Botterman, Knutson Win Events in Defeat at No. 9 Nebraska

Sunday, January 24

Lincoln, Neb.

2:00 PM CT

Michigan

194.725

196.025

Nebraska

Botterman, Knutson Win Events in Defeat at No. 9 Nebraska

1/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics

Jan. 24, 2010

• Notes & Quotes | Complete Results

Site: Lincoln, Neb. (Devaney Center)
Score: #9 Nebraska 196.025, #15 Michigan 194.725
Records: U-M (3-1, 2-0 Big Ten), Nebraska (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Attendance: 1,190
Next U-M Meet: Friday, Jan. 29 -- at Iowa State with BYU (Ames, Iowa), 7 p.m. CST

LINCOLN, Neb. -- With the score tied and three performers left to decide the meet, No. 9 Nebraska shined on the floor exercise, while the No. 15-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team absorbed three falls on the balance beam to lose, 196.025-194.725, on Sunday (Jan. 24) at the Devaney Center.

Michigan led by 0.100 heading into the final rotation with U-M on beam and Nebraska on floor. After three competitors, the Wolverines found themselves deadlocked with the home Huskers. Nebraska then posted a pair of 9.900 scores and a 9.875 to close out the meet, but each of the remaining Wolverines fell on beam, leading to Michigan's first loss of the season.

The finale overshadowed a strong meet for the Wolverines, who posted their second-best total of the year and a season-high team score on the floor exercise, and won the uneven bars, beam and all-around titles.

Junior Kylee Botterman (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) cleaned up the individual awards with three top-two finishes and the all-around crown (39.350), winning her second bars title of the year, matching her career best with a 9.900. She also finished runner-up on vault (9.800) and beam (9.800). Senior Kelsey Knutson (Ames, Iowa/Ames) took home her first beam title of the season and the fifth of her career with a 9.850, while freshman Natalie Beilstein's (Butler, Pa./Knoch) streak of consecutive event wins ended at four with a runner-up finish on vault (9.800) and a fourth-place finish on floor (9.850).

Michigan took control of the meet on one of its strongest events, posting a 49.050 score on bars to take a 0.200 lead on the Huskers after one rotation. Senior Sarah Curtis (Reno, Nev./Reno) and Botterman nailed back-to-back routines, earning 9.850 and 9.900, respectively, to each tie their season-high scores.

U-M's thin vault lineup led to the team fielding just five performers in the second rotation. The Wolverines topped out with a pair of 9.800 scores from Beilstein and Botterman, falling behind the Huskers, 98.025-97.775, after Nebraska totaled 49.175 on bars.

The Wolverines jumped back in front on floor with another strong tag-team performance from Beilstein and Botterman, who hit matching 9.850 routines to put U-M up 0.100 with one event remaining. The score was a season high for Botterman and tied a season best for Beilstein.

Michigan next travels to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State and BYU in a tri-meet on Friday (Jan. 29) at 7 p.m.

Team Standings

Team	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
Nebaraska	48.850	49.175	48.650	49.350	196.025
Michigan	48.725	49.050	47.950	49.000	194.725

Event-by-Event U-M Individual Scores

VaultKatie Zurales        9.650Brittnee Martinez    9.700Sarah Curtis         9.775 (t5)Kylee Botterman      9.800 (t2)Natalie Beilstein    9.800 (t2)no sixth vault
Uneven BarsKelsey Knutson       9.750Maureen Moody        9.725Brittnee Martinez    9.825Jordan Sexton        9.225Sarah Curtis         9.850 (t3)Kylee Botterman      9.900 (1)
Balance BeamKylee Botterman      9.800 (2)Jordan Sexton        9.725Kelsey Knutson       9.850 (1)Brittnee Martinez    9.225Sarah Curtis         9.325Jaclyn Kramer        9.250
Floor ExerciseJaclyn Kramer        9.675Brittnee Martinez    9.775Sarah Curtis         9.775Jordan Sexton        9.750Natalie Beilstein    9.850 (t4)Kylee Botterman      9.850 (t4)
All-AroundKylee Botterman     39.350 (1)Sarah Curtis        38.725 (3)Brittnee Martinez   38.525 (4)

N O T E S

• Junior Kylee Botterman tied a season and career high on bars with a 9.900, winning the title. Botterman's bars title is her second this season and the second of her career. Botterman also set a new season high on floor with a 9.850.

• Botterman also picked up the all-around title with a season-high 39.350. It is Botterman's second all-around title this season and the fifth of her career.

• Senior Kelsey Knutson matched her season high on beam with a 9.850, winning the individual title. The beam crown is the first for Knutson this season and the fifth of her career.

• Senior Sarah Curtis equaled a season high on bars with a 9.850.

• Freshman Natalie Beilstein equaled a season high on floor with a 9.850.

• Beilstein's streak of consecutive title wins was snapped at four when she finished runner-up on vault. Beilstein won each of her first four events to begin her collegiate career, nabbing a pair of vault and floor crowns.

• Michigan's 49.000 team score on floor was a season high.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Bev Plocki
On the team's first road meet ... "It was our first road trip of the year and it takes some getting used to. We have to use someone else's equipment and get used to another facility. We struggled a little in warmups but did well once those events rolled around. Our team showed a lot of fight and aggressiveness. We were good in parts but not as a whole. Our energy level was great, but our performances were a little slack. We need to get our beam issue corrected. We have the potential to be a fantastic beam team, but we can't put it together yet."

On Kylee Botterman's performance ... "Kylee has an outstanding meet. She really did well on each event and her results show how hard she works. She sees her weaknesses and makes them strengths."

On Kelsey Knutson's afternoon ... "I'm very proud of her. She struggled on beam in the fall when we added a new flight series, but she has gotten over that and become a great competitor on the balance beam."

Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423