Wolverines Pick Up Season-Opening Wins Over Iowa, BGSU

Saturday, January 9

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:00 PM

Michigan

Iowa, Bowling Green

Wolverines Pick Up Season-Opening Wins Over Iowa, BGSU

1/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics

Jan. 9, 2010

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Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena)
U-M Team Finish: 1st of Three Teams (194.875)
Records: U-M (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten), Iowa (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten), Bowling Green (0-2, 0-0 MAC)
Attendance: 2,662
Next U-M Meet: Wednesday, Jan. 20 -- vs. Michigan State (Crisler Arena), 7 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The curtain rose on the 2010 University of Michigan women's gymnastics season Saturday night (Jan. 9) with the debut of brand new gymnasts and the continuation of an old streak inside Crisler Arena. The No. 12-ranked Wolverines came out on top of the three-team field with a 194.875 score, finishing ahead of Iowa (193.200) and Bowling Green (189.925). The win over Iowa extended Michigan's streak of consecutive victories over Big Ten opponents to 29, stretching 1,041 days.

Wolverine gymnasts took nine of a possible 12 top-three finishing spots, led by freshman Natalie Beilstein's (Butler, Pa./Knoch) vault (9.875) and floor exercise (9.850) titles in her collegiate debut. Junior All-American Kylee Botterman (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) won the uneven bars (9.900) and all-around (39.150) titles while taking runner-up on vault (9.850).

Beilstein was not the only Wolverine raising the curtain on her collegiate gymnastics career. Fellow freshmen Brittnee Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty) and Katie Zurales (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) each earned top-five finishes in their first college meet. Zurales tied for fourth on vault (9.750), while Martinez also picked up a fourth-place finish on floor (9.750).

The Wolverines took control of the meet at the halfway point, posting a 49.175 score on bars. A few missteps on vault and balance beam held the team score in check, but head coach Beverly Plocki is optimistic about how the Wolverines' performance would bode for the season ahead.

"This team has a tremendous amount of potential," Plocki said after the meet. "Sarah Curtis' hand slipped on the horse on her vault, which never happens, and we had a couple of silly things like that happen that are easily corrected."

The Wolverines face Michigan State in a midweek tilt in 11 days, hosting the Spartans on Wednesday (Jan. 20) at 7 p.m. in Crisler Arena. The Big Ten Network will broadcast the meet, which will be aired on tape delay later in the week.

Team Standings

Team Scores	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
MICHIGAN	48.650	49.175	48.225	48.825	194.875
Iowa	47.575	48.725	48.425	48.475	193.200
Bowling Green	48.025	47.450	46.750	47.700	189.925

Event-by-Event U-M Individual Scores

VaultKatie Zurales        9.750 (t4)Brittnee Martinez    9.750 (t4)Sarah Curtis         8.900Kylee Botterman      9.850 (2)Natalie Beilstein    9.875 (1)Jaclyn Kramer        9.425
Uneven BarsKelsey Knutson       9.775Maureen Moody        9.800 (t4)Brittnee Martinez    9.850 (t2)Jordan Sexton        9.225Sarah Curtis         9.850 (t2)Kylee Botterman      9.900 (1)
Balance BeamKylee Botterman      9.700Brittnee Martinez    8.900Jordan Sexton        9.825 (t2)Kelsey Knutson       9.700Sarah Curtis         9.825 (t2)Jaclyn Kramer        9.175
Floor ExerciseJaclyn Kramer        9.775 (2)Brittnee Martinez    9.750 (t4)Sarah Curtis         9.750 (t4)Jordan Sexton        9.100Natalie Beilstein    9.850 (1)Kylee Botterman      9.700
All-AroundKylee Botterman     39.150 (1)Sarah Curtis        38.325 (5)Brittnee Martinez   38.250

N O T E S

• Michigan extended its Big Ten win streak to 29 opponents with the win over Iowa. The Wolverines have not lost to a Big Ten school since 2007 when U-M fell to Penn State in a dual meet at Crisler Arena -- 1,041 days ago and counting.

• Junior Kylee Botterman equaled a career high with a 9.900 on bars. Botterman's best score on bars during the 2009 was a 9.875 at the Big Ten Championships.

• Botterman has now scored 39.000 or better in the all-around in eight straight regular-season meets. Botterman has also reached the 39.000 plateau nine times in the last 10 meets, falling short once at the NCAA Regionals in 2009.

• Michigan's 49.175 score on bars would have ranked as U-M's fourth-highest bars total in 2009, despite the absence of All-American Becky Bernard and Big Ten champion Trish Wilson in the current lineup. Three Wolverines went 9.850 or higher (Botterman -- 9.900, Curtis -- 9.850, Martinez -- 9.850).

Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423