Field Announced for 2010 NCAA Regional
3/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 29, 2010
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The NCAA selection committee announced Monday (March 29) that the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team will travel to the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships in Morgantown, W.Va., to compete against No. 6 Stanford, No. 18 Southern Utah, N.C. State, Kent State and host West Virginia on Saturday, April 10, at 6 p.m. The top two teams will advance to the NCAA Championships (April 22-24) in Gainesville, Fla., joining 10 other schools advancing from five other regional championship sites.
The 2010 Big Ten champion Wolverines will make their 19th trip in a row to an NCAA Regional and their second trip to Morgantown this year. Michigan competed in a West Virginia tri-meet on Feb. 5, scoring a 196.400. Tickets are available at the Mountaineer Ticket Office by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or visiting WVUGame.com
Coming off the team's fourth straight Big Ten title and ascending to No. 6 in the polls, Michigan will look to earn a berth in the NCAA Championships for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons. Big Ten vault champion and Big Ten Freshman of the Year finalist Natalie Beilstein (Butler, Pa.) and senior Big Ten all-around runner-up Sarah Curtis (Reno, Nev./Reno) are coming off strong showings at the championship meet. They will be joined by Big Ten Gymnast of the Year finalist, junior Kylee Botterman (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central), and All-Big Ten second teamer, senior Kelsey Knutson (Ames, Iowa/Ames).
Michigan's competition will include the sixth-ranked Stanford Cardinal, who are deadlocked with the Wolverines at the No. 6 ranking. Stanford took second place at the Pac-10 Championships with a 196.550. Senior Carly Janiga took the Pac-10 floor exercise title, while senior Allyse Ishino claimed third in the all-around with a 39.300 total. Then-No. 4 Stanford helped knock Michigan out the 2009 NCAA Championships last season in Fayetteville, Ark., finishing 0.700 ahead of the Wolverines for second place with the home Razorbacks winning the regional title. At NCAAs, Stanford missed the Super Six, placing eighth overall.
The 18th-ranked Southern Utah Thunderbirds won the WAC Championships with a 195.800, edging No. 19 Boise State by 0.100. Thunderbird athletes won or shared three of the four individual event titles with senior Elise Wheeler capturing the all-around crown with a 39.375. Wheeler was named WAC Gymnast of the Year and Alyssa Click earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors. The Thunderbirds' high score this season is a 196.350. Southern Utah finished sixth at the 2009 NCAA South Central Regional Championships, three spots behind Michigan. The Wolverines have never finished behind the Thunderbirds in a meet.
N.C. State enters the regional championships listing 28th in the nation. The team finished second to North Carolina at the EAGL Championships, posting a 195.700. Wolfpack senior Taylor Seaman earned co-champion honors on vault, floor and in the all-around. Kent State, listed 29th, took second at the MAC Championships after counting a fall on beam, finishing with a 195.025. Sophomore Erin Rothrock and junior Christina Lenny combined for three individual event titles. The host West Virginia Mountaineers list 31st in the nation after a third-place finish at the EAGL Championships where they scored a 195.075.
Each of the six regional sites is comprised of three seeded teams that are ranked among the top 18 in the nation. The remaining three spots in each regional are filled by the No. 19 to No. 36 squads in the nation.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
