Michigan
NCAA Individual Event Finals
Grieco, Ray Garner Third-Place NCAA Event Finishes
4/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
ATHENS, Ga. -- In the final competition of the 2001 University of Michigan women's gymnastics season, senior Karina Senior (Markham, Ontario/Milliken HS), sophomore Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) and freshman Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS) participated in the NCAA Individual Event Finals tonight (Saturday, April 21) at Stegeman Coliseum.
Ray led the trio of Wolverine first team All-Americans by earning a spot in three event finals -- uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Her best finish was a tie for third on the uneven bars with a score of 9.900. She tied for sixth (9.838) on the balance beam and tied for eighth on the floor exercise (9.862).
On the beam and the floor, Ray had some minor slips, which counted for significant scoring losses in the extremely tight competition. On the bars, she put together one of her strongest routines of the season. However, a slight slide off the upper bar on her dismount forced her to land with just a touch too much momentum and was reflected in a final score just one-tenth shy of perfect.
Competing second on the vault, Grieco landed a pair of solid vaults to earn an average score of 9.8565 and finish third, the same position she attained at least year's Individual Event Finals. For Senior, the vault competition closed her collegiate career. After falling on her first vault, she landed her second to post a score of 9.4630 to finish ninth. Georgia's Cory Fritzinger won the vault with a score of 9.8810.
Final Results
VAULT 1. Cory Fritzinger, Georgia 9.8810 2. Katrina Severin, Oregon State 9.8685 3. JANESSA GRIECO, Michigan 9.8565 4. Kristin Parker, UCLA 9.8315 5. Marline Stephens, Georgia 9.8000 6. Lara Degenhardt, Oregon State 9.7750 7. Suzanne Sears, Georgia 9.7060 8. Gina Bruce, Nebraska 9.6440 9. KARINA SENIOR, Michigan 9.4630 UNEVEN BARS 1. Yvonne Tousek, UCLA 9.938 2. Onnie Willis, UCLA 9.912 3. ELISE RAY, Michigan 9.900 Theresa Kulikowski, Utah 9.900 5. Mohini Bhardwaj, UCLA 9.887 6. Natalie Barrington, Alabama 9.850 Tami Harris, Nebraska 9.850 Alecia Ingram, Nebraska 9.850 Doni Thompson, UCLA 9.850 10. Jamie Dantzscher, UCLA 9.787 11. Kathleen Shrieves, Georgia 2.000 BALANCE BEAM 1. Theresa Kulikowski, Utah 9.938 2. Lindsey Wing, Stanford 9.925 3. Kristen Maloney, UCLA 9.900 Melissa Vituj, Utah 9.900 5. Kristin Sterner, Alabama 9.863 6. ELISE RAY, Michigan 9.838 Lissy Smith, Alabama 9.838 Theresa Wolf, Utah 9.838 9. Cory Fritzinger, Georgia 9.812 10. Yvonne Tousek, UCLA 9.750 11. Onnie Willis, UCLA 9.688 12. Shannon Bowles, Utah 9.260 FLOOR EXERCISE 1. Mohini Bhardwaj, UCLA 9.963 2. Jamie Dantzscher, UCLA 9.950 3. Suzanne Sears, Georgia 9.925 4. Jill Fisher, Maryland 9.912 5. Onnie Willis, UCLA 9.900 6. Nicki Arnstad, Louisiana State 9.887 Jeana Rice, Alabama 9.887 8. ELISE RAY, Michigan 9.863 Marline Stephens, Georgia 9.863 Melissa Vituj, Utah 9.863 11. Lise Leveille, Stanford 9.850 12. Cory Fritzinger, Georgia 9.375 13. Hilary Thompson, Florida 9.338
Friday Results (Super Six Team Finals)
Thursday Results (Team Preliminary Session I)
N O T E S
Individuals qualified for tonight's Individual Event Finals by placing in the top four of an event during their respective session of the Team Preliminaries and All-Around Competition on Thursday (April 19).
For the vault competition, each competitor vaulted twice. The two vaults were averaged to determine a final score for the event.
Q U O T E S
Sophomore Janessa Grieco
On finishing third and the event finals ... "I'm very excited. It is really different without your teammates out there and going one at a time. I think it is more nerve-wracking. It's great to see everyone over there (in the stands), but it's not the same. I really prefer having them down there with me."
Senior Karina Senior
On the event finals ... "It is really different without my teammates down there. It is such a great opportunity, though. I am very happy to have had the chance to do it."
Freshman Elise Ray
On her routines ... "I am very happy with my performances tonight. I just came into this with a relaxed mindset and didn't want to worry about my score or place. It was a lot of fun. [Not having my team out there with me] was easier than I thought it would be. Jamie (Dantzscher, Olympic teammate) was before me in a couple of events and the crew (of teammates, parents and fans) were in the stands, so it wasn't too bad."
On the season ... "We had a wonderful season. Right now, I am more worried about the seniors leaving than anything. I had so much fun this year. Everything was just wonderful."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
