Six Named to All-Big Ten First Team
3/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 14, 2016
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Six University of Michigan women's gymnasts were named to the All-Big Ten first team on Monday (March 14).
The six selections to the first team are the most since 2002 when U-M placed seven on the all-conference team. The 2013 season was the last year in which the Wolverines had six all-conference selections. Minnesota had the next highest first team selections with three to finish with five overall.
Junior Nicole Artz earned her third all-conference selection and was a first team choice for the second straight year. She ranks No. 14 in the nation in the all-around and has won 18 events this year. She is a four-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week.
Junior Talia Chiarelli and sophomore Brianna Brown were named to the first team for the second straight year. Chiarelli has won Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week four times this year and has 12 routines that have been scored 9.900 or better. Brown is No. 26 in the all-around nationally.
Senior Austin Sheppard also earned her second career first team honor, joining her 2014 selection. She has been very consistent on both vault and bars hitting on all 21 of her routines this season.
First-time selections were senior Lindsay Williams and freshman Olivia Karas. Williams has had a breakout senior season with a Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week honor and career highs on bars, beam and floor. Karas has been a standout freshman with three Gymnast of the Week and nine Freshman of the Week honors from the conference. She has four all-around titles to rank tied for seventh nationally while ranking tied for second in the country on vault.
The seventh-ranked Wolverines will be in Lincoln, Nebraska, this weekend for the Big Ten Championships on Saturday (March 19) at 4 p.m. CDT.
Communications Contact: Ben Blevins
