Michigan
UCLA Bruin Classic
U-M Finishes as Runner-Up to UCLA at Bruin Classic
3/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Site:Â Los Angeles, Calif. (John Wooden Center)
Event:Â #3 Michigan at Bruin Classic
U-M Team Finish:Â 2nd Place of 4 Teams (196.975)
Record:Â U-M (14-5)
Attendance:Â 999
Next U-M Meet:Â Saturday, March 11 -- vs. Florida and Bowling Green (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The third-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team finished its two-meet road trip with a runner-up finish at the Bruin Classic on Sunday afternoon (March 5). The Wolverines' team score of 196.975 trailed only second-ranked UCLA (197.575). Also competing in the four-team event were Illinois-Chicago (192.500) and California-Santa Barbara (188.950).
Michigan senior Sarah Cain (Grand Island, Neb./Grand Island HS) helped Michigan to a season-best 49.600 on the vault with her second straight 10.000 on that event. However, Michigan struggled to a 48.750 on the balance beam and finished second to UCLA in all four events as the Wolverines lost for the fifth time this season.
Cain paced a Michigan vault lineup which had five of its six athletes either match or set career bests as the Wolverines scored a team season-best 49.600. Cain's perfect 10.000 mark tied her for first with a pair of UCLA gymnasts, while Sarah-Elizabeth Langford (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) notched a career-best 9.950 to finish fourth. Christine Michaud (Mill Valley, Calif./The Branson School) matched her career-best effort on the vault with a mark of 9.925 to tie for fifth. Freshman Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) recorded a career-high 9.900, while Karina Senior (Markham, Ontario/Milliken Mills HS) matched her career best of 9.825. Despite the Michigan effort on the vault, UCLA took top team honors with a score of 49.650 on that event.
Michigan remained very steady on the uneven bars as the Wolverines registered five scores of 9.800 or higher to earn a team score of 49.325. A pair of Michigan freshmen led the Wolverine charge on the bars as Tara Tagliarino (Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant HS) tied her career high of 9.925 to finish third, while Cami Singer (Monument, Colo./Lewis Palmer HS) scored a career-best 9.875 to tie for fifth. Singer shared fifth-place honors with teammate Bridget Knaeble (New Hope, Minn./Totino-Grace HS), who also nailed a 9.875.
Michigan, which is the top-ranked team in the nation on the balance beam, uncharacteristically struggled on that event and delivered a team score of 48.750. Cain was Michigan's top performer on the beam, with a 9.875 to tie for second. Grieco continued her strong meet with a beam score of 9.825 to place fifth and joined Cain as the only Wolverines to place in the top five on three events.
On the floor exercise, Michigan's senior-freshman combination of Cain and Grieco struck again as Cain tied for second with a mark 9.925, while Grieco tied for fifth with a score of 9.875. Five of Michigan's six floor routines produced scores of 9.800 or better as the Wolverines earned a team score of 49.300. Senior, who is the eighth-ranked gymnast in the nation on the floor exercise, continued her steady performance on that event by notching a 9.850. However, Michigan could not overcome UCLA's scores of 49.575 on the uneven bars and 49.500 on the floor exercise as the Bruins pulled out the 197.575-196.975 win.
Michigan next meet, which also closes out the regular season, is against No. 18 Florida and Bowling Green on Saturday, March 5 (7 p.m.) in Crisler Arena. It will be the final home meet for Michigan seniors Cain, Langford and Kate Nellans (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein HS).
Final Results
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. UCLA | 49.650 | 49.575 | 48.850 | 49.500 | 197.575 |
| 2. Michigan | 49.600 | 49.325 | 48.750 | 49.300 | 196.975 |
| 3. Illinois-Chicago | 48.375 | 48.825 | 46.975 | 48.325 | 192.500 |
| 4. Cal-Santa Barbara | 47.600 | 47.025 | 46.825 | 47.500 | 188.950 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
ALL-AROUND Bridget Knaeble 39.425 (2) VAULT Bridget Knaeble 9.775 Janessa Grieco 9.900 Karina Senior 9.825 Sarah-Elizabeth Langford 9.950 (4) Christine Michaud 9.925 (T5) Sarah Cain 10.000 (t1) UNEVEN BARS Kate Nellans 9.175 Amy Kuczera 9.800 Cami Singer 9.875 (t5) Tara Tagliarino 9.925 (3) Bridget Knaeble 9.875 (t5) Sarah Cain 9.850 BALANCE BEAM Janessa Grieco 9.825 (5) Melissa Peterson 9.525 Shannon MacKenzie 9.750 Karina Senior 9.275 Kate Nellans 9.775 Sarah Cain 9.875 (t2) FLOOR EXERCISE Jodie Rosenberg 9.800 Melissa Peterson 9.850 Bridget Knaeble 9.700 Janessa Grieco 9.875 (t5) Karina Senior 9.850 Sarah Cain 9.925 (t2) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
NOTES
• Sarah Cain's back-to-back 10s on the vault mark the second time she has turned that trick in her career. Cain also notched consecutive 10s on the vault vs. Georgia and at Utah State in 1997.
• Cain now has six all-time 10s on the vault and 11 all-time 10s for her career.
• Michigan is 0-5 this season vs. teams ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation. The Wolverines are 14-0 vs. everybody else.
• The Michigan-UCLA all-time series is now knotted at four apiece.
• Michigan's season-best 49.600 team score on the vault is tied for the fifth-best mark in school history.
Players Mentioned
