Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Ray Wins All-Around; Wolverines Claim Big Ten Crown
3/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team won its seventh straight conference title with a dramatic win in the final event of the Big Ten Championships Saturday night (March 26) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Fifth-year senior Elise Ray (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) took her second straight Big Ten all-around crown and nailed Michigan's final floor routine to seal the Wolverines' conference title. Ray posted a 39.500 in the all-around competition with second-place finishes on the uneven bars (9.900) and balance beam (9.900) and fourth-place performances on vault (9.875) and the floor exercise (9.825). It was Ray's 9.825 on floor that kept hard-charging Penn State from ending the Wolverines' run.
Junior Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Min./Elk River) tied with freshman Katie Lieberman (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) for the vault title, while junior Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Hall) claim a share of the Big Ten floor exercise title. Sophomore Lindsey Bruck (Marietta, Mich./Marcellus) had four top-six performances to tie for second place in the all-around competition.
Ray was also voted co-Big Ten Gymnast of the Year by the conference's head coaches, becoming the first U-M gymnast to earn the honor since Sarah Cain was named the Big Ten's top gymnast in 2000. Freshman Katie Lieberman (Lake Forest, Ill.) was voted Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Wolverine to earn the honor since Deiley in 2003. Senior Chelsea Kroll (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) earned Michigan's Big Ten Sportsmanship honor, awarded to a student-athlete on each team who displays the ideals of sportsmanship.
In the first rotation, Michigan watched Ohio State take an early lead with 48.525 points on vault, with No. 11 Penn State and No. 22 Minnesota also on byes.
Michigan began the Big Ten Championships with its third-best vault score of the season in the second rotation, scoring 49.350, including a pair of 9.900s for Deiley and Lieberman. Bruck tied a career best with a 9.850, while Ray scored a 9.875. Penn State opened on floor with a respectable 48.925, while Minnesota stumbled to a 48.525 on beam.
The Wolverines did not miss a beat transitioning to bars in the third rotation, posting the third-best score of the season with 49.300 points and pulling ahead of the rest of the field with 98.650 points. Freshman Nellie Kippley (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) opened with a 9.775 and Lieberman followed with a 9.800 until back-to-back 9.850s by Bruck and Deiley set the tone for U-M's final two competitors, senior Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame) and Ray. Mirkovich executed a near-flawless routine, sticking her landing for a 9.900 and Ray equaled the feat with her own 9.900 -- Ray's 21st score of 9.900 or better in the last 23 meets.
With U-M on a bye in the fourth rotation, Michigan State completed its third event, scoring 48.075 on bars to pull ahead of the field with 145.000 points. Ohio State also completed its third event, scoring 48.350 on beam to take second, while Michigan led the remaining five schools which had completed just two events each.
In the fifth rotation, Michigan let loose its grip on the meet with a lackluster 48.625 points on beam, the fourth-worst total of the season. Two of the first four Wolverines recorded falls in what was shaping up to be a nightmare rotation, but Bruck and Ray recorded back-to-back 9.900s -- the first two of the meet on beam -- and Michigan pulled into the lead, holding a 0.325 lead over second-place Penn State.
Michigan and Penn State sat out the sixth rotation, watching Minnesota compete on vault in its third event of the night, scoring 49.125 to remain in the hunt.
In the final rotation of the night, Michigan stepped up to compete on floor holding a 0.325 lead over Penn State, which was set to end the championships on beam, and a 0.700 lead over Minnesota, set to compete on bars. Kippley opened with a solid 9.825, but senior Shanna Duggan (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario/St. Basil) recorded a fall in her floor routine, scoring a 9.125. Meanwhile, Minnesota scored 9.650, 9.750 and 9.700 in its first three routines to fall out of contention for the title, while Penn State scored a 9.750, 9.850 and 9.775 in its first three routines.
Bruck solidified Michigan's floor rotation with a 9.825, and Clauson nailed a crucial 9.850 to set up Michigan's final routines by Deiley and Ray. On beam, Penn State hit a 9.800 in its fourth and fifth routines, while Deiley struggled with a 9.650. With Ray and Penn State's Kristal Uzelac competing simultaneously, Ray hit a 9.825 to clinch the title, while Uzelac did her best with a 9.950, but the Wolverines prevailed by a slim 0.125 margin.
Michigan rests for a week before competing at the NCAA Regionals Saturday (April 8). On Monday (March 28) the Wolverines will learn their seed and the regional site at which they will be competing.
Final Results
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 49.350 | 49.300 | 48.625 | 48.975 | 196.250 |
| 2. Penn State | 48.900 | 49.125 | 49.175 | 48.925 | 196.125 |
| 3. Minnesota | 49.125 | 48.800 | 48.525 | 48.925 | 195.375 |
| 4. Michigan State | 48.525 | 48.075 | 48.600 | 48.400 | 193.775 |
| 5. Illinois | 48.675 | 48.000 | 48.625 | 48.425 | 193.725 |
| 6. Iowa | 48.175 | 48.700 | 47.500 | 48.625 | 193.000 |
| 7. Ohio State | 48.525 | 47.525 | 48.350 | 48.475 | 192.875 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
VAULT Lauren Mirkovich 9.825 Lindsey Bruck 9.850 Shanna Duggan 9.825 Katie Lieberman 9.900 (t1) Elise Ray 9.875 (t4) Jenny Deiley 9.900 (t1) UNEVEN BARS Nellie Kippley 9.775 Katie Lieberman 9.800 Lindsey Bruck 9.850 (t4) Jenny Deiley 9.850 (t4) Lauren Mirkovich 9.900 (t2) Elise Ray 9.900 (t2) BALANCE BEAM Carol McNamara 9.675 Shanna Duggan 9.300 Becca Clauson 9.850 (t5) Jenny Deiley 9.275 Lindsey Bruck 9.900 (t2) Elise Ray 9.900 (t2) FLOOR EXERCISE Nellie Kippley 9.825 (t4) Shanna Duggan 9.125 Lindsey Bruck 9.825 (t4) Becca Clauson 9.850 (t1) Jenny Deiley 9.650 Elise Ray 9.825 (t4) ALL-AROUND Elise Ray 39.500 (1) Lindsey Bruck 39.425 (t2) Jenny Deiley 38.675 ( ) denotes place in Top 5
Big Ten Conference Award Winners
Co-Gymnasts of the Year: Elise Ray (Michigan), Carolyn Yernberg (Minnesota)
Freshman of the Year: Katie Lieberman, U-M
Coach of the Year: Bob Starkell, Illinois
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award: Chelsea Kroll (U-M recipient)
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
