Michigan
NCAA Individual Event Finals
Botterman, Bernard Compete at NCAA Individual Finals
4/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Site: Athens, Ga. (Stegeman Coliseum)
Event: NCAA Championships (Individual Event Finals)
U-M Team Finish: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Season Completed
ATHENS, Ga. -- University of Michigan freshman Kylee Botterman(New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) tied for eighth in the nation on the uneven bars at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships Individual Event Finals Saturday night (April 26) at Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum. U-M junior Becky Bernard(Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) took a share of 12th place in the same event at the season-ending meet.
Botterman posted a 9.8500 in the field of 18 gymnasts, while Bernard received a 9.8375. Both gymnasts earned first team All-America status for the first time when they qualified for the Individual Event Finals by placing the top four in the evening session of Thursday's (April 24) the team preliminaries. Bernard now has three career All-America certificates, with second team honors on bars in 2006 and 2007.
The 18 uneven bars competitors at the Individual Event Finals were divided into three flights of six, with Botterman leading off flight two as the seventh overall competitor and Bernard leading off flight three as the 13th performer.
Georgia's Katie Heenan held the top score of 9.9000 when Botterman stepped up. Botterman's performance was solid and she stuck her landing but only managed to garner a 9.8500 from the judges, good for a share of fourth with seven athletes done.
Bernard took to the apparatus with an even higher mark to beat after UCLA's Tasha Schweikert, the eventual national champion in the event, scored a 9.9375. Bernard performed a solid routine but hopped on her landing to earn a score of 9.8375 in her first appearance at the individual finals.
Michigan's season concludes with a 16th Big Ten championship and a 16th straight berth in the NCAA Championships. The Wolverines (24-1, 11-0 Big Ten) finished the season in a tie for eighth in the nation with their fifth-place finish in their NCAA prelims session.
Uneven Bars Results
1. Tasha Schwikert, UCLA 9.9375 2. Katie Heenan, Georgia 9.9000 Kristina Comforte, UCLA 9.9000 4. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, LSU 9.8880 5. Nikki Childs, Georgia 9.8875 6. Kristina Baskett, Utah 9.8750 7. Elizabeth Tricase, Stanford 9.8625 8. Kylee Botterman, Michigan 9.8500 Kassi Price, Alabama 9.8500 Grace Taylor, Georgia 9.8500 Melanie Sinclair, Florida 9.8500 12. Becky Bernard, Michigan 9.8375 Desire' Sniatynski, Nebraska 9.8375 14. Tiffany Tolnay, Georgia 9.8250 15. Anna Li, UCLA 9.8125 16. Ashley Postell, Utah 9.8000 17. Summer Hubbard, LSU 9.7625 Tabitha Yim, Stanford 9.7625
Q U O T E S
U-M Freshman Kylee Botterman
On her routine... "Beforehand I wasn't really nervous. All the coaches told me to have a good time out there, so I wasn't really nervous. I missed my second handstand, but everything else was pretty good. Eddie (Umphrey) was a great coach and it's too bad Scott (Sherman) couldn't be there but I'm glad he got to be with his new baby. Eddie is in the gym a lot and it was fun to have him there. It was a great experience."
On individual event finals... "The warm-up is very disorganized and it's everyone for themselves. I'm not used to it and it felt a lot more like a club meet. As soon as I got out there I knew it was my last bars routine of the season. Even though it was her first time too, it was fun to have Becky (Bernard) with me to compete with."
U-M Junior Becky Bernard
On her routine... "My routine was good but not my best. I took a step on my dismount but the rest was pretty solid. It felt good."
On individual event finals... "It was exciting to compete in my first individual event finals. It was a long time before I got to go with so many competitors, but it was fun watching all the bar routines before me. Tasha's (Schwikert) bars routine looked unbeatable unless (Ashley) Postell stuck her dismount. It was some great gymnastics."
N O T E S
Freshman Kylee Botterman earned All-America first team honors on bars and second team honors on vault in her debut season. Junior Becky Bernard picked up All-America first team honors on bars, giving her three All-America honors in her career. She was a second team All-American on bars as a freshman and sophomore.
Michigan has six individual national titles in program history from two student-athletes. Beth Wymer won back-to-back-to-back national titles on the uneven bars from 1993-95, while Elise Ray shared the all-around national championship in 2001 and won titles on the balance beam (2002) and uneven bars (2004).
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
