Michigan
NCAA Semifinal I
Brianna Brown Heads to St. Louis for NCAA Championships
4/18/2018 3:52:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan women's gymnastics senior Brianna Brown will compete as an individual at the NCAA Championships at noon CDT Friday (April 20) in St. Louis, Missouri.
Not having her teammates around to support her will be a challenge for Brown and something she will need to get used to. Luckily for her she was placed in the same rotation as LSU and will compete alongside her former club teammate from Cincinnati, Lexie Priessman.
Brown qualified in the all-around with a third-place finish at the NCAA Regional on April 7 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Brown was disappointed not to make nationals with her team but plans to make the most of the experience.
"Now that I have had time to come to grips with the end of the season, I have really just been talking to people and they have been telling me to make this the best experience I can," said Brown. "I want to make every day and every turn count and realize that this is a great opportunity to go out and finish my career."
Over the last week, Brown has been training hard in the gym while managing the end of the winter term at the University of Michigan. She turned in a 20-plus-page paper and a 12-page paper on Tuesday (April 17), before leaving the next day for St. Louis. She also will have a final exam on Tuesday after returning from nationals.
However, the heavy academic load has not stopped her from having a great week of practice.
"She has had some great training," said head coach Bev Plocki. "The ideal is doing quality reps and keeping the quantity down. She has been able to do that so her body is feeling good. She is confident and ready to go."
"It is going to be difficult without any of my teammates," said Brown. "I am really looking forward to being with Lexie and having my family there to watch me go out and hopefully have the best meet of my career."
She will start on beam and finish on bars. Her last event is one which she has a scored a 9.950 her last two times out to win a Big Ten title and the NCAA Regional title.
"I am really excited to finish on bars just because it has always been my event," said Brown. "Not to say it comes easy for me, but it comes more natural. For that to be my last routine I do in my career is pretty surreal."
Brown has earned second-team All-America status each of the last three years, doing so in the all-around as a freshman and sophomore and on bars last season. She plans on focusing on her training and enjoying the moment, an approach that Plocki said has helped her compete on the big stage for years.
"Brianna has been on the big stage and has gained experience in big competitions," said Plocki. "She is prepared to do well in a nationals environment. She is in a great place with her confidence. You go out there and enjoy the experience as a senior and hopefully good things will come out of it."
Brown will be in the first NCAA semifinal session, which will be televised on ESPN2.
Players Mentioned
