Quartet of Wolverines Earn All-Big Ten Honors
3/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team earned four All-Big Ten Conference honors Friday night (March 20) at the Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships banquet, including three first team awards.
Senior Tatjana Thuener-Rego(Miami, Fla./American School) earned the third All-Big Ten first team honor of her career, while junior Sarah Curtis(Reno, Nev./Reno) and sophomore Kylee Botterman(New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) earned the second All-Big Ten first team honors of their careers as Michigan's three top all-arounders. Senior Becky Bernard(Stow, Ohio/Sow-Munroe) picked up the Wolverines' lone second team honor, finishing her collegiate career with a pair of first team nods and a second team laurel.
Michigan had the most All-Big Ten first team selections of any program in one of the strongest seasons in conference history. Individual awards will be announced at the conclusion of the Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships on Saturday (March 21).
Junior Maureen Moody(East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) earned Michigan's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, given to the individual who has best distinguished herself through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Moody is now a candidate for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, given by the conference office to honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
Thuener-Rego made her final season one of her best, earning first team honors after a season in which she earned six individual titles and competed in the all-around in all but one meet. She surpassed 39.000 in the all-around five times, posting a season-best 39.300 score vs. Iowa State. Thuener-Rego enters the Big Ten Championships with the fifth-best regional qualifying score (RQS) on the uneven bars and the sixth-best RQS on floor exercise.
Curtis broke onto the scene as a sophomore in 2008 and proved that her first full season in the Big Ten was no fluke, picking up first team honors for the second straight season after six individual titles in 2009, including four in the all-around. She was also named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week twice this season. She led the Wolverines in the all-around in five meets, scoring 39.000 or better eight times. Curtis is the defending Big Ten champion on the uneven bars and enters the meet with the fourth-best RQS in the all-around competition.
Botterman earned her second straight All-Big Ten first team accolade after leading the Wolverines with 14 individual event titles, including three in the all-around and five on the floor exercise. She holds the team's top season score on vault, balance beam and floor exercise, and surpassed 39.000 in the all-around in each of the eight meets she has competed in all four events. She enters the championships with the conference's second-best floor and all-around RQS, and ranks fifth on vault.
Bernard picked up her third Big Ten honor in four seasons, leading U-M with a pair of wins on bars and its highest score on the event, a 9.925 at the State of Michigan Classic. Bernard has five top-three finishes on bars this season to go with four top-four placings on beam. She enters the championships with the Big Ten's second-highest RQS on bars.
Moody earned her first Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, competing as a bars specialst for the Wolverines and producing a weekly blog for MGoBlue.com. She has competed on bars in each meet this season, scoring a season-best 9.825 against Iowa State.
Michigan will go for its third straight Big Ten title on Saturday (March 21) looking to add the program's 17th conference trophy to the display case. The meet begins at 2 p.m CDT and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
2009 All-Big Ten Conference Honors
FIRST TEAM
Houry Gebeshian, Iowa
Jenifer Simbhudas, Iowa
Kylee Botterman, Michigan
Sarah Curtis, Michigan
Tatjana Thuener-Rego, Michigan
Rochelle Robinson, Michigan State
Carmelina Carabajal, Minnesota
Alexis Russell, Minnesota
Taylor Jones, Ohio State
Brandi Personett, Penn State
SECOND TEAM
Marijka Botterman, Illinois
Allison Buckley, Illinois
Nicole Cowart, Illinois
Kelsey Joannides, Illinois
Sarah Schmidt, Illinois
Becky Bernard, Michigan
Nicole Curler, Michigan State
Kelsey Morley, Michigan State
Rebecca Best, Ohio State
Whitney Bencsko, Penn State
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
