Michigan Vaults Past Rival MSU
In
front of nearly 3,000 fans in the program's first-ever Autism Awareness
Meet, the No. 4-ranked University of Michigan women's gymnastics team
downed in-state rival Michigan State, 196.800-193.900, on Friday night
(Jan. 31) inside Crisler Center. Senior Joanna Sampson (Willow Grove,
Pa./Upper Moreland) set career highs on uneven bars (9.975) and balance
beam (9.925) while tying a career best in the all-around (39.650).
The
Wolverines started strong once again on vault, scoring 49.300.
Sophomore Austin Sheppard (Murphy, Texas/Plano East) executed a dynamic
Yurchenko full with a clean stick to score a career-high 9.975. Sampson
tied for second, also sticking her Yurchenko full but was deducted
slightly for coming in with a low chest on the landing. Junior Sachi
Sugiyama (Keller, Texas/Keller) scored a 9.850 in the third spot,
getting big distance on her Yurchenko 1.5 with a step on the landing.
Freshman Talia Chiarelli (Boston, Mass./Lexington) and fifth-year
senior Natalie Beilstein (Butler, Pa./Knoch) were the other counted
scores in the rotation at 9.825 and 9.775, respectively. Austin Sheppard Austin Sheppard
Michigan's
best rotation of the night came on uneven bars, as all six gymnasts hit
routines with scores of 9.800-or-better to score 49.475. Like Sheppard
on vault, Sampson scored a 9.975 on the apparatus thanks to a big
Tkatchev release and even bigger double layout dismount, which she
stuck clean. She was followed up in the anchor spot by Beilstein, who
hit her Geinger release and stuck the dismount to score a 9.925. Senior
Shelby Gies (Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley Central) and Sheppard
each scored 9.875s, while the fifth counted score came from Sugiyama in
the leadoff spot (9.825). At the halfway point, Michigan had a big lead
over Michigan State, leading 98.775-96.825.
For the first time
all season, Michigan ran into some adversity on balance team. After
freshman Nicole Artz (Holland, Mich./West Ottawa) and Chiarelli started
off the routine with matching 9.825s, a fall in the third spot by Gies
put the pressure on the final three competitors. Senior Reema Zakharia
(Miami, Fla./Coral Gables Senior High) got things back on track with a
9.775, taking a tiny step on the landing. Next up was Sampson, who
executed a clean routine, complete with a gorgeous back handspring
layout and a good dismount. The anchor this week was sophomore Briley
Casanova (Dallas, Texas/Spring Creek Academy). She hit the punch
front-beat jump connection, but had a balance check on the back
handspring layout. The sophomore managed to stay on the beam, however,
saving the rotation with a 9.775 and putting Michigan at 49.125 as a
squad.
The Wolverines had some early miscues on floor exercise
which led to a below-average score of 48.900 to close down the meet.
The highest score over the first three routines was a 9.775 from
Chiarelli, but the last three gymnasts up were able to recover nicely,
as Artz and Sampson each scored 9.875s, while Zakharia received a 9.825.
• Friday was Michigan's first-ever Autism Awareness Meet. Prior
to the meet, several autistic and special-needs athletes performed an
obstacle course on the floor, while U.S. Olympian and men's gymnast Sam
Mikulak signed autographs on the concourse. During the meet, the U-M
gymnasts appeared on the video boards discussing facts pertaining to
autism awareness. Following the meet, a competitive gymnast performed a
floor exercise routine.
• This was the 101st meeting between the two schools.
• The Wolverines' score of 49.475 on uneven bars was its highest since scoring 49.575 at UCLA on March 10, 2013 (49.575).
•
Friday's score of 196.800 was slightly below the team's season average.
The Wolverines came in averaging 196.883 through the first three meets
of the season.
• Michigan is 63-38 all-time against Michigan
State and have won 18 straight in the series dating back to 2007. Head
coach Bev Plocki is now 62-9 all-time against the Spartans.
• The Wolverines have won eight consecutive regular-season home meets dating back to 2012.
•
Through four meets, Michigan gymnasts have won or tied for 15 of 16
event titles. Joanna Sampson has won all four all-around titles.
• Since 2005, Michigan is 51-6-1 (.887) in January meets.
•
Joanna Sampson tied her career high in the all-around (39.650), which
was set on March 2, 2013, at Michigan State. She has surpassed 39.000
or greater in the all-around for the 24th time in her career. She now
has 16 career all-around titles and 43 career individual event titles.
•
Joanna Sampson's score of 39.650 in the all-around is tied for the
sixth-highest score in program history. She is joined on that
particular line by Elise Ray (three times) and Sarah Cain (three times).
•
Austin Sheppard has won the vault in each of the team's first four
competitions this season, scoring 9.900 or better every time. She now
has the same number of 9.900-plus routines on vault this season (four)
than she did all her freshman season. She also made her collegiate
debut on floor exercise.
• Michigan hadn't gone below 49.000 on
floor exercise since the 2012 Big Ten Championships, a span of 18
meets. Similarly, Joanna Sampson failed to receive a score of 9.900 on
floor exercise for only the fourth time over the same span.
•
Briley Casanova made her official season debut on Friday night,
performing on balance beam. She had been an exhibition competitor in
each of the last two meets.
• Brooke Parker exhibitioned vault, balance beam and floor exercise on Friday.
|