Michigan
Illinois
Michigan to Begin Big Ten Competition at No. 13 Illinois
1/14/2020 12:36:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
THIS WEEK
Saturday, Jan. 18 -- at No. 13 Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), 1 p.m. CST
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team will begin its Big Ten slate this weekend when they travel to Champaign, Illinois, to square off against the No. 13 Illinois at 1 p.m. CST inside Huff Hall.
Big Ten Opener
• No. 16 Michigan will begin its Big Ten schedule with a road contest at No. 13 Illinois.
• The Wolverines hold a 61-10-1 record in the all-time series with Illinois, and includes 19 straight regular-season victories over the Illini dating back to 1986.
• U-M is 11-3 all-time in Champaign.
Last Time Out
• Michigan opened the 2020 season with two wins at Crisler Center on Jan. 10, topping Washington and Texas Woman's University.
• The Wolverines scored a 195.650 with vault being their top rotation (49.325).
• U-M gymnasts won all four event titles. Freshman Gabby Wilson captured wins on her first two collegiate events, vault (9.900) and uneven bars (9.875). Freshman Sierra Brooks won balance beam with a 9.875 and sophomore Natalie Wojcik won floor exercise with a 9.900.
• The meet came down to the final rotation with Michigan coming from behind on floor to top Washington.
In the Rankings
• Michigan is ranked No. 16 following the second weekend of the season.
• U-M is the top team in the country on vault with a 49.325 average. Four individuals are ranked among the top 50, including Wilson (T4), sophomore Maddie Mariani and Brooks (T16) and sophomore Abby Brenner (T26).
• On the other events, Michigan is eighth on bars, 12th on floor and tied for 47th on beam.
• Wilson is tied for 13th on bars while Mariani is tied for 27th. Brooks is tied for 25th on beam. Wojcik is tied for 13th on floor and Brenner is tied for 49th.
• U-M was ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll and was picked to win the Big Ten Conference.
College Debuts
• Brooks and Wilson each made their college debuts for Michigan and earned event titles.
• Brooks competed in the all-around with a top score of 9.875 on vault and beam.
• Wilson was in the lineup for three events with wins on vault and bars.
Youth Movement
In Michigan's season opener, 19 of the 24 routines were performed by freshmen or sophomores, including all six in the vault lineup and five of the six on floor.
Wojcik Winning
• Wojcik finished her freshman season with 35 event and all-around titles and continued her winning ways with a victory on floor to start the season.
• Wojcik has now won at least one event in 15 of her 16 collegiate meets.
First Time on Beam
• Sophomore Abby Heiskell made her official collegiate beam debut in the first meet of the year.
• Heiskell was in the lineup for three events, vault, balance beam and floor exercise.
Sophomore Starts
• In addition to great starts by Heiskell and Wojcik, sophomores Brenner and Mariani also had good opening meets as the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the country is proving its worth.
• Brenner was in the lineup on two events, scoring a 9.850 on vault and floor.
• Mariani got off to a great start with a 9.875 on vault and a 9.850 on bars to help the Wolverines start the season with two wins.
Returning From Injury
• Senior Maggie O'Hara competed in her first regular-season meet since suffering a season-ending injury during floor warmups last January.
• O'Hara matched her career high on bars with a 9.825 in the season opener.
Home Slate
• The Wolverines will be back at home Friday, Jan. 24 to take on Rutgers in its annual Flip for Chip meet at 6:30 p.m. The first 1,500 fans will receive a Flip for Chip foam spirit stick, and several members of the team will be available after the meet for autographs.
• Individual and group tickets are on sale with general admission tickets starting at $6 and groups of 10 or more eligible for $3 tickets.
• For more information, visit the women's gymnastics tickets page.
Up Next
Friday, Jan. 24 -- vs. Rutgers - Flip for Chip Meet (Crisler Center), 6:30 p.m.
Players Mentioned
