Michigan
State of Michigan Classic
Wolverines Win Four-Team State of Michigan Classic
2/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Event: State of Michigan Classic
U-M Result: 1st Place of 4 Teams (195.925)
Records: U-M (11-2), Central Michigan (6-1), Eastern Michigan (3-3), Western Michigan (1-8)
Attendance: 2,533
Next U-M Meet: Friday, Feb. 13 -- vs. Penn State (Crisler Arena), 7:30 p.m.
Complete Results | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team won its 11th State of Michigan Classic in convincing fashion, putting up a season-high 195.925 to defeat in-state rivals Central Michigan (193.925), Eastern Michigan (190.650) and Western Michigan (188.075) on Friday night (Feb. 6) at Crisler Arena.
The Wolverines put up season highs on vault (48.750) and the uneven bars (49.200) while tying their season best on the floor exercise (49.200), using inspired performances from its seniors, high scores from two returning athletes and another outstanding all-around showing from their two-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, junior Sarah Curtis(Reno, Nev./Reno).
Curtis won her third straight all-around competition and her fourth in six meets with a 39.350, besting nine other all-around competitors with a pair of season-high tying scores on bars (9.875) and beam (9.825). Curtis placed in the top four in each event, finishing runner-up on beam and floor (9.850), tied for third on bars and tied for fourth on vault.
Seniors Becky Bernard(Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls), Huneth Lor(Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and Tatjana Thuener-Rego(Miami, Fla./American School) mixed season- and career-high scores into their routines during the meet, with Bernard's season-high 9.925 on bars earning the event title, her second of the year, while also putting up a season-best 9.825 on beam. Lor scored a career-best 9.850 on floor, tying for runner-up honors, while Thuener-Rego had a season-best 9.850 vault to open the meet.
Michigan's specialists played a role in the high score with a pair of sophomores returning to action after extended absences. Sophomore Trish Wilson(Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley) hit 9.900 in her first bars routine of the season, finishing second to teammate Bernard, while sophomore Kari Pearce(Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) vaulted for the first time in four weeks, scoring a season-best 9.750.
Junior Jordan Sexton(Weddington, N.C./Weddington) and sophomore Kylee Botterman(New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Central Way) also had a memorable meets, standing atop the podium on beam and floor, respectively. Botterman put up a career-high 9.850 on beam to win the first beam crown of her career, while Sexton earned her second floor-exercise title of the season with a career-best 9.900.
The Wolverines made a statement early with a season high on vault, scoring a 48.750 to take an early lead over Central Michigan (47.700) and the rest of the competition. Thuener-Rego sparkled with a season-best 9.850, while Curtis went 9.800. Pearce returned to the lineup after three weeks on the shelf, scoring a season-best 9.750.
U-M one-upped itself in the second rotation on bars, posting another season high with a score of 49.200 to take a commanding 1.300 lead over second-place Eastern Michigan. After a fall in the second routine, Curtis rallied the team with a 9.875, followed two performances later by Bernard's season-best 9.925 -- U-M's highest score on bars this season. Competing in her first meet this season, Wilson nailed a 9.900 routine for the final performance, picking up where she left off in 2008.
Michigan hit a bump in the road on beam, struggling in the early going to post a 48.775 score but maintaining a comfortable 1.525 lead over second-place Central Michigan. Lor scored a season-best 9.800 to lead off, but the next two Wolverines struggled to sub-par scores, putting the rotation in jeopardy. Curtis steadied the ship once again with a 9.825 and Bernard went 9.725 in her first beam routine of the season. Botterman put the exclamation point on the event, scoring a career-best 9.850.
The Wolverines made it three season highs in four events with a 49.200 on the floor exercise, equaling last week's showing in a dual meet vs. Iowa State. Sexton had a career-best 9.900, bettering her previous high score by a full point, while Curtis and Lor scored matching 9.850s with Lor's score being a career high.
Michigan will host Big Ten rival Penn State next Friday (Feb. 13) at 7:30 p.m. in Crisler Arena in what will likely be a top-15 showdown between two of the top teams in the conference. The meet will be broadcast on tape delay on the Big Ten Network.
Team Standings
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 48.750 | 49.200 | 48.775 | 49.200 | 195.925 |
| 2. Central Michigan | 48.700 | 48.725 | 47.700 | 48.800 | 193.925 |
| 3. Eastern Michigan | 48.300 | 47.275 | 46.725 | 48.350 | 190.650 |
| 4. Western Michigan | 47.850 | 47.025 | 46.100 | 47.100 | 188.075 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
VAULT Huneth Lor 9.700 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.850 (2) Kari Pearce 9.750 Sarah Curtis 9.800 (t4) Kylee Botterman 9.650 Taylor Zondervan 9.575 UNEVEN BARS Maureen Moody 9.750 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.275 Sarah Curtis 9.875 (t3) Kylee Botterman 9.750 Becky Bernard 9.925 (1) Trish Wilson 9.900 (2) BALANCE BEAM Huneth Lor 9.800 (3) Jordan Sexton 9.375 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.575 Sarah Curtis 9.825 (2) Becky Bernard 9.725 (t4) Kylee Botterman 9.850 (1) FLOOR EXERCISE Jaclyn Kramer 9.675 Huneth Lor 9.850 (t2) Jordan Sexton 9.900 (1) Sarah Curtis 9.850 (t2) Kylee Botterman 9.825 (5) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.775 ALL-AROUND Sarah Curtis 39.350 (1) Kylee Botterman 39.075 (2) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 38.475 (t4)
N O T E S
Senior Becky Bernard nailed a season-best 9.925 routine on bars -- the highest bars score for a Wolverine this season. She also tacked on a 9.725 on beam in her first performance in the event this season.
Senior Huneth Lor scored a career-best 9.850 on floor and a season-best 9.800 on beam.
Senior Tatjana Thuener-Rego put up a season high on vault, earning a 9.850.
Junior Sarah Curtis tied season highs on bars (9.875) and beam (9.825) while winning her fourth all-around title of the season with a 39.350.
Sophomore Kylee Botterman scored a career-high 9.850 on beam in her fifth performance this season. Her previous high was a 9.725.
Sophomores Kari Pearce and Trish Wilson returned to the lineup after extended absences due to injury. Pearce competed once on vault in the second meet of the season and Wilson had missed all of the 2009 season.
Michigan captured its 11th State of Michigan Classic title in 15 meets and its seventh in the last nine meets.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Bev Plocki
On the meet and a big win "We have our own game plan and our own internal motivation and we've been talking a lot about how we want to progress through the season. We want to keep adding bricks to the wall until we get to where we need to be. We don't pay attention to whether we're winning or losing or what anyone else is doing. We're just trying to be better than we were the week before. If we can accomplish that, we're pleased."
On the team's depth ... "It's great to get Kari Pearce back in the vault lineup tonight and get Trish Wilson back in the bars lineup, so obviously that was a big help. We added Sarah's (Curtis) full-in on floor today and we got Becky (Bernard) back in the beam lineup again, and some of the kids that are just getting in the line-up will build their confidence and we'll get better and better. Not having freshmen this year has created a situation where we're lean on numbers and depth and we have had to pull together as a team, dig down deep and take the attitude that we may be small, but we're mighty. We have a game plan for our season and we need to stick to it. So far we've done an excellent job of doing that."
On junior Sarah Curtis' performance ... "Sarah did awesome tonight. She was solid on every event, she added to her floor routine tonight and she's been outstanding. I wouldn't be surprised if she's named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the third time this year."
U-M Junior Sarah Curtis
On the meet ... "I felt like I had one of my better meets tonight. I upgraded a floor pass and we had a few people who threw in some new skills, so overall I think we had a good night. We've had a few injuries the last few weeks, but Kari (Pearce) vaulted today, props to her, and Trish (Wilson) got back in our bars lineup and she was great. Becky (Bernard) was in the beam lineup for the first time and then all of our all-arounders did a great job too."
On leading early in the meet ... "We talk about not letting up. For us, it's about improving week in and week out improving our team score and hitting six-for-six routines. As long as that's our focus I don't think it matters who we go against."
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
