No. 1 Michigan to Seek Share of B1G Regular-Season Crown at Big Five Meet

» Michigan remains the top-ranked team in the nation for the sixth straight week.
» U-M also ranks in the top five on all four events with four gymnasts in the top 15 on vault.
» The Wolverines will compete against Illinois, Iowa, Maryland and Ohio State at the Big Five Meet.

THE MEET
Friday, Feb. 18 -- at Big Five Meet (Toledo, Ohio), 7 p.m.
TV: FloGymnastics | Tickets | Live Results | Live Video

• Complete Notes (PDF)

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics seeks a share of the Big Ten regular-season title when they travel to Toledo, Ohio, for Friday's (Feb. 18) Big Five Meet hosted by Elevate the Stage event. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live by FloGymnastics.

The Wolverines will compete against Illinois, No. 17 Iowa, Maryland and No. 22 Ohio State. Michigan will have a bye in the first rotation before kicking off the meet on floor in the second rotation. U-M will then move to vault and uneven bars before concluding the meet on the beam.

Wolverine Bites

• U-M returns to the Elevate the Stage event for the first time since the 2020 season after individual universities hosted the Big Five Meet in 2021. The Wolverines won the 2020 meet, setting a then-program record with a 197.950.

• With a win this weekend, U-M would capture at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, its seventh since the Big Ten added a regular-season champion in 2013. The Wolverines won three straight from 2018-20 and finished second in 2021.

• The Wolverines will get the chance to compete on the podium this Friday night. Michigan last competed on podium at the 2021 national championship going 6-0 in Fort Worth, Texas, to capture the NCAA title. U-M is 50-1-1 in podium events in the last five seasons, going 13-1-0 on the podium in 2021.

• Michigan remains at No. 1 for the sixth straight week and ranks in the top five in all four events. U-M is the No. 1 team on the vault and floor exercise, while ranking second on uneven bars and fifth on the balance beam.

• Six Wolverines rank inside the top 15 across all four events, with four Michigan gymnasts being ranked on the vault. Seniors Natalie Wojcik and Abby Heiskell tie for third nationally, while Naomi Morrison ranks sixth and Gabby Wilson ranks 11th. Wojcik and Sierra Brooks rank eighth and ninth in the all-around and Wojcik ranks second on the uneven bars and 10th on the beam. Wilson, Brooks, and Morrison all rank in the top 10 on the floor, with Wilson coming in third, while Jacey Vore broke into the rankings at fourth after her collegiate debut on beam.

• Michigan and Iowa remain the only unbeaten teams in Big Ten action; Michigan is 4-0, while Iowa is 3-0.

• Jacey Vore took home her second and third Big Ten honors on Tuesday (Feb. 15), earning both Big Ten Specialist and Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Vore made her collegiate debut on the balance beam against Penn State. Leading off the rotation for the Wolverines, Vore notched a 9.925 which would earn her the event title. Vore also competed on the uneven bars as the anchor, scoring a 9.900 and placing third overall.

Opponent Previews

Illinois
Michigan leads 64-10-1 in the all-time series

Michigan earned two decisive wins over Illinois last season with a regular-season road win and a victory at the Big Ten Championships. The Wolverines have won five of the last six meetings, with its last loss to the Fighting Illini coming at the 2018 NCAA Regionals.

Illinois is 2-3 overall on the season and 1-3 in Big Ten meets, losing most recently to both then-No. 15 Michigan State and then-No. 5 Minnesota. The Fighting Illini rank in the top 30 on vault, uneven bars and floor exercise, coming in at No. 22 on vault and bars, while ranking 27th on the floor. Mia Takekawa leads Illinois, averaging a 39.325 in the all-around.

Iowa
Michigan leads 59-8 in the all-time series

U-M dominates the series against Iowa, but it was the Hawkeyes who gave Michigan one of its two losses in 2021. Iowa captured the Big Ten regular-season crown at the 2021 Big Five Meet. Prior to Big Fives the, Wolverines had not lost to Iowa since 2011.

Iowa is 6-1 overall this season and 3-0 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes' only loss came against No. 6 Minnesota. Iowa ranks 17th nationally as they travel to the Big Five meet as the No. 7 team on the floor exercise with a team average of 49.382 and a season-high 39.650. The Hawkeyes also rank 18th on vault and 19th on beam. Jerquavia Henderson is the top gymnast for the Hawkeyes, ranking 10th on the floor, 21st in the all-around and 30th on the vault, while Adeline Kenlin ranks 20th on the beam.

Maryland
Michigan leads 20-1 in the all-time series

The Wolverines have won 20 straight meets against Maryland with its only loss coming in the first meeting between the two squads in 1983 at a neutral site. Since then, Michigan has won by at least a full point dating back to 2017.

Maryland is 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten but most recently earned a non-conference win over No. 6 Minnesota. The Terrapins are averaging a 49.106 on the vault to rank 15th nationally and rank 21st nationally on the uneven bars with a 48.988 average. Audrey Barber leads Maryland with an all-around avergae of 39.313 and a 9.850 on the uneven bars.

Ohio State
Michigan leads 59-23 in the all-time series

Michigan has earned the victory in the last 11 meetings against the Buckeyes, including earning the programs first-ever score of 198 or higher at Ohio State in 2021. U-M has not lost to Ohio State since 2016 on the road.

Ohio State is 3-3 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten with its only loss coming to No. 6 Minnesota this past weekend. As a team, the Buckeyes rank 18th on floor exercise with an average score of 49.171, while coming in in the top 30 in the three remaining events. Tory Vetter is Ohio State's top-ranked gymnast as she is 13th on the (9.900), while Nicole Riccardi is 19th on the uneven bars with an average score of 9.894 and a season-best 9.925

Up Next

Saturday, Feb. 26 -- at Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.), 3:30 p.m. CST (TV: Big Ten Network)