Wolverines Ranked 12th in Preseason Coaches' Poll
12/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Dec. 7, 2009
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics program is ranked 12th in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 421 points from voters.
The Wolverines placed second among Big Ten programs, one spot below No. 11 Penn State but ahead of No. 13 Illinois, No. 18 Ohio State, No. 22 Minnesota and No. 24 Michigan State. Iowa received votes, listing at No. 29.
The Wolverines are three-time defending Big Ten champions, winning 16 of the last 18 Big Ten titles and 17 trophies in all -- the most of any Big Ten women's program in any sport. Michigan won the 2009 Big Ten title in Champaign, Ill., advancing to the program's 18th straight NCAA Regional.
Five-time defending national champion Georgia was picked first in the preseason poll, with Utah, Alabama, Florida and UCLA rounding out the top five. Michigan will face nine top-25 programs during the regular season, facing No. 1 Georgia on March 20, No. 2 Utah on Feb. 19, No. 3 Alabama on March 19, No. 11 Penn State on March 7, No. 15 Nebraska on Jan. 24, No. 21 West Virginia on Feb. 5, No. 22 Minnesota on Feb. 13, No. 23 Iowa State on Feb. 5, and No. 24 Michigan State on Jan. 20.
Michigan hosts its annual Maize and Blue Intrasquad on Saturday (Dec. 12) at 7 p.m. at Crisler Arena. Admission to the event is free.
GymInfo Preseason Coaches' Poll
1 Georgia 2 Utah 3 Alabama 4 Florida 5 UCLA 6 LSU 7 Stanford 8 Arkansas 9 Oklahoma10 Oregon State11 Penn State12 Michigan 13 Illinois14 Auburn15 Nebraska16 Missouri17 Denver18 Ohio State19 Boise State20 Arizona21 West Virginia22 Minnesota23 Iowa State24 Michigan State25 Washington
Receiving votes:
Kent State, Kentucky, Arizona State, Iowa, NC State, North Carolina, Central Michigan, Southern Utah, Western Michigan, BYU, New Hampshire, San Jose State, UIC.
