Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Big Ten Champions! All-Around Winner Heiskell Leads Wolverines to 26th Title
3/19/2022 9:19:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
» Michigan won its 26th Big Ten championship.
» Abby Heiskell was a three-time Big Ten champion, including winning the all-around.
» Sierra Brooks (vault) and Natalie Wojcik (balance beam) also earned individual titles.
» U-M scored 198.200 for the first 198 in Big Ten Championships history.
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Covelli Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships
U-M Team Result: 1st place of 10 teams (198.200)
Record: U-M (23-1)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, March 22 -- NCAA Selection Show (NCAA.com), Noon
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team captured the program's 26th Big Ten Conference championship as it scored the first-ever 198 in Big Ten Championships history with a 198.200 Saturday night (March 19) at the Covelli Center on the Ohio State campus.
Michigan State placed second overall with a 197.050, and Iowa rounded out the top three with a 196.950.
Senior Abby Heiskell led the Wolverines as she became the 10th Michigan gymnast to win the Big Ten all-around title with a 39.700, while she also earned a share of the individual uneven bars and floor exercise championships.
U-M had an individual champion in all four events, as Sierra Brooks had a perfect 10.0, the second of her career, on the vault and Natalie Wojcik earned a share of the individual balance beam title with a 9.950. In total, the Wolverines had nine top-three finishes in the championship event and scored a 49.375 or higher on all four events.
Michigan's best score of the night came on the vault as four scorers notched 9.950s or higher to lead the team to a 49.725, while all five scoring gymnasts earned 9.900s or higher on the floor with Heiskell leading the pack for a team score of 49.575. Finally, the Wolverines earned a 49.525 on the uneven bars and a 49.375 on the beam.
Sophomore Naomi Morrison and junior Gabby Wilson put up solid 9.850s to start the first rotation for U-M on the beam before Brooks earned a 9.875. Heiskell matched Morrison and Wilson with a 9.850 before Wojcik anchored with a huge 9.950, which would hold on to tie for the title. Michigan scored a 49.375 in the first rotation, trailing Minnesota, which earned a 49.525 on the uneven bars, while leading both Ohio State and Michigan State.
U-M brought the energy on the floor starting with a 9.900 from senior Abby Brenner and followed up with a 9.950 from Heiskell. Michigan would post five scores of 9.900 in its second rotation as Morrison and Brooks earned back-to-back 9.900s and Wilson closed out the rotation with a 9.925 to put the Wolverines on top after two complete rotations with a running score of 98.950.
The fire continued on the vault as Wojcik, Heiskell and Morrison earned three straight 9.950s before Brooks scored her second 10.0 on the vault this season to win the title and lead Michigan to a 49.725 team score in the third rotation.
Heiskell's stellar night continued as she led off the uneven bars with a 9.950 that produced her third championship title of the day, and Brenner, Morrison and Jacey Vore all scored 9.900s to secure Michigan the 2022 Big Ten championship.
The Wolverines will find out where they are headed for the 2022 NCAA Regional Tuesday (March 22) during the NCAA Selection Show at noon on NCAA.com.
Players Mentioned
