Michigan
NCAA Individual Event Finals
Mirkovich Seventh, Thuener-Rego Eighth at Event Finals
4/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Fifth-year senior Lauren Mirkovich (Burlingame, Calif./Notre Dame) of the University of Michigan women's gymnastics team wrapped up her collegiate career with a seventh-place finish on the uneven bars at the NCAA Championships Individual Event Finals, while freshman Tatjana Thuener-Rego (Miami, Fla./American School) placed eighth on the balance beam in her first nationals Saturday (April 22) at Gill Coliseum on the campus of Oregon State University.
Mirkovich performed the second-to-last routine of the night, needing a score of 9.8500 or better for a chance at a national title. Three gymnasts had already fallen before Mirkovich, adding extra pressure to her routine. Mirkovich started strong and performed a solid routine, but a minor step on her dismount contributed to a 9.7625 score.
Thuener-Rego competed in her first individual finals, performing third in the first flight on the balance beam and scoring 9.7625 behind a pair from national champion Georgia, sophomore Nikki Childs and freshman Tiffany Tolnay. Thuener-Rego put together a solid performance before the packed crowd at Gill Coliseum, finishing in eighth place and drawing cheers from fans from all schools.
The Wolverines end the 2006 season seventh in the nation after securing their 14th straight bid to the NCAA Championships. Michigan finished the season with seven All-Americans, including first teamers Mirkovich (bars) and Thuener-Rego (beam) and second team honorees Thuener-Rego (floor), senior Jenny Deiley (Dayton, Minn./Elk River) (vault, bars), senior Becca Clauson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham) (floor), junior Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) (floor), sophomore Katie Lieberman (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) (vault) and freshman Becky Bernard (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Monroe Falls) (bars).
Final Results
VAULT 1. Ashley Miles, Alabama 9.9380 2. Kristina Comforte, UCLA 9.9000 3. Kate Richardson, UCLA 9.8313 4. Janet Anson, Iowa State 9.8250 Emily Parsons, Nebraska 9.8250 6. April Burkholder, LSU 9.8188 7. Nicolle Ford, Utah 9.7875 8. Ashley Postell, Utah 9.7813 9. Tiffany Tolnay, Georgia 9.7750 10. Gritt Hofmann, Utah 9.7250 UNEVEN BARS 1. Kristina Baskett, Utah 9.8500 2. Courtney Kupets, Georgia 9.8500 3. Ashley Kelly, Arizona State 9.8375 4. Katie Heenan, Georgia 9.8000 5. Ashley Postell, Utah 9.7875 6. Nicolle Ford, Utah 9.7750 7. LAUREN MIRKOVICH, U-M 9.7625 8. April Burkholder, LSU 9.7500 9. Tabitha Yim, Stanford 9.3250 10. Vanessa Meloche, Nebraska 9.2375 11. Stephanie LoPiccolo, Oklahoma 9.0750 BALANCE BEAM 1. April Burkholder, LSU 9.9125 Courtney Kupets, Georgia 9.9125 3. Tiffany Tolnay, Georgia 9.8500 4. Terin Humphrey, Alabama 9.8250 5. Nikki Childs, Georgia 9.8125 Corey Hartung, Florida 9.8125 7. Ashley Postell, Utah 9.8000 8. TATJANA THUENER-REGO, U-M 9.7625 FLOOR EXERCISE 1. Courtney Kupets, Georgia 9.9375 2. Janet Anson, Iowa State 9.9125 Ashley Miles, Alabama 9.9125 Kate Richardson, UCLA 9.9125 Tabitha Yim, Stanford 9.9125 6. Emily Parsons, Nebraska 9.9000 7. Kelsey Erickson, Georgia 9.8500 8. April Burkholder, LSU 9.8375 Corey Hartung, Florida 9.8375 10. Trisha Woo, Nebraska 9.7500 11. Savannah Evans, Florida 9.6625
Day 1 Results
N O T E S
Freshman Tatjana Thuener-Rego became U-M's fourth freshman in the last four seasons to earn NCAA All-America first team honors, following Katie Lieberman (2005), Lindsey Bruck (2004) and Jenny Deiley (2003).
Lauren Mirkovich bettered her standing from a year ago, placing seventh at the 2006 Individual Event Finals -- one spot higher than her eighth-place 2005 showing.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
