Michigan
Georgia
Michigan Sweeps Event Titles to Open Season with Win Over No. 15 Georgia
1/6/2022 10:00:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
» Michigan earned a score of 197.750 to defeat Georgia (194.500) and start the season with a win. The 197.750 is the highest season-opening score in program history.
» Natalie Wojcik captured the uneven bars and balance beam event titles and also won the all-around.
» U-M scored a 49.300 or higher to sweep all four events.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Score: #1 Michigan 197.750, #15 Georgia 194.500
Records: U-M (1-0), UGA (0-1)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 15 -- vs. Arizona State (Crisler Center), 4 p.m. (TV: B1G+)
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team opened the 2022 campaign with a 197.750-194.500 victory over No. 15 Georgia on Thursday night (Jan. 6) at Crisler Center.
U-M's score of 197.750 is the highest season-opening score in the history of the program, surpassing the 197.225 it scored a season ago against Ohio State and also is the highest season-opening score in Big Ten history, topping Nebraska's 197.375 to start the 2012 season.
The Wolverines scored a 49.300 or higher on all four events and swept the event titles, with senior Natalie Wojcik taking home the uneven bars, balance beam and all-around crowns. The trio of Reyna Guggino, Abby Heiskell and Sierra Brooks shared the vault title with matching 9.900s, and junior Gabby Wilson earned the floor title with a 9.950. Wojcik scored a 39.650 in the all-around, while notching a 9.950 on both the uneven bars and balance beam.
Michigan (1-0) started off the meet with a fiery 49.425 on the vault and followed it with a 49.475 on the uneven bars. The beam team came through with a 49.300 and with one rotation to go, Michigan scored a 49.550 on floor exercise to lock up its first win of the season.
Guggino got the Wolverines off to a hot start on the vault, earning a 9.900 with a stuck landing. Along with Guggino, Heiskell and Brooks earned 9.900s as the trio tied for first place in the first rotation and led Michigan to a 49.425 team score.
Moving into the second rotation, Heiskell stuck her landing as the leadoff on the uneven bars to place third overall, while Wilson earned a 9.925 in the four spot to place second overall in the event. In the anchor spot, Wojcik notched her first event title of the season with a 9.950, and U-M led Georgia 98.900-97.525 after two rotations inside Crisler Center.
Heiskell picked up where she left off last season, tying a career-best 9.925 on beam with a stuck landing in the second spot, while Wojcik anchored the rotation with a 9.950 to earn her second title of the evening. After three rotations, Michigan held a 148.200-146.125 lead over Georgia (0-1) heading into the final rotation.
With the meet all but locked up, Heiskell and Wojcik posted back-to-back 9.900s on floor exercise before Brooks scored the third score of 9.900 or better with a 9.925. Wilson closed out the meet with a 9.950 as U-M to a total of 49.550 and a season-opening win.
Michigan returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 15 when it welcomes Arizona State to Crisler for a 4 p.m. meet. The Wolverines will raise the 2021 national championship banner prior to the meet against the Sun Devils. Fans can watch all the action streamed live on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
