Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Wilson, Botterman Lead U-M to Third Straight Big Ten Title
3/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall)
Event: Big Ten Championships
U-M Team Finish: 1st Place of 7 Teams (197.075)
Records: U-M (19-5, 10-0 Big Ten)
Attendance: 1,417
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 4 -- at NCAA Regional Championships (Site TBA)
Notes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team earned its third straight Big Ten Championships team title, using a season-best 197.075 to edge No. 16 Illinois (196.750) and No. 13 Penn State (196.525) in the last rotation Saturday (March 21) at Huff Hall. It is Michigan's 17th Big Ten title and marks the third time the Wolverines have won at least three consecutive crowns (1992-97, 1999-2005, 2007-09).
Needing a strong score in the final event on the floor exercise, Michigan threw up a season-high 49.450 to go with previous season highs on vault and uneven bars while winning a pair of individual titles in the process.
Sophomore Kylee Botterman (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) became just the third Wolverine to defend her Big Ten floor title, scoring a career-best 9.950 for a three-way share of the crown, while sophomore Trish Wilson (Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley) became the seventh Wolverine in a row to win the bars title, scoring a career-high 9.950. Botterman also added a runner-up showing in the all-around with a career-high 39.475 and a fourth-place tie on bars with a season-best 9.875. Wilson tacked on a runner-up finish on vault with a career-high 9.900 to cap the best meet of her career.
Junior Maureen Moody (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) shared runner-up honors on bars with a career-best 9.900, while senior Becky Bernard (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) tied for fourth with a 9.875. On the balance beam, junior Jordan Sexton (Weddington, N.C./Weddington) and Bernard shared fifth-place honors with matching 9.850s, and junior Sarah Curtis (Reno, Nev./Reno) and senior Tatjana Thuener-Rego (Miami, Fla./American School) each scored 9.900 on floor to share fifth.
After missing six meets this season due to injury, Wilson had the meet of her life, putting up career highs and the top U-M score in both of her events, including a 9.900 vault in just her fourth collegiate try and a 9.950 bars routine, worthy of the Big Ten crown. Competing against her sister for possibly the final time, Botterman had a pair of top-five finishes and two career highs, leading her team over sister Marijka's Illinois squad for the second time in as many years.
Michigan sat out with a bye in the first rotation as Penn State took an early lead in the meet with a season-high 49.275 on vault, followed by Michigan State's strong showing on floor (49.150). The home crowd was pleased with Illinois' 48.950 on bars, while Ohio State overcame a fall on beam to log a 48.625.
U-M came out on fire with a season-best 49.225 on vault, eclipsing the previous high by 0.050. Performing just the third vault of her collegiate career, Wilson nailed a career-best 9.900 in the team's fifth performance, while Botterman anchored the group, tying her season best with a 9.850. Penn State performed a solid 49.025 rotation on bars, while Minnesota got on the board with a 48.825 on floor. Iowa came out cold, counting a fall on beam and limping to a 48.225 score in its first event.
Needing a 49.075 on bars to catch pace-setting Penn State, the Wolverines blazed to a season-best 49.425 score, obliterating the previous high by 0.225 as they counted a pair of 9.875s, a 9.900 and a 9.950. Nailing career-best routines were Wilson, who scored a 9.950, and junior Maureen Moody (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing), who stuck a 9.900 performance. Adding to the total were 9.875s from Botterman and Bernard.
With Michigan waiting in the wings on a second bye, Penn State struggled to recover from a fall on beam, posting a sub-stellar 48.875, but remained ahead of the pack. Michigan State's 48.725 on bars kept the Spartans in the hunt, while Minnesota's 49.075 kept the Gophers slightly ahead of Illinois through two events.
With two events remaining, Michigan took to the toughest event of all, the balance beam. Three of four teams to compete on beam had already registered a fall, including the Hawkeyes, whose championship hopes likely evaporated with a pair in their first rotation. The Wolverines kept steady, using 9.850 scores fromSexton and Bernard to go with a 9.800 for Botterman. The score put Michigan in the lead among teams having completed three events, ahead 0.250 on second-place Illinois and 0.525 in front of third-place Penn State.
With Penn State finishing its meet on floor in the sixth rotation, the benchmark was set for a great finish. The Nittany Lions scored 49.425 on floor, increasing the number of scores of 9.850 or better on floor at Big Tens to 21 out of 36 routines (58 percent).
U-M took to the floor to close the meet with Illinois on vault and in the thick of the hunt. Michigan and Illinois dueled down the stretch with Illinois recovering after a 9.600 in the first vault to go 9.875, 9.900 and 9.925. The Wolverines posted scores of 9.800, 9.850 and 9.900 for Curtis. As Illinois continued to hit, Michigan matched the home team routine for routine, with Thuener-Rego's season-high 9.900 and Botterman's career-high 9.950 pushing the score higher and higher. Junior Jaclyn Kramer (West Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills) put the icing on the cake, hitting a season-high 9.850 routine to seal the victory.
Michigan will await the NCAA Regional draw on Monday (March 23) to learn its final ranking and where it will be sent for the NCAA Regionals, which will take place Saturday (April 4) with times to be determined. The six programs hosting an NCAA Regional in 2009 are Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, North Carolina State, Ohio State and Washington. For the first time, the top 36 teams in the nation will earn spots in an NCAA Regional and with all 36 programs grouped in serpentine order.
Team Standings
| Team Scores | Vault | Bars | Beam | Floor | Total |
| 1. MICHIGAN | 49.225 | 49.425 | 48.975 | 49.450 | 197.075 |
| 2. Illinois | 49.375 | 48.950 | 48.925 | 49.500 | 196.750 |
| 3. Penn State | 49.275 | 49.025 | 48.800 | 49.425 | 196.525 |
| 4. Minnesota | 49.075 | 49.075 | 49.025 | 48.825 | 196.000 |
| 5. Ohio State | 49.125 | 49.025 | 48.625 | 49.125 | 195.900 |
| 6. Michigan State | 48.950 | 48.725 | 48.825 | 49.150 | 195.650 |
| 7. Iowa | 49.125 | 48.850 | 48.225 | 49.250 | 195.450 |
Event-By-Event U-M Individual Scores
VAULT Huneth Lor 9.750 Sarah Curtis 9.825 Kari Pearce 9.800 Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.850 Trish Wilson 9.900 (t2) Kylee Botterman 9.850 UNEVEN BARS Sarah Curtis 9.825 Maureen Moody 9.900 (t2) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.775 Trish Wilson 9.950 (1) Becky Bernard 9.875 (t4) Kylee Botterman 9.875 (t4) BALANCE BEAM Huneth Lor 9.750 Jordan Sexton 9.850 (t5) Kylee Botterman 9.800 Sarah Curtis 9.725 Becky Bernard 9.850 (t5) Kelsey Knutson 9.300 FLOOR EXERCISE Huneth Lor 9.800 Jordan Sexton 9.850 Sarah Curtis 9.900 (t5) Tatjana Thuener-Rego 9.900 (t5) Kylee Botterman 9.950 (t1) Jaclyn Kramer 9.850 ALL-AROUND Kylee Botterman 39.475 (2) Sarah Curtis 39.275 ( ) denotes place in the Top 5
Players Mentioned
