Deiley Earns Second Big Ten Gymnast of the Week Award
2/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Freshman Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River HS) has been named the Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Week for women's gymnastics for the second time this season. Deiley won the vault (9.900) and balance beam (9.925) to earn a share of the all-around title (39.500) against then-No. 11 Denver last Saturday (Feb. 22) in Denver, Colo. She is the first Michigan freshman to win more than one conference honor in a season since Sarah Cain (1997-2000) was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Month for February and March of the 1997 season.
| | Deiley |
Deiley is ranked first in the Big Ten on the uneven bars and all-around with Regional Qualifying Scores of 9.865 and 39.385, respectively. She is also ranked second in the conference on the vault (9.890), sixth in the floor exercise (9.860) and eighth on the balance beam (9.805). Nationally, she is seventh in the nation in the all-around, tied for 11th on the vault and tied for 23rd on the uneven bars in the latest GymInfo rankings (Feb. 24).
Deiley, the only freshman to win the conference honor this season, won her first Big Ten Gymnast of the Week award the first week of the season (Jan. 15) after winning three events and the all-around in her collegiate debut, a 196.100-192.175 victory over Ohio State on Jan. 11. The all-around title was the first by a U-M freshman in a season-opening meet since Heather Kabnick (1995-98) accomplished the feat on Jan.14, 1995, against West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
Deiley's honor is the team's fourth this season. In addition Deiley's first award, senior co-captain Janessa Grieco (Mahopac, N.Y./Carmel HS) shared the honor with Iowa's Alexis Maday (Jan. 22) after winning the balance beam (9.825) and her first career all-around title (39.275) against then-No. 12 Minnesota (Jan. 17). Junior Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS) shared the honor with Michigan State's Julie Devaty after winning two events and tying for second in the all-around against then-No. 2 Alabama (Jan. 31) and winning the floor exercise and placing among the top three in two other events at the State of Michigan Classic (Feb. 2).
The No. 10-ranked Wolverines (8-4, 2-1 Big Ten) visit No. 5 Utah at 7 p.m. MST Friday (Feb. 28) at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
