Sugiyama, Artz Share Team MVP Award
5/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
May 3, 2015
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team held its annual postseason banquet on Sunday (May 3) at Weber's Inn, where senior Sachi Sugiyama and sophomore Nicole Artz shared the team's Most Valuable Performer Award.
Sugiyama was one of the nation's top gymnasts this season, claiming Big Ten (floor exercise) and NCAA Regional (vault) titles, while also being named an NCAA All-American (first team: floor exercise). She was one of six national finalists for the 2015 AAI Award, given annually to the sport's top senior women's gymnast. She hit 52-of-53 routines, scoring 9.900 or better 21 times. For the season, Sugiyama averaged 39.392 in the all-around, the seventh-highest single-season total in program history. She was ranked No. 8 in the nation in the all-around (39.515 RQS), won or tied for 13 individual event titles and took first or second in the all-around in eight meets.
She also shared the Leadership Award with classmates Brooke Parker and Annette Miele and the Coaches Award with Parker. Miele was voted captain despite not being able to compete due to injury and shared that honor with Parker, who also received the 10.0 Spirit Award. Parker, an All-Big Ten (second team) selection, was one of several gymnasts who took on expanded roles in her final season, going from seven routines as a junior to 31 as a senior. She was in the vault and floor exercise lineups in every meet, averaging 9.805 on vault (up from 9.763 in 2014) and 9.853 on floor exercise (up from 9.675 in 2014).
Sharing the Most Valuable Performer Award with Sugiyama was Artz, who was equally good in 2015. She was a three-time Big Ten champion (all-around, uneven bars, balance beam) and two-time NCAA All-American (first team: all-around, balance beam) and was named the 2015 NCAA Northeast Region Gymnast of the Year. She won or tied for 16 individual-event titles and took first in the all-around six times. Artz averaged 9.897 on balance beam (a single-season program record) and also recorded the third-highest all-around average in program history (39.434). She ended the season ranked No. 5 in the nation in the all-around (39.535 RQS) and hit 52-of-53 routines, including 24 routines that were scored at 9.900 or higher. She was also the recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award.
The Most Improved Award went to junior Lindsay Williams. Like Parker, Williams took on a bigger role in her third year, going from 10 routines in 2014 to 34 in 2015. She competed on uneven bars and balance beam in every meet, averaging 9.755 and 9.813, respectively, and performed on floor exercise in the team's first eight meets of the season.
Freshman Brianna Brown was given the Newcomer of the Year Award. She made a splash in her first year, finishing the season ranked No. 15 in the all-around (39.390 RQS), a mark that, among freshmen, ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 2 in the NCAA. She was also ranked No. 5 in the nation on uneven bars (9.915 RQS). Brown was Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year and was an NCAA All-American (second team: all-around), hitting 51-of-52 routines, winning or tying for four individual event titles and posting the fifth-highest scoring average in program history on uneven bars (9.894).
After two breakout seasons, junior Briley Casanova and sophomore Talia Chiarelli shared the Unsung Hero Award. Casanova performed only eight routines last year as a sophomore (all on balance beam), but she contributed 28 this season across all four events. Arguably the team's most versatile competitor, Casanova performed at least four routines on every event and did three events in each of the team's final five meets. Chiarelli was a two-time NCAA All-American (first team: balance beam, floor exercise) and a Big Ten champion, sharing the floor exercise title with Sugiyama. She hit 40-of-41 routines and recorded 16 scores of 9.900 or better, including career-best scores of 9.975 in back-to-back weeks (floor exercise on Feb. 28 vs. North Carolina State, balance beam on March 6 at Utah).
2014-15 AWARD RECIPIENTS
Most Valuable Performer: Nicole Artz, Sachi Sugiyama
Newcomer of the Year: Brianna Brown
Most Improved: Lindsay Williams
Leadership Award: Annette Miele, Brooke Parker, Sachi Sugiyama
Unsung Hero: Briley Casanova, Talia Chiarelli
Coaches Award: Brooke Parker, Sachi Sugiyama
Scholar-Athlete Award: Nicole Artz
10.0 Spirit Award: Brooke Parker
Communications Contact: Brad Rudner (734) 763-4423
