Michigan
NCAA Team Prelims and All-Around
Michigan Ends Dream Season at NCAAs in Sixth Place
4/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Site: Salt Lake City, Utah (Huntsman Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Team Prelims and All-Around)
U-M Finish: 6th Place of 6 Teams (195.100)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 28 -- at NCAA Individual Event Finals (Salt Lake City, Utah), 7 p.m. MDT
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team finally ran out of luck at the 2007 NCAA Championships, scoring a 195.100 to miss out on a trip to the Super Six finals with a sixth-place finish Friday (April 26) at the Huntsman Center. The Wolverines battled injuries and adversity all season, but still captured the Big Ten Championships' team title and advanced to the program's 15th straight NCAA Championships.
Junior Katie Lieberman (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) earned her second All-America first team accolade with a fourth-place 9.850 on the floor exercise, earning a berth in Saturday's individual event finals. Junior Nellie Kippley (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) picked up her first All-America honor, picking up second team accolades with a sixth-place 9.900 on vault, while sophomore Becky Bernard (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) took her second All-America second team accolade on the uneven bars with a fifth-place 9.900. Bernard barely missed a trip to the individual event finals when UCLA scored a 9.925 in the second to last routine of the final rotation.
Michigan shook off any early-meet jitters in the first rotation, seizing control of second place with a 49.125 on vault to trail Stanford by 0.050. While the Wolverines shook off their nerves, LSU suffered them in spades with a fall and a 9.575 on bars to earn itself an uphill road to the Super Six with a 48.700. Sophomore Huneth Lor (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) broke the ice for the Wolverines with the first vault of the night, kicking off the NCAA Championships with a 9.750. Kippley nailed a 9.900 in the second vault to equal her career best, while on the other side of Huntsman, LSU suffered a fall on bars. Senior Carol McNamara (Hastings, Minn./Hastings) scored a 9.875 in U-M's third vault to equal her season high, while the Tigers continued to self-destruct on bars with an extra swing and a 9.575 in their fifth routine. Freshman Maureen Moody (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) and Lieberman tallied matching scores of 9.800 to round out the rotation.
With the Wolverines on bye, Stanford proceeded to shoot the lights out on vault, tallying four scores of 9.900 or better to cement its lead on the meet. LSU righted the ship with a solid showing on the balance beam -- despite a fall in the final routine -- and host Utah put up a 49.125 on floor to get into the mix.
With the previous two teams going 48.700 on bars, Michigan stepped up to its strongest event and -- six routines later -- left with its own 48.700. Lieberman and Lor led off bars to begin the third rotation for the Wolverines, with freshman Kelsey Knutson (Ames, Iowa/Ames) scoring a 9.775 in the third routine. With the crowd in a frenzy over high scores for Utah on vault, Moody suffered a miscue on bars and nearly fell, pulling out a 9.375 but putting the pressure on U-M's final two performers. Sophomore Tatjana Thuener-Rego (Miami, Fla./American School) scored a 9.575 in the fifth routine but -- thanks to Bernard's 9.900 in the anchor spot -- the Wolverines averted disaster. Utah tallied a 49.500 on vault to spring into second place behind Stanford which led the meet with a team score of 98.700. LSU bounced back from bars to take third place with a 97.950; the Wolverines and UCLA Bruins tied for fourth place with matching scores of 97.825.
Moving straight to the balance beam after a disheartening performance on bars, Michigan needed to make up ground. One fall and a pair of near falls ended the Wolverine title chances for 2007. Kippley led off with a poised routine, scoring a 9.825, but Lor and Knutson nearly fell in both of their routines to put the Wolverines in a hole. Bernard scored a 9.800 in the fourth routine but a fall and a Thuener-Rego 9.775 ended the rotation on a sad note for the upstart Wolverines.
After sitting out the bye, Michigan went for broke in the final rotation on floor, needing a 9.850 or better to put a gymnast into Saturday's individual event finals. Lor fell a little short, notching a 9.775 to kick things off while McNamara upped the ante with a 9.800 right behind her. Lieberman earned her way to Saturday with a 9.850 followed by three-straight 9.825s to close the meet.
Lieberman will represent the Maize and Blue on floor exercise, competing in the NCAA Individual Event Finals on Saturday (April 28) at 7 p.m. MDT. Lieberman will join 17 other gymnasts on floor to vie for an individual national championship.
Final Results
| Team | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. Utah | 49.500 | 49.500 | 49.200 | 49.125 | 197.325 |
| 2. Stanford | 49.525 | 49.200 | 49.300 | 49.175 | 197.200 |
| 3. UCLA | 49.425 | 49.225 | 49.025 | 48.800 | 196.475 |
| 4. LSU | 49.300 | 48.700 | 49.250 | 49.025 | 196.275 |
| 5. Denver | 48.975 | 48.700 | 48.975 | 48.925 | 195.575 |
| 6. MICHIGAN | 49.125 | 48.700 | 48.150 | 49.125 | 195.100 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
VAULT Huneth Lor 9.750 Nellie Kippley 9.900 (t6) Carol McNamara 9.875 Maureen Moody 9.800 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.650 Katie Lieberman 9.800 UNEVEN BARS Katie Lieberman 9.750 Huneth Lor 9.700 Kelsey Knutson 9.775 Maureen Moody 9.375 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.575 Becky Bernard 9.900 (t5) BALANCE BEAM Nellie Kippley 9.825 Huneth Lor 8.950 Kelsey Knutson 9.625 Becky Bernard 9.800 Clare Flannery 9.125 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.775 FLOOR EXERCISE Huneth Lor 9.775 Carol McNamara 9.800 Katie Lieberman 9.850 (t3) Becky Bernard 9.825 Nellie Kippley 9.825 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.825 ALL-AROUND Tatjana Thuener-Rego 38.825 Huneth Lor 38.175 ( ) denotes place in the Top 8
N O T E S
• Junior Katie Lieberman punched her ticket to the individual event finals with a 9.850 on floor, earning the second All-America first team honor of her career. Lieberman was an All-America first team honoree on vault as a freshman and a second teamer on vault in 2006.
• Junior Nellie Kippley becomes Michigan's 31st All-American, earning second team honors with a 9.900. The score tied a career high for the Wolverine co-captain.
• Sophomore Becky Bernard picked up her second-straight All-America second team honor on bars, scoring a 9.900.
• Senior Carol McNamara tied a season high with a 9.875 vault.
• Michigan scored 49.000 or better on vault in each of the last 12 meets, dating back to January 26 vs. Southern Utah.
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
