Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Michigan Dominates Big Ten Meet for 16th League Title
3/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
Event: Big Ten Championships
U-M Team Finish: 1st Place of 7 Teams (196.750)
Records: U-M (23-1, 13-0 Big Ten)
Attendance: 3,852
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 12 -- at NCAA Regional Championships (Site TBA)
Complete Results | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Led by event titles from sophomore Sarah Curtis(Reno, Nev./Reno) and freshman Kylee Botterman(New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central), the No. 4 University of Michigan women's gymnastics team won its 16th conference title in convincing fashion, outdistancing its nearest competitor by a full point at the Big Ten Championships Saturday afternoon (March 29) at Crisler Arena. The host Wolverines scored 196.750 on their home floor to defend their 2007 title, while runner-up Illinois finished at 195.750 in the seven-team meet.
Curtiswon the uneven bars title outright with a career-best 9.950 and placed runner-up in the all-around competition with a 39.450, and Bottermanshared the floor exercise title with a 9.900 and tied for runner-up honors on vault with a 9.900. Fifth-year senior and Big Ten Gymnast of the Year Lindsey Bruck(Marietta, N.Y./Marcellus) took runner-up on the balance beam with a 9.875 and finished third in the all-around (39.325), while senior Katie Lieberman(Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) shared second on vault (9.900) and junior Tatjana Thuener-Rego(Miami, Fla./American School) took runner-up on bars (9.925).
Michigan led from beginning to end, holding a comfortable lead over second-place Penn State for most of the meet until a surging Illinois squad overtook the Nittany Lions for second place. The title is the 16th for the Wolverines since 1982 and the 15th in the last 17 seasons, giving head coach and Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year Bev Plocki 15 Big Ten rings in her 19-year career with the Wolverines.
Penn State followed Michigan and Illinois in third place (195.625), while Michigan State (195.050), Iowa (194.775), Minnesota (194.425) and Ohio State (194.075) rounded out the field.
Michigan drew a less than favorable draw to open the Championships, starting the meet on a bye awaiting the opportunity to tackle the beam in rotation number two. While the Wolverines waited in the wings, Penn State jumped to an early lead with a 49.000 on bars, with Ohio State and Iowa deadlocked in second with scores of 48.675. Minnesota trailed the pack with 48.225, while Michigan State and Illinois waited for their chance to compete.
The Wolverines put up a 49.050 on the balance beam, surviving a scare in the five spot but using a stellar 9.875 from Bruck and a 9.850 from Curtis. Junior Huneth Lor(Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) put up a personal Big Tens best score of 9.800, while senior Megan Moore(Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams) shined in her first and only Big Ten Championships meet, scoring 9.775. Sophomore Kelsey Knutson (Ames, Iowa/Ames) added a 9.750 to the team total, also setting a personal Big Tens best. Illinois put up a 49.775 on floor in its first event of the Championships, while MSU scored 48.625 in its first event of the Championships on vault.
Michigan kicked back on a second bye, watching its closest competition, Penn State, go 48.900 on beam, surviving a wobble of its own. Michigan State kept in the hunt with a solid 49.000 on bars.
The Wolverines opened the fourth rotation on the floor exercise, scoring 49.050 to remain 0.200 points ahead of next-best Penn State with half the meet behind them. Michigan put up freshman Kari Pearce's(Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) 9.700 and senior Nellie Kippley's(St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) 9.650 after a step out of bounds. Curtis went 9.825 in the third routine and Bruck totaled 9.800, setting up defending Big Ten floor champion Lieberman in the five spot. Lieberman posted a 9.825 to tie for the highest score on the event through four teams, leaving Botterman with the final performance. Botterman brought the crowd to its feet with a thrilling 9.900 routine, tying her career best in the process.
U-M sat out for its final bye of the night in the fifth rotation as Penn State took to the floor and scored 48.825 to remain close to the Wolverines, but Illinois snuck up into third place with a 48.825 on bars to give the Illini a 146.700 score through three rotations -- just a quarter point away from the Lions.
Michigan traveled to vault for the sixth rotation, putting up a huge score of 49.225, 0.125 points better than the next-best team total, to take a half-point lead over Penn State. Pearce led off with a 9.750, followed by an escalating 9.800 for Bruck and a 9.825 for Curtis. Lieberman, the 2005 and 2006 vault champion, had one final crack at a Big Ten individual title and did not disappoint, scoring a 9.900. Thuener-Rego followed with a 9.800. That set up sensational freshman Botterman for another of her specialties, and she came through with a 9.900 to equal Lieberman and give U-M a resounding score.
In the last rotation with a Big Ten title in their grasp, Michigan took to the bars with the next-best challenger, Penn State, on the vault. Bruck led off with an excellent 9.850 routine to give her a solid 39.325 all-around total, while sophomore Maureen Moody(East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing), coming off five weeks out of the Wolverine lineup, matched with her own 9.850. Curtis raised the roof with a 9.950 to equal her career best and give her 39.450 in the all-around, while Thuener-Rego went for broke with a career-best 9.925. Botterman closed the rotation with a 9.850, sealing the win for the Wolverines.
Michigan will await the end of the regular season to learn its final ranking and where it will be sent for the NCAA Regionals, which will take place Saturday (April 12) with times to be determined. The six programs hosting an NCAA Regional in 2008 are Minnesota, Penn State, Oklahoma, Florida, Louisiana State and Oregon State. The top 36 teams in the nation will earn spots in an NCAA Regional, with the top 18 teams being seeded in serpentine order. The remaining 18 teams will be added to each regional based on geography.
Team Standings
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 49.225 | 49.425 | 49.050 | 49.050 | 196.750 |
| 2. Illinois | 49.100 | 48.825 | 49.050 | 48.775 | 195.750 |
| 3. Penn State | 48.900 | 49.000 | 48.900 | 48.825 | 195.625 |
| 4. Michigan State | 48.625 | 49.000 | 48.575 | 48.850 | 195.050 |
| 5. Iowa | 48.125 | 49.000 | 48.975 | 48.675 | 194.775 |
| 6. Minnesota | 48.700 | 48.825 | 48.225 | 48.675 | 194.425 |
| 7. Ohio State | 48.675 | 48.400 | 47.925 | 49.075 | 194.075 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
VAULT Kari Pearce 9.750 Lindsey Bruck 9.800 Sarah Curtis 9.825 Katie Lieberman 9.900 (t2) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.800 Kylee Botterman 9.900 (t2) UNEVEN BARS Lindsey Bruck 9.850 Maureen Moody 9.850 Sarah Curtis 9.950 (1) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.925 (2) Becky Bernard 9.850 Kylee Botterman 9.850 BALANCE BEAM Huneth Lor 9.800 Megan Moore 9.775 Sarah Curtis 9.850 (t5) Kelsey Knutson 9.750 Becky Bernard 9.550 Lindsey Bruck 9.875 (t2) FLOOR EXERCISE Kari Pearce 9.700 Nellie Kippley 9.650 Sarah Curtis 9.825 Lindsey Bruck 9.800 Katie Lieberman 9.825 Kylee Botterman 9.900 (t1) ALL-AROUND Sarah Curtis 39.450 (2) Lindsey Bruck 39.325 (3) ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
