Weekly Release #12
3/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
This Week: No. 19 Michigan Heads to Penn State for Regional
Saturady, April 3 - at NCAA Northeast Regional Championships (State College, Pa.), 6 p.m.
On the Horizon: No. 19 Michigan at NCAA National Championships
Thu-Sat., April 15-17 - at NCAA National Championships (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Next Up for the Wolverines
The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team (14-6, 9-1 Big Ten) continues its postseason at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships at 6 p.m. Saturday (April 3) at Rec Hall in State College, Pa. The Wolverines are coming off a breakout performance at the Big Ten Championships (March 20), where the squad posted the second-highest team total in school history (197.800) to win U-M's 13th Big Ten crown. With only the top two teams from the regional advancing to the NCAA National Championships, Michigan will need another outstanding team effort against No. 4 Georgia, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 16 Missouri, New Hampshire and host Penn State this weekend. Should the Wolverines qualify, it would be the squad's 12th consecutive NCAA Championships appearance.
Got Results
Visit mgoblue.com for the fastest and most reliable results from all of Michigan's competitions this season. In addition to results and event recaps, weekly releases, news releases, photos and other information can be found at mgoblue.com.
Wolverines on TV
CSTV is scheduled to broadcast the Big Ten Championships on the following dates (times Eastern): Monday, April 12 (6 p.m.); Tuesday, April 13 (2 a.m., 10 a.m.); Thursday, May 6 (7 p.m.); Friday, May 7 (3 a.m., 11 a.m.).
Additionally, CN8 TV will broadcast the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on the following dates (times Eastern): Saturday, April 17 (7 p.m.) and Sunday, April 18 (1 p.m.). CN8 is a regional television network that reaches 6 million households in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Fans living outside of the broadcast area can watch the channel online at www.cn8.com.
A Look at No. 4 Georgia
Georgia (18-3) is the No. 1 seed for the event with a regional qualifying score of 197.620. Senior Cory Fritzinger posted the first 10.0 on beam in SEC Championships history as Georgia won with a season-high 198.175. Georgia's top all-arounder, senior Chelsa Byrd, is ranked 15th in the country with a 39.570. Georgia is led by head coach Suzanne Yoculan, who is in her 21st season with the GymDogs. Georgia on the Web ... www.georgiadogs.com.
A Look at No. 9 Iowa State
The Cyclones and the Wolverines have met twice, in the 2000 NCAA National Championships team preliminaries and at last year's Regional Championships. U-M came out on top at both meetings. The Cyclones enter this weekend with a regional qualifying score of 197.210 and a season-high score of 198.000. Iowa State is ranked ninth in the nation. ISU's top all-arounder, sophomore Erin Dethloff, is ranked 12th in the nation (tied with U-M's Elise Ray) with an RQS of 39.585. Janet Anson is not far behind, ranked 18th with a 39.530 RQS. Iowa State head coach K.J. Kindler is in her fifth year at the helm of the Cyclones. Iowa State on the Web ... www.cyclones.com.
A Look at No. 16 Missouri
No. 16 Missouri (15-3), is having one of its best seasons in program history, earning the program's third consecutive berth to the NCAA Regional Championships with the school's highest-ever seed (No. 3). The Tigers' RQS stands at 196.850, with a season-high score of 197.450, a team record. Missouri's standout sophomore, Lauren Schwartzman, is ranked seventh on the beam with a 9.940 RQS, while senior Alisha Robinson is ranked sixth on vault with a 9.945 RQS. Missouri on the Web ... www.mutigers.com.
A Look at Penn State
No. 28 Penn State (11-6-2), posted its season-high score (196.625) at the Big Ten Championships (March 20), where the Nittany Lions finished second, the squad's highest finish since 2001. Penn State finished fourth at least year's NCAA Regional Championships with a score of 196.175. The Nittany Lions are led by Steve Shephard, who is in his 12th year as head coach. Penn State on the Web ... www.GoPSUsports.com.
A Look at New Hampshire
New Hampshire, ranked 33rd in the nation with a regional qualifying score of 195.735, posted it season-high score (196.450) in a a tri-meet at N.C. State. The Wolverines and the Wildcats last met at the 2003 NCAA Northeast Regional Championships, where the Wilcats finished fifth with a 195.400. Former Wolverine Beth (Amelkovich) Aparo (1996-99) is in her fourth season as an assistant coach at New Hampshire, while head coach Gail Goodspeed is in her 25th season with the Wildcats. New Hampshire on the Web ... www.unhwildcats.com.
Rotation Order Set for Northeast Regional
| Rotation | Vault | Bye 1 | Bars | Beam | Bye 2 | Floor |
| 1 | UNH | Iowa State | Missouri | Georgia | Penn State | MICHIGAN |
| 2 | MICHIGAN | UNH | Iowa State | Missouri | Georgia | Penn State |
| 3 | Penn State | MICHIGAN | UNH | Iowa State | Missouri | Georgia |
| 4 | Georgia | Penn State | MICHIGAN | UNH | Iowa State | Missouri |
| 5 | Missouri | Georgia | Penn State | MICHIGAN | UNH | Iowa State |
| 6 | Iowa State | Missouri | Georgia | Penn State | MICHIGAN | UNH |
Last Year at the Northeast Regional
After a close competition at the 2003 NCAA Northeast Regional Championships, Michigan captured its sixth regional title in school history after outlasting No. 3-ranked Arizona State in the final event. U-M totaled a 196.825 to edge the Sun Devils (196.725), who also qualified for the national championships. Helping Michigan to the regional title were first-place finishes in three events, as Wolverines took the top two positions in the all-around and tied for first on the uneven bars and floor exercise. Leading the way was Calli Ryals (Elyria, Ohio/Midview HS), who won the all-around title with a score of 39.500 after tying for first with teammates Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River HS) and Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame HS) on the uneven bars (9.900) and tying for top honors on the floor exercise (9.950). Deiley finished second in the all-around (39.475) and tied for second on the vault (9.900).
Looking Back at the Big Ten Championships
Michigan claimed its 13th Big Ten Conference team title Saturday, March 20, at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. The Wolverines won with a 197.800 team total, just shades off its Big Ten record of 197.850 set in 2000. Led by all-around champion Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake HS), the Wolverines set or tied team season-high scores on vault (49.275), bars (49.625) and floor (49.500) to compile the second-highest team total in school history. Ray was spectacular, posting a 39.800 all-around score that included a perfect 10.0 for first place on the uneven bars, a 9.95 for first on the balance beam, a 9.95 for a share of first on the floor exercise and a 9.90 on vault. Calli Ryals tied for second on the bars (9.95), while Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham HS) and Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus HS) tied for second on the beam (9.90). Michigan's score of 49.625 on bars is the squad's highest all-time total on the event.
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 49.275 | 49.625 | 49.400 | 49.500 | 197.800 |
| 2. Penn State | 49.225 | 48.975 | 49.075 | 49.350 | 196.625 |
| 3. Iowa | 49.400 | 49.175 | 48.575 | 49.350 | 196.500 |
| 4. Minnesota | 48.950 | 49.250 | 48.850 | 49.275 | 196.325 |
| 5. Michigan State | 48.775 | 49.050 | 48.975 | 49.225 | 196.025 |
| 6. Illinois | 48.550 | 48.725 | 49.175 | 48.950 | 195.400 |
| 7. Ohio State | 48.675 | 48.725 | 48.075 | 48.975 | 194.450 |
Wolverines Dominate Big Ten
Seven different Wolverines earned top-four finishes at the Big Ten Championships (March 20). In addition to Elise Ray's all-around, bars, beam, and floor titles, Lindsey Bruck and Lauren Mirkovich tied for fourth on bars, while Becca Clauson, Jenny Deiley and Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny HS) tied for fourth on floor. Freshman Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS) shared third on vault with Ray.
Wolverines in the NCAA Rankings
Michigan's score of 197.800 at the Big Ten Championships raised its RQS to 196.750, but the squad maintained its 19th-place standing in GymInfo's rankings (March 22).
What is a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS)
A team's regional qualifying score is based on the six highest team totals, three of which must be from away competitions. After dropping the highest score, the remaining five are averaged to determine the regional qualifying score.
Michigan's RQS Counting Scores ...
197.075 (vs. Michigan State, Jan. 31)
197.125 (host Michigan Classic, Feb. 6)
197.025 (vs. Alabama, March 12)
196.325 (at Iowa, Jan. 24)
196.200 (at West Virginia with Maryland, Feb. 22)
197.800 (at Big Ten, March 20)
Total Before Dividing By Five ...
983.750
Michigan's RQS ...
196.750
Why The RQS Is So Important
Six teams will vie for NCAA Championships berths at each of six NCAA Regional Championships. The Top 18 teams (ranked by RQS) received seeded positions in each regional, with the remaining three spots filled by the next three highest ranked teams from the region. Since the top two teams advance to the NCAA Championships out of each region, seeded teams benefit from this procedure. Michigan, standing at No. 19, missed a seeded berth to the NCAA Regional Championships by 0.035.
Ray Among Nation's Top All-Around Gymnasts
Elise Ray has consistently earned top all-around scores this season. Her all-around regional qualifying score of 39.585 ties for the 12th-best in the NCAA and second-best in the Big Ten.
Ray's Records
With her 10.0 on the uneven bars at the Big Ten Championships, Elise Ray became just the second U-M gymnast to record a perfect score in three different events (Beth Wymer is the first). No U-M gymnast has scored a perfect 10.0 in each of the four events. Both Ray and Wymer have earned perfect scores on the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise. However, Ray is the only U-M gymnast to have perfect 10s on three events and a 9.975 in the fourth event.
Beaming
Michigan's score of 49.475 on beam at Nebraska (Jan. 11) ties for the second-highest in school history on the event. The highest, 49.525, came at the 2000 Big Ten Championships.
Best on Bars
Michigan's score of 49.625 at the Big Ten Championships (March 20) is an all-time best. The previous record, 49.550, was set in 1997 at the Magical Classic. Led by Elise Ray's perfect score, four Wolverines posted scores of 9.900 or better, including Lindsey Bruck's career-high 9.900, Calli Ryals' career-high (tie) 9.950, and Lauren Mirkovich's season-high (tie) 9.900. Jenny Deiley's 9.875 rounded out the counting scores for the Wolverines.
Contact: Jessica Steyers (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
