Michigan
Alabama
Wolverines to Open Season Friday at Home vs. No. 4 Alabama
1/2/2018 5:10:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
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THIS WEEK
Friday, Jan. 5 -- vs. No. 4 Alabama (Crisler Center), 5:30 p.m. ET
ESPNU | Live Scoring | Buy Tickets
• Game Day Information: Crisler Center | Ticket Information
The No. 7 University of Michigan women's gymnastics team will kick off the 2018 season with a bang by hosting No. 4 Alabama on Friday (Jan. 5) at 5:30 p.m. at Crisler Center.
MEET INFO
• Join the Michigan Women's Gymnastics team as it begins its 43rd season against a top-10 team for the second straight year and third time in the last four seasons.
• U-M is 6-28-1 all-time against Alabama, splitting two postseason meetings a year ago. The Wolverines topped Alabama for the NCAA Regional title and then finished behind them in the NCAA Semifinals. The last regular-season meeting between the two squads was Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, in Oklahoma City and the last time Alabama came to Ann Arbor was 2011.
PROMOTIONS
• Social Media Night -- Michigan Athletics and Michigan women's gymnastics will be highlighting their social media platforms -- including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat with a number of features including a social media photo station on the concourse and an opportunity to win prizes by checking in on different social media platforms.
• Are you Shorter than a Michigan Gymnast -- Measure your height against the gymnastics cutout located on the concourse outside of Section 136. If you are shorter than the gymnast you will receive a free ticket for the Michigan vs. Ohio State Meet on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 4 p.m.
• Postmeet Autographs -- Meet your favorite gymnasts as senior Paige Zaziski, sophomore Maddy Osman and freshman Syd Townsend will be signing autographs on the concourse following the meet. Be sure to pick up their official trading card during their autograph session.
• Giveaway -- Women's Gymnastics Bitmoji Rally Towel (first 750 fans)
• Giveaway -- 2018 Michigan Women's Gymnastics Posters
• Kids Zone -- Visit the Kids Zone on the concourse outside of Section 114 for fun-filled activities for kids, including face painting, block M face tattoos, a poster making station and more! Also, bring your cameras for a picture with the Michigan gymnastics life size cutouts.
• Free MCard Admission -- All U-M faculty, staff and students can receive free admission by presenting their MCard at the Crisler Center ticket office beginning 90 minutes prior to the start of the meet.
• Group Tickets -- Groups of 10 or more can purchase discounted tickets to any home meet. Discounted tickets are available by visiting MGoBlue.com/tickets or by calling the Athletic Ticket office at 734-764-0247.
• 10.0 Cards -- Pick up your free Meijer Michigan 10.0 Card at the promotions table located outside of Section 136 on the concourse and be sure to hold them up throughout the meet anytime a Michigan gymnast records a great routine. (While supplies last)
THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM
• This is the 43rd season of Michigan women's gymnastics and 29th under head coach Bev Plocki.
• Team captains are Zaziski and junior Emma McLean.
• The Wolverines return 17 of its 24 routines from 2017 and have three freshman newcomers.
• Michigan was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten with senior Brianna Brown and junior Olivia Karas named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch. U-M returns two All-Americans from a year ago in Brown and Karas as well as Big Ten vault champion McLean and three-time NCAA Regional champion, Zaziski.
• The roster features three individuals who have earned conference freshman of the year honors. They include Brown (2015) and Karas (2016) claiming the honors in the Big Ten. Zaziski was the Co-SEC Freshman of the Year in 2015 before transferring from Arkansas to Michigan last season.
• The Wolverines have six returners who were in the vault lineup at one point last season. The back two in the rotation, Karas and McLean, anchored the group with both scoring career highs of 9.975. Zaziski, Lexi Funk, Osman and Polina Shchennikova also competed the event. Freshman Syd Townsend is one to watch on the event heading into this season. Michigan ranked 6th on vault a year ago.
• U-M was 11th in the nation on bars last year and lost only one competitor on the event. Zaziski was the NCAA Regional champion while Brown was an All-American after returning from injury. Those two are ones to watch this year along with Shchennikova and Karas. Zaziski has a career high of 9.975.
• Senior Lauren Marinez anchors the beam squad that was the seventh-best nationally last year. She has a career high of 9.950. Karas, Zaziski and Funk also return on the event, while Brown has competed on beam in the past as well. Freshman Lauren Farley also should make an impact.
• Floor is an event where Michigan lost its final two in the rotation, however, Karas and McLean were consistent at 9.900 or above last year. It was U-M's strongest event as they tied for fifth in the nation. Osman, Marinez, Zaziski, Funk and Brown have competed on floor in the past at U-M.
Players Mentioned
