2018 Women's Gymnastics Roster
Olivia Karas
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Chicago, Ill.
- High School:
- Latin School of Chicago
Features on Olivia
• Karas' Madonna-Themed Floor Routine a Hit (MGoBlue.com)
• Open the Vault: Season-Ending Injury (MGoBlue.com)
• Senior Letters: McLean, Karas Reflect on Four Years Together (MGoBlue.com)
Career Bests
| Event | Score | Date |
| Vault | 9.975 | 1/28/17 vs. Nebraska |
| Uneven Bars | 9.950 | 2x, last 2/10/19 vs. Iowa |
| Balance Beam | 9.925 | 2x, last 3/2/19 at Utah |
| Floor Exercise | 9.950 | 6x, last 2/3/19 vs. Nebraska |
| All-Around | 39.650 | 3/2/19 at Utah |
At Michigan
• Graduated with a degree in communication and a minor in writing in May, 2019
• AAI Award Finalist
• Six-time All-American, 2x floor and all-around, 1x bars and beam
• Five-time regular season All-American (2019: 2nd team on floor and all-around; 2016: 1st team on vault and floor; 2nd team in all-around)
• 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
• Two-time Big Ten Champion: floor (2017) and all-around (2019)
• 2018 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
• Three-time first team All-Big Ten (2016, 2017, 2019)
• Three-time All-Big Ten Championships Team (2016, 2017, 2019)
• Two NCAA Championship appearances (2017 and 2019)
• Won four Big Ten team championships (2016-19)
• Three straight Big Ten regular season championships (2017-19)
• 2017 NCAA Regional champions
• Two-time Scholastic All-American (2017, 2019)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2019)
• Three-time Academic All-Big Ten (2017-19)
• Three-time U-M Academic Achievement
• Six-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week
• Nine-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week
• 40 career event and all-around titles, including 13 on vault, six on bars, two on beam, 11 on floor and eight in the all-around
• Scored 9.900 or better on 65 career routines, including 17 on vault, 12 on bars, 10 on beam and 26 on floor
Senior (2019)
• AAI Award Finalist
• Four-time WCGA All-American (1st team on uneven bars and floor exercise; 2nd team on balance beam and the all-around)
• Two-time WCGA regular season All-American (2nd team on floor and the all-around)
• Big Ten All-Around champion (39.600)
• All-Big Ten Championships team
• All-Big Ten first team
• NCAA Championship appearance
• Big Ten champions
• Big Ten regular season champions
• Big Ten Gymnast of the Week (3/5)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
• WCGA Scholastic All-American
• Academic All-Big Ten
• U-M Academic Achievement Award
• Finished the season ranked in the top-50 nationally on bars (T-19th), beam (T-44th), floor (T-16th) and in the all-around (15th)
• Secured 13 total event and all-around titles, including one on vault, three on bars, two on beam, five on floor and two in the all-around
• Scored 9.900 or better on 25 routines, including two on vault, eight on bars, six on beam and nine on floor
• Tied for eighth in the all-around (39.5375), tied for seventh on floor (9.925) and tied for 9th on bars (9.900) at the NCAA Championship semifinals
• Tied for the Big Ten All-Around title with a 39.600, scoring a 9.925 on floor, 9.900 on bars and 9.900 on beam at the Big Ten Championship
• Scored a 9.900 on beam and floor, tying for second in the all-around with a 39.475 to help Michigan advance from the NCAA Regional Final
• Rattled off three consecutive 9.900 scores on vault, bars and beam in the NCAA Regional second round
• Set a new career high in the all-around with a 39.650 at No. 5 Utah, scoring 9.925 on bars, beam and floor to tie for the win on both bars and beam
• Posted a 9.950 to win floor and give Michigan the win over No. 13 Nebraska, while winning the all-around with a 39.400
• Two event titles against Iowa, matching a career high to tie for the win on bars (9.950) and scoring a 9.925 to win floor
• Upgraded her vault at Penn State and stuck the landing for a 9.950 and a share of the win
• Tied for wins on bars (9.925) and floor (9.925) at the Missouri Quad Meet
• First career beam title came with a 9.925 at Elevate the Stage to go along with a 9.900 on bars and floor and 39.575 all-around score
• Scored a 9.925 on bars and 9.900 on beam to finish with a 39.525 on her senior day against No. 1 Oklahoma
• Won floor with a 9.925 at Maryland and finished second in the all-around with a 39.350
• Earned her first event title of the season with a 9.875 on floor against Michigan State to go with a 9.875 on bars
Junior (2018)
• Big Ten champions
• Big Ten regular season champions
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award
• Big Ten Gymnast of the Week (Jan. 8)
• Big Ten Gymnast to Watch
• Academic All-Big Ten
• U-M Academic Achievement Award
• Three event victories, including one on vault, one on floor and one in the all-around
• Scored 9.900 or better on three routines, including one on vault and two on floor
• Tied for the win on vault before suffering a season-ending injury against Maryland
• Won the all-around (39.350) and floor (9.925) in a season-opening win over No. 4 Alabama
• Matched her career high with a 9.950 on floor against Ohio State
Sophomore (2017)
• NCAA Regional champions
• Big Ten champions
• Big Ten regular season champions
• NACGC/W Second Team All-American on vault and the all-around
• Big Ten Champion on floor, tying with three others with a 9.925
• All-Big Ten first team
• All-Big Ten Championships Team
• NACGC/W Scholastic All-American
• Academic All-Big Ten
• U-M Honors Academic Achievement
• Team's Co-Most Valuable Performer award
• Big Ten Gymnast of the Week (Mar. 6)
• Finished the season ranked among the top-50 nationally in the all-around (23rd), vault (T-19th) and floor (T-38th)
• Eight individual event titles, including four on vault, two on beam and two on floor
• Two all-around victories
• Scored 9.900 or better on 15 routines, including five vault, two bars, two beam and six floor
• Averaged a 9.844 on beam to rank as the sixth best scoring average in program history and a 39.384 in the all-around to rank 10th best
• Tallied second team All-America honors on vault (9.900, T-5th) and the all-around (39.425, 7th) at the NCAA Semifinal
• Big Ten Champion on floor with a 9.925 and finished with an all-around score of 39.450 to finish second
• Finished second in the all-around (39.375) at the NCAA Regional, tying for third with a 9.900 on floor
• Posted 9.900's on all four events to win the all-around (39.600) and tie for the beam win vs. Southern Utah
• Matched a career best 9.950 on floor, scored a 9.925 on bars and won the all-around with a 39.600 vs. Oklahoma
• Recorded a 9.950 on vault to win the Big Five Meet
• Won the all-around for the first time vs. N.C. State with a 39.375
• Career-high 9.975 on vault and tied for the win on floor with a 9.900 vs. Nebraska
• Made her season debut on bars (9.875) and in the all-around (39.500) while winning beam with a 9.900 at Michigan State
• Scored a 9.900 to win vault at the OSU quad meet, while adding a 9.850 on floor
• Recorded a 9.900 on floor vs. No. 19 Illinois
Freshman (2016)
• Three regular season All-American honors (1st team: vault, floor; 2nd team: all-around)
• Big Ten champions
• Big Ten Freshman of the Year
• All-Big Ten first team
• All-Big Ten Championships Team
• Three-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week (Jan. 18, Feb. 1, Mar. 14)
• Nine-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 15, Feb. 26, Mar. 7, Mar. 14)
• First individual to win both Big Ten Gymnast and Freshman of the Week in the same week since Feb. 20, 2012 and has done it three times this year (Jan. 18, Feb. 1, Mar. 14)
• Named Big Ten Gymnast to Watch
• Finished the season ranked among the top-50 nationally in the all-around (t-10th), vault (t-2nd), beam (t-36th) and floor (t-7th)
• Won the all-around four times on the season
• 12 individual event victories including vault (8), beam (1) and floor (3)
• Scored 9.90 or better on 22 routines, including floor (9), vault (9), bars (2) and beam (2)
• Notched the sixth best scoring average in school history on vault with a 9.906
• Hit a career-high score of 9.950 on bars at the NCAA Regional to help Michigan set a school record bars score of 49.675
• Made her college debut in impressive fashion with a 9.925 on vault at the Cancun Classic, finishing second in the all-around (39.475) after scoring 9.90 or better in three of her four events
• Won both vault (9.925) and beam (9.90) in Cancun
• Became the 13th U-M gymnast to score a 39.600 or better on the all-around at the Big Five Meet, the first freshman to do it since Jenny Deiley in 2003
• At the Big Five Meet she matched a career high on vault (9.950) for the win and beam (9.900), while tying for the win on floor with a 9.925 for her all-around score of 39.625
• Finished second in the vault at the Big Ten Championships with a magnificent 9.925
• Earned a victory on vault (9.90) and tied for the win on floor (9.95) against No. 9 Georgia
• Claimed her first career all-around title (39.425) in a victory over Ohio State, while earning her third straight vault title
• Won the all-around (39.550) at No. 17 Illinois with a 9.95 on vault and 9.90 on floor
• Matched her best floor routine (9.95) and tied for the win on vault (9.85) while winning her third straight all-around title at No. 17 Nebraska
• Won vault with a 9.95, receiving a 10.0 from one judge in a victory over Maryland and Eastern Michigan
• Claimed a victory on floor with a 9.925, while finishing second on vault with a 9.90 against Michigan State
• Back-to-back 9.950's on vault and floor at No. 1 Oklahoma to match season highs
• Went 9.900 on vault to win at No. 24 Southern Utah
• Career best 9.900 on bars to go with a 9.925 on floor and 39.500 all-around score vs. No. 6 Utah
Prep
• High School: The Latin School of Chicago (2015)
Club
• IK Gymnastics (2011-15)
• Lakeshore Academy of Artistic Gymnastics (2001-11)
• Three-time J.O. National Championships qualifier (2011, 2014-15)
• Won vault and took fourth in the all-around in the Senior C Division at the 2015 J.O. National Championships.
• Won vault, uneven bars and the all-around in the Senior A Division at the 2014 J.O. National Championships.
• Took third in the all-around, tied for second on vault and claimed second on floor exercise at the 2015 Nastia Liukin Cup.
Personal
• Full Name: Olivia Smith Karas
• Birthday: April 30, 1997
