Michigan
NCAA Individual Event Finals
Botterman, Beilstein Podium at NCAA Individual Event Finals
4/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
April 24, 2010
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Site: Gainesville, Fla. (Stephen C. O'Connell Center)
Event: NCAA Individual Event Finals
U-M Team Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Season Completed
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Four members of the University of Michigan women's gymnastics team competed in the NCAA Individual Event Finals on Saturday night (April 24) at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center with junior Kylee Botterman (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) taking seventh place in the nation on vault (9.7938) and freshman Natalie Beilstein (Butler, Pa./Knoch) tying for seventh place on floor exercise (9.8750).
Freshman Brittnee Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty) placed 12th on vault with a 9.7188, while senior Kelsey Knutson (Ames, Iowa/Ames) walked away with a ninth-place finish on balance beam with a 9.7000 in her final collegiate meet.
Botterman competed in the second flight of the vault final, which totaled 18 athletes broken into three groups. She scored 9.8750 with her Yurchenko layout full and 9.7125 with her Yurchenko tuck full for a final average of 9.7938, putting her in third place among the first eight athletes. Botterman slipped slightly down the leaderboard as the flights continued, but just one athlete in the third flight topped her, giving Botterman seventh place overall.
Martinez, competing in the third flight, opened with a Yurchenko layout full, which scored 9.8375, followed by a layout, which scored 9.6000, giving her a 9.7188 average -- good for a share of 12th place.
Over on beam, Knutson competed in the first flight in a field of 10 athletes. Performing the last routine of her collegiate career, she scored a 9.7000, finishing ninth overall in her first appearance at the NCAA Individual Event Finals.
To end the evening, Beilstein competed second to last in the final flight on floor in a field of 13 athletes. Beilstein watched the competition ahead of her build high scores, setting up a scenario where she needed to better 9.9375 to take top spot. Beilstein stumbled on her first tumbling pass but recovered quickly, scoring 9.8750 to share seventh place.
Michigan completes its 35th season of competition. The 2010 Wolverines earned the Big Ten championship, advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 17th time in the last 18 seasons and picked up the program's 17th top-10 finish in school history.
NCAA Individual Event Finals Scores
Vault 1. Vanessa Zamarripa 9.9250 2. Susan Jackson 9.8938 3. Blair Ryland 9.8750 4. Mandi Rodriguez 9.8438 5. Sarah Shire 9.8188 6. Ashanee Dickerson 9.8000 7. KYLEE BOTTERMAN 9.7938 8. Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs 9.7813 9. Ashley Lee 9.762510. Lora Evenstad 9.756311. Marissa King 9.743812. BRITTNEE MARTINEZ 9.7188 Jaime Pisani 9.718814. Anna Li 9.668815. Geralen Stack-Eaton 9.662516. Allison Buckley 9.506317. Sharaya Musser 9.481318. Mary Atkinson 4.8438
Balance Beam 1. Susan Jackson 9.9625 2. Carly Janiga 9.8875 Courtney McCool 9.8875 4. Casey Jo Magee 9.8750 5. Kyndal Robarts 9.8625 6. Geralen Stack-Eaton 9.8500 7. Jamie Deetscreek 9.8375 Brandi Personett 9.8375 9. KELSEY KNUTSON 9.700010. Ashley Priess 8.8250
Floor Exercise 1. Brittani McCullough 9.9375 2. Sarah Shire 9.9000 Hollie Vise 9.9000 Brandi Personett 9.9000 5. Morgan Dennis 9.8875 Marissa King 9.8875 7. NATALIE BEILSTEIN 9.8750 Annie DiLuzio 9.8750 Vanessa Zamarripa 9.875010. Jaime Pisani 9.8500 Ashanee Dickerson 9.850012. Casey Jo Magee 9.812513. Makayla Stambaugh 9.7375
• Six Wolverines Earn Seven Overall All-America Honors (April 22)
N O T E S
• Senior Kelsey Knutson and freshmen Natalie Beilstein and Brittnee Martinez each competed in their first NCAA Individual Event Finals. Junior Kylee Botterman competed in her third event finals, previously competing on uneven bars (2008) and floor exercise (2009).
• Michigan has 136 All-America honors in program history, earned by a total of 56 student-athletes.
• Michigan's six All-Americans are the most since 2006 when seven Wolverines earned All-America honors.
• Michigan's seven All-America honors are the most since 2006 when Michigan picked up eight All-America honors. The seven honors tie for the fifth-most All-America laurels in a single season, equaling the program's haul in 1995 and 1993. The Wolverines have earned eight All-America honors in a single season four times -- in 2006, 2003, 2002 and 1999.
• Michigan's fourth-place finish at the NCAA Team Preliminaries on Thursday (April 22) ended the team's season. The Wolverines conclude the campaign in 10th place overall after being picked to finish 12th in the GymInfo preseason poll. It is Michigan's 17th top-10 finish in program history.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
