Six Gymnasts on All-Big Ten Teams
3/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 13, 2017
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team had six student-athletes named to the All-Big Ten teams for the second straight season, including five on the first team and one on the second team, it was announced Monday (March 13).
The honorees on the first team included seniors Nicole Artz and Talia Chiarelli, junior Paige Zaziski and sophomores Olivia Karas and Emma McLean. Junior Lauren Marinez was named to the second team. Michigan and Nebraska tied for the league best with six each, but the Wolverines were the only team with more than three first team selections.
Artz has been named an All-Big Ten honoree all four seasons with three first team honors. She leads the Big Ten in the all-around (39.297) and floor exercise (9.920) and ranks tied for third on uneven bars (9.890). She was named Gymnast of the Week three times and Event Specialist of the Week once. She has won 12 events in 2017.
Chiarelli makes it three straight seasons on the first team. She is tied for third in the Big Ten on balance beam (9.875), sixth on vault (9.850) and tied for eighth on floor (9.880). She has five event titles this season.
Zaziski, a transfer from Arkansas, earns her first All-Big Ten honor to go with two All-SEC selections. She is the Big Ten leader on bars (9.915) and ranks tied for ninth on vault (9.835). She earned two Event Specialist of the Week accolades and has won bars four times.
Karas, last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is on the first team again in 2017. She is the top performer in the conference on vault (9.895) while ranking tied for ninth on beam (9.860). She has won Gymnast of the Week and six event titles this season.
McLean makes her debut on the All-Big Ten team. A breakout season for the sophomore has her ranked second on vault (9.890) and tied for second on floor (9.900) in the Big Ten. She earned three Event Specialist of the Week honors and has won seven events.
Marinez also earned All-Big Ten honors for the first time, making second team after an impressive junior campaign. She is tied for third in the Big Ten on beam (9.875) and has also added bars and floor to her events list this year. She was the Event Specialist of the Week on Jan. 23 and has won two event titles for the Wolverines.
Half of Michigan's roster made the All-Big Ten team this season. U-M tied with Nebraska for the regular-season championship, the third in five years for the Wolverines. The 10 schools in the conference will compete at the Big Ten Championship this Saturday (March 18) at 5 p.m.
Communications Contact: Ben Blevins
