Ten bars champion Curtis pushed the scoring up a half point with a 9.850. In the fourth routine, junior Tatjana Thuener-Rego(Miami, Fla./American School) lost her grip on the high bar and fell, scoring a 9.350 to put Michigan's rotation in jeopardy as well. Ever-steady junior Becky Bernard(Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) righted the ship with a 9.775, and Botterman closed the rotation with a 9.800 to give Michigan a 49.050. Oregon State survived its early scare to rock the beam for 49.375 with a 9.950 for Jami Lanz, while San Jose State kicked off its meet with a 48.550 on floor and Sacramento State totaled 48.275 on vault.
Michigan faced two challenges on beam in the third rotation. The first was the late addition of sophomore Jordan Sexton(Weddington, N.C./Weddington) in the third spot after sophomore Kelsey Knutson(Ames, Iowa/Ames), who captured three beam titles in 2008 and held Michigan's top average on the event, was scratched from the lineup. Sexton had taken one title in seven performances but had not competed since March 22. The second test was bettering the proverbial high bar set for the Wolverines on beam by the host team. Junior Huneth Lor(Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) led off with a 9.750 and Moore sparkled with a career-best-tying 9.850 on the biggest stage of her life. Next up was Sexton, who nailed a great routine for a 9.775, followed by Curtis' 9.800. Bernard equaled Sexton's 9.775, setting up Bruck and her anchor 9.900. Michigan's 49.100 distanced it from the four programs not from the state of Oregon, with San Jose State scoring 48.700 on vault, Michigan State going 48.475 on bars and Washington earning a 48.725 on floor.
With half of the meet in the can, Oregon State remained ahead of the pack with a 98.600, while Michigan held a firm grip on second place at 98.150. The battle for third was led by San Jose State and its 97.250 total, followed by Michigan State's 97.200. Washington (96.875) and Sacramento State (96.775) rounded out the six teams.
Michigan got a chance to shelter itself from the din of the Oregon State floor rotation as the Beavers continued their hot meet, scoring a 49.200 while Michigan State cracked 49.000 for the first time all night with a 49.125 on beam.
In rotation five, Oregon State moved to its final event on vault while Michigan took to the floor. Freshman Kari Pearce(Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) led off with a 9.775 in her first regional, followed by senior Nellie Kippley's (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) 9.825 in her last. Senior Katie Lieberman(Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) pushed the scoring higher with a 9.850, followed by Curtis' and Bruck's matching scores of 9.875, setting up Big Ten floor champion Botterman's anchor routine. Botterman finished strong with a 9.875 of her own, giving U-M its highest team event total of the night with a 49.300. Oregon State nailed its vaults for a 49.300 team total, with Sacramento State going 48.900 on beam and San Jose State scoring 48.375 on bars.
In the final rotation, Oregon State (197.100) and Sacramento State (193.575) sat in the wings awaiting the completion of the final events. Michigan trailed Oregon State by 49.650 in the standings but held more than a full point lead over Michigan State, making a 16th straight trip to nationals all but assured. Pearce scored a 9.800 with the first routine and Bruck went 9.775 to start things off. Curtis vaulted for 9.825, followed by Lieberman's 9.700 and Thuener-Rego's 9.575, leaving Botterman to mop up with a 9.825 to end the competition.
Georgia will host the NCAA Championships Thursday through Saturday, April 24-26, in Athens, Ga. Preliminaries will take place on Thursday, April 24, with the Wolverines competing in either the afternoon or evening session, followed by the Super Six on Friday night, April 25. The NCAA Individual Event Finals will take place Saturday night, April 26.
Team Standings
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. Oregon State | 49.300 | 49.225 | 49.375 | 49.200 | 197.100 |
| 2. MICHIGAN | 48.925 | 49.050 | 49.100 | 49.300 | 196.375 |
| 3.Michigan State | 48.725 | 48.475 | 49.125 | 48.800 | 195.125 |
| 4.Washington | 48.475 | 48.725 | 48.150 | 48.725 | 194.075 |
| 5. San Jose State | 48.700 | 48.375 | 48.225 | 48.550 | 193.850 |
| 6. Sacramento State | 48.300 | 47.900 | 48.900 | 48.475 | 193.575 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
VAULT Kari Pearce 9.800 Lindsey Bruck 9.775 Sarah Curtis 9.825 Katie Lieberman 9.700 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.575 Kylee Botterman 9.825 UNEVEN BARS Lindsey Bruck 9.825 Maureen Moody 9.800 Sarah Curtis 9.850 (t3) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.350 Becky Bernard 9.775 Kylee Botterman 9.800 BALANCE BEAM Huneth Lor 9.750 Megan Moore 9.850 Jordan Sexton 9.775 Sarah Curtis 9.800 Becky Bernard 9.775 Lindsey Bruck 9.900 (t2) FLOOR EXERCISE Kari Pearce 9.775 Nellie Kippley 9.825 Katie Lieberman 9.850 Sarah Curtis 9.875 (t3) Lindsey Bruck 9.875 (t3) Kylee Botterman 9.875 (t3) ALL-AROUND Lindsey Bruck 39.375 (2) Sarah Curtis 39.350 (3) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
N O T E S
Michigan advances to its 16th consecutive NCAA Championships. U-M is one of just four programs in the nation to qualify for each of the last 16 championships.
Michigan is the only one of the seven Big Ten Conference schools to advance to the NCAA Championships. Michigan State, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio State and Penn State each placed third in their respective regionals, while Iowa took sixth in its.
Michigan traveled the farthest of any top-seeded regional squad to attend its regional.
Michigan did not have an individual event champion at regionals for the first time in 12 years, dating back to 1996.
Other teams earning bids to the NCAA Championships were Georgia and Denver (Northeast Regional), Florida and UCLA (Southeast Regional), Alabama and Oklahoma (South Central Regional), LSU and Stanford (Central Regional), and Utah and Arkansas (North Central Regional).
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
