Six Wolverines Earn Seven Overall All-America Honors

Thursday, April 22

Gainesville, Fla.

7:00 PM

Michigan

NCAA Team Preliminaries

4/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics

April 22, 2010

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Site: Gainesville, Fla. (Stephen C. O'Connell Center)
Event: NCAA Team Preliminaries
U-M Team Standing: 4th of 6 Teams (195.700)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 24 -- at NCAA Individual Event Finals (Gainesville, Fla.), 6 p.m.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The 11th-seeded University of Michigan women's gymnastics team finished in fourth place in the evening session of the NCAA Preliminaries, scoring 195.700 to end its team season on Thursday night (April 22) at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Alabama (196.850), Florida (196.775) and Stanford (196.300) advanced to Super Six.

Four Wolverines -- senior Kelsey Knutson (Ames, Iowa/Ames), freshman Natalie Beilstein (Butler, Pa./Knoch), junior Kylee Botterman (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) and freshman Brittnee Martinez (Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty) -- earned All-America first team honors and will advance to the NCAA Individual Event Finals on Saturday (April 24) at 6 p.m. Botterman also earned All-America second-team honors in the all-around, putting up the seventh-best total in both sessions (39.425). The Wolverines picked up seven All-America honors overall.

Knutson earned All-America first team honors on balance beam with a 9.875, tying for third place, while Beilstein tied for third on vault with a 9.900, also earning All-America first team honors. Botterman tied for fourth on vault with Martinez with matching scores of 9.900, each earning All-America first team laurels.

Two additional Wolverines earned All-America second team honors with senior Jordan Sexton (Weddington, N.C./Weddington) taking second-team honors with a 9.850 on beam and senior Sarah Curtis (Reno, Nev./Reno) taking second-team honors in the all-around with a 49.400 total, tying for 10th place.

The Wolverines began their meet on their nemesis at the NCAA Regional Championships -- balance beam. U-M incurred three falls at the regional meet two weeks ago and needed a clean run to have a strong chance of advancing to Super Six. An injury at regionals forced Beilstein into the line-up, replacing fellow freshman Katie Zurales (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) and moving to the sixth spot in the line-up. Curtis led off with an NCAA personal-best 9.825, followed by an NCAA personal-best and season-high 9.850 for Sexton. In the third spot, Martinez tumbled during her routine, putting the pressure on the back half of the line-up. Botterman maintained her streak of performances without a fall, scoring 9.800 and Knutson rebounded from a fall at regionals with a sizzling 9.875, leaving Beilstein all alone in the anchor. Beilstein stepped up to compete beam for the fourth time all year (and for the first time since Feb. 13). She looked strong early in the routine but lost her balance in the middle and fell, finishing with a 9.100, which the Wolverines were forced to count. The 48.450 team score all but put the Wolverines out of the running for a top-three spot without exceptional results in the final three events or miscues from the top schools in the prelim session.

Michigan steadied the ship on floor exercise with Beilstein rebounding with a 9.900 and Curtis and Botterman scoring 9.875 to give the Wolverines a 49.150 team score. U-M headed to vault in fifth place at the midway point, working with another retooled line-up with the loss of Zurales. Despite the change, Michigan put up the team's second-best vault score of the year (49.375) with a pair of career highs and a season high in the line-up. Junior Kari Pearce (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) led off with a season-best 9.850 and senior Jaclyn Kramer (West Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills) capped the event with a career-best 9.850, while Botterman and Martinez hit for 9.900 (a career-high for Martinez) and Beilstein tacked on a 9.875.

Still with a shot at Super Six with an outstanding performance on bars, Michigan suffered a 9.400 and a 9.350 in the first two performances to end the team's chance of advancing.

Beilstein, Botterman, Knutson and Martinez will each compete at the NCAA Individual Event Finals on Saturday (April 24) starting at 6 p.m.

Team Standings	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	Total
Alabama	49.325	49.350	49.225	48.950	196.850
Florida	49.425	48.900	49.175	49.275	196.775
Stanford	49.325	48.950	49.100	48.275	196.300
Michigan	49.375	48.725	48.450	49.150	195.700
Arkansas	49.250	49.125	48.000	49.225	195.600
Missouri	49.200	49.025	47.450	48.925	194.600

Event-by-Event U-M Individual Scores

VaultKari Pearce          9.850Brittnee Martinez    9.900 (t4)Sarah Curtis         9.850Natalie Beilstein    9.875Kylee Botterman      9.900 (t4)Jaclyn Kramer        9.850
Uneven BarsKelsey Knutson       9.400Maureen Moody        9.350Brittnee Martinez    9.800Jordan Sexton        9.825Sarah Curtis         9.850Kylee Botterman      9.850
Balance BeamSarah Curtis         9.825Jordan Sexton        9.850 (t7)Brittnee Martinez    8.450Kylee Botterman      9.800Kelsey Knutson       9.875 (t3)Natalie Beilstein    9.100
Floor ExerciseJaclyn Kramer        9.150Brittnee Martinez    9.725Jordan Sexton        9.775Sarah Curtis         9.875Natalie Beilstein    9.900 (t3)Kylee Botterman      9.875
All-AroundKylee Botterman     39.425 (5)Sarah Curtis        39.400 (t6)Brittnee Martinez   37.875

N O T E S

• Michigan's All-America haul gives the program 136 All-America honors overall. Freshman Natalie Beilstein, freshman Brittnee Martinez, senior Sarah Curtis, senior Kelsey Knutson and senior Jordan Sexton also earned the first All-America honors of their careers, bringing Michigan's number of All-America athletes to 56.

• Junior Kylee Botterman becomes a five-time NCAA All-American with two laurels at the 2010 NCAA Championships. Botterman has picked up All-America first team honors on vault, bars and floor and second-team honors on vault and in the all-around.

• Filling in on vault for injured freshman Katie Zurales, senior Jaclyn Kramer obliterated her previous career best with a 9.850 vault -- a full 0.225 points higher than her previous best. Kramer's highest vault score of the year was a 9.425 in the season opener, which is also the last time she ever vaulted.

• Freshman Brittnee Martinez nailed a career-high 9.900 vault -- bettering the 9.875 she put up against Alabama in the regular-season finale.

• Freshman Kari Pearce scored a season-best 9.850 vault score in her final meet of the year.

• Michigan's top vaulters -- junior Kylee Botterman and freshman Natalie Beilstein -- each added to their vault resumes at prelims. Each has just two vault scores lower than 9.850 this season and Botterman now has three straight vaults of 9.900 in the postseason this year (9.900 scores at Big Tens, regionals and now the NCAA Championships).

• Michigan bids adieu to three seniors that ended their careers tonight -- Kelsey Knutson, Jaclyn Kramer and Maureen Moody. Seniors Sarah Curtis and Jordan Sexton will return next year for a fifth year of eligibility.

• Michigan's fourth-place finish ends the team's season. The Wolverines conclude the year in 10th place overall after being picked to finish 12th in the GymInfo preseason poll. It is Michigan's 17th top-10 finish in program history.

Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423