Michigan
NCAA Ann Arbor Regional
Michigan Fights to Very End at NCAA Regional
4/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
» Michigan set a school record with a 49.675 on uneven bars as four Wolverines scored 9.950 to finish the meet.
» U-M posted a 196.475 to finish third just behind advancing Auburn and Stanford, which both got 196.525.
» Nicole Artz, Brianna Brown and Talia Chiarelli advance to NCAA Championships as individuals.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Event: NCAA Regional
U-M Team Result: 3rd Place of 6 Teams (196.475)
Records: U-M (23-8)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 15 -- at NCAA Championships (Fort Worth, Texas)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team fought until the very end, with the Wolverines giving it their all in an impressive school-record uneven bars routine to close out a third-place finish at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional on Saturday (April 2) inside Crisler Center, ending their team season.
Auburn and Stanford tied for first place in the meet at 196.525 to advance to the NCAA Championships, but the fans left Crisler Center remembering the performance by Michigan at the end of the meet.
Needing to do the near impossible, the Wolverines almost did just that. Senior Lindsay Williams, freshman Olivia Karas, sophomore Brianna Brown and junior Nicole Artz all tied for second in the meet with amazing scores of 9.950 each. As each one's score was posted on the screens, the Crisler Center grew louder and louder. By the end, the sound of cheers echoed throughout the arena with fans jumping up and down and yelling "Go Blue."
Williams ended her college career with a career high on the event. Karas also set a new career high, and Brown matched her previous best. The four 9.950 scores helped Michigan finish with a school-record 49.675 on the event. The previous school best was 49.625 at the 2004 Big Ten Championships.
"We knew we had nothing to lose so we went out there and hit our handstands and stuck our dismounts," said Artz. "It was a really cool feeling."
Sophomore Nichelle Christopherson and senior Austin Sheppard started off the rotation on a positive note with scores of 9.875 each.
"My heart breaks for this team because it has been a long season and they wanted it so badly," said head coach Bev Plocki.
The effort was there all night, and several positive performances overshadowed the team barely missing out on advancing. Artz tied for the win on beam with a 9.900 and advanced to nationals with a 39.450 all-around score that placed her second. Brown tied for third in the all-around with a 39.375 to qualify for nationals as well. Junior Talia Chiarelli tied for the win on floor with a 9.900 and will perform her floor routine at nationals.
"I do everything for my team so going to nationals without them is going to be weird," said Artz.
The Wolverines started off the meet on beam. Artz posted one of the biggest scores of the night on beam with a 9.900. It is her sixth 9.90 or better on the season. The team finished with a 48.500 team score on the event.
Michigan bounced back with a 49.150 on floor. Chiarelli wrapped up the rotation with a big 9.900. She has hit the 9.900 mark in six straight meets on floor. Artz finished right behind her with a 9.875.
On vault, the Wolverines matched the floor rotation score with a 49.150. Four gymnasts went 9.850 in the rotation, including freshman Emma McLean, who stuck her landing to match her career high.
Artz, Brown and Chiarelli will continue their individual seasons April 15 at the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas.
Players Mentioned
