Michigan
Big Five Meet
Michigan Captures Share of Big Ten Regular-Season Crown
3/11/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 11, 2017
» Michigan earned its third Big Ten regular-season title (2013, '15, '17).
» The Wolverines had a season-high road score of 197.150.
» U-M secured a spot in the evening session of the Big Ten Championships next Saturday (March 18).
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
Event: Big Five Meet
U-M Team Result: 1st Place of 5 Teams (197.150)
Records: U-M (12-3, 8-1 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 18 -- at Big Ten Championships (New Brunswick, N.J.), 5 p.m.
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 11 University of Michigan women's gymnastics team put up its highest road score of the season (197.150) to win the Big Five Meet and capture a share of the regular-season Big Ten championship on Saturday (March 11). No. 16 Iowa was second (196.400), followed by Penn State (195.450), Minnesota (194.825) and Rutgers (192.650).
There was a lot on the line for the Wolverines on Saturday, and they made the most of all their opportunities.
With the win on Saturday at the Big Five Meet, the Wolverines finished the regular season 8-1 against conference opponents, tying Nebraska for the top Big Ten record. U-M has now won outright or shared the regular-season title in three of the five seasons it has been recognized. Michigan tied with Minnesota at 6-1 the first year in 2013 and won outright in 2015 with an undefeated 9-0 record.
The regular-season championships gives them 25 overall Big Ten titles. Head coach Bev Plocki has led U-M to all but one of its Big Ten championships.
The Wolverines' team score of 197.150 is its highest on the road this season. The score allows them to drop their second road score under 196.000, a 195.725 at Ohio State. The difference is expected to give them a good boost in the weekly RQS (Regional Qualifying Score) rankings and likely move them back into the top 10 depending on other results from around the country.
Michigan started the meet on a bye, sitting out the first rotation before beginning on floor exercise. The Wolverines got two great performances from senior Nicole Artz and sophomore Emma McLean as the duo tied at 9.900. Artz has scored a 9.900 or better on floor eight times this year, and McLean has done so seven times. Artz and McLean ended up tying for the event win.
The Wolverines had another good vault rotation with sophomore Olivia Karas stealing the show. In one of the top performances of the night, Karas soared to a 9.950 to win the event and keep U-M in a good position halfway through.
Uneven bars may have been the rotation that sealed it for the Wolverines. Last year's Big Ten champion on the event, junior Brianna Brown, competed for the first time since the opening meet of the season and came through with a 9.875. Artz matched her score, and then junior Paige Zaziski did what she has been doing all year on bars. She was nearly flawless as she posted a winning score of 9.950.
After a stumble on balance beam, Michigan needed to hit its final two routines. Junior Lauren Marinez and senior Talia Chiarelli did not have their best routines of the season, but both veterans did what they needed to do to finish off the meet victory, hitting for scores of 9.800 and 9.825, respectively.
Tweet of the Day 
Always fun to win championships. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/tsimP9QLil
-- Michigan Gymnastics (@UMichWGym) March 11, 2017
Michigan secured a spot in the evening session of the Big Ten Championships next Saturday (March 18) with its top-three finish at the Big Five Meet. The Wolverines will compete for their fourth straight and 23rd overall Big Ten championship at 5 p.m. in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Communications Contact: Ben Blevins
