Michigan
Cancun Classic
Michigan Wins Cancun Classic to Start Season
1/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 2, 2016
» Junior Nicole Artz capped off the all-around title with a 9.95 on floor.
» Freshman Olivia Karas had three 9.90s or better in her college debut.
Site: Cancun, Mexico (Iberostar Hotel and Resort)
Event: Cancun Classic
Score: 1st Place of 3 Teams (196.975)
Records: U-M (2-0), Arkansas (1-1), Iowa (0-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 9 -- vs. Georgia (Crisler Center), 4 p.m.
CANCUN, Mexico -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team (196.975) opened its 2016 season on Saturday (Jan. 2) with victories over No. 13 Arkansas (195.150) and Iowa (192.475) to win the Cancun Classic title at Iberostar Hotel and Resort.
The Wolverines scored a 196.975 to earn the top spot on the podium. Arkansas finished second with a 195.150, and Iowa was third with a 192.475.
"It was a great outcome," said head coach Bev Plocki. "I am happy that when something bad happened, we recovered from it. That is how you find out how together, focused and mentally tough your team is. I couldn't be more proud or more excited."
Junior Nicole Artz scored a 9.95 to cap a terrific day for the Wolverines and win the all-around title with a 39.525. Artz also hit on a 9.90 on bars to go with a 9.875 on beam and 9.80 on vault.
Artz was rewarded with a sombrero and trophy for her all-around victory. Freshman Olivia Karas and junior Talia Chiarelli were also honored with sombreros for their meet performances.
Karas made a spectacular college debut with an all-around score of 39.475. She closed out the vault lineup for her first event as a Wolverine with a 9.925. After going 9.75 on bars, Karas brought the crowd to its feet with a 9.90 on both beam and floor.
Chiarelli competed in three events and scored 9.85 or better on all three. She went 9.875 to end the beam rotation and scored 9.85 on both vault and floor.
The Wolverines have now won the event twice after capturing the title in 2013, the freshman season for current seniors Briley Casanova, Austin Sheppard and Lindsay Williams. The three seniors began their senior season the same way they did their freshman campaign, with a title.
"After our intrasquad we knew we had some work to do," said Williams. "Everyone did such a good job practicing through finals and Christmas break. We were really excited about this trip and have had a great time."
Casanova set the tone in three of the four rotations, leading off with a 9.80 or 9.85. Her 9.85 on bars tied a career best. Sheppard added a strong 9.85 on vault and Williams a 9.80 on bars.
Karas was one of three Wolverines to make their college debuts. Sophomore Lauren Marinez made her debut on beam after missing her freshman year due to an injury. She scored a 9.75 to open her U-M career. Freshman Emma McLean competed on vault and floor. She made her debut with a 9.775 on vault and then scored a 9.85 on floor.
The day was balanced for the Wolverines as they scored more than 49.0 on all four rotations. Floor proved to be the most potent on the day as all five scores that counted were a 9.85 or better.
Michigan did not have a perfect day, but for the first meet of the season the team could not be happier with how they performed overall. The Wolverines put together a solid overall performance to leave Cancun with some extra luggage, including several sombreros and a trophy.
Seniors not señors with the Cancun Classic trophy. Great start to their last year! pic.twitter.com/HVciAnAlYp
-- Michigan Gymnastics (@umichwgym) January 3, 2016
Michigan will have its home opener next Saturday (Jan. 9) at 4 p.m. against No. 9 Georgia in Crisler Center. [ Tickets ]
Players Mentioned
