Page 2-The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition-Sports - Thursday, September 10, 1992
'M' women gymnasts
vault to Big Ten title
Men gymnasts break
team scoring records
by Andy Stabile
Daily Sports Writer
There's a new kid on the block of
Big Ten champions at Michigan.
Long occupied by only football
and swimming teams, this season the
women's gymnastics team brought
home the conference title and put an
esclamation point on the season by
placing two gymnasts in the top 20
at the NCAA Championships.
Although the season ended on a
high note, the Wolverines paid their
dues early in the season, facing a
bevy of injuries which threatened to
sidetrack the team from its champi-
onship season.
The Wolverines hobbled into
their first meet injury-plagued and
came away worse, losing defending
Big Ten all-around champion
Wendy Wilkinson for the season to a
knee injury. But at that same meet,
Michigan and the rest of college
gymnastics got their first look at
Michigan's frosh phenom' Beth
Wymer.
Wymer filled the void left by
Wilkinson, winning the all-around at
tIat meet and going on to dominate
throughout the season. She would go
on to finish fifth at the NCAA
Championships, joined at that meet
by teammate Kelly Carfora who tied
for 19th.
: In March, the Wolverines
stormed into East Lansing deter-
mined to take home the Big Ten ti-
tie. Sparked by a large crowd,
Michigan narrowly defeated confer-
ence newcomer Penn State to take
the conference title. Wymer became
Michigan's second consecutive con-
ference all-around champion.
The Wolverines went on to finish
second in NCAA regional competi-
tion before failing to qualify for the
national championships as a team.
However, Wymer and Carfora re-
ceived at-large bids.
At the NCAAs, Wymer took All-
American honors in the all-around
with her fifth-place finish. Carfora
moved up to defeat all but four of
the at-large competitors (including
Wymer) with her 19th place tie.
"I was really proud of them,"
Michigan coach Bev Fry said. "I
heard a lot of really positive things
said about how they looked.
Michigan was represented very well
by both of them."
Although the Wolverines were
disappointed by failing to qualify for
the NCAAs as a team, Fry stressed
that the team achieved its goals for
the season: to win the Big Ten
Championships and to qualify for
regionals as a team after falling just
short of both in the 1991 season.
"Qualifying for nationals as a
team would have been the icing on
the cake," Fry said. "We went from
not qualifying in regionals at all into
qualifying in the top half - that is
what we want to do at nationals next
year.
by Mike Hill
Daily Sports Writer
After struggling in the early sea-
son, the Michigan men's gymnastics
team recovered to secure one of its
best campaigns ever.
The Wolverines opened their
schedule against Big Ten power
Minnesota. Michigan coach Bob
Darden was forced to dig deep into
his bag of tricks to overcome the
losses of Ruben Ceballos, Royce
Toni and Ben Verrall to injuries.
Michigan could only muster a
267.00 overall team score, as the
Golden Gophers coasted to victory.
At the Windy City Invitational in
Chicago, Michigan sunk to a season
low 264.90. But slowly, its season
began to turn.
"We really have had two totally
different seasons in one," Darden
said. "We started off slow, but I
knew we'd turn it around. The guys
work too hard for us to continue
struggling like that."
The second half of the season be-
gan over spring break when the team
traveled to San Jose, Calif. There,
the Wolverines broke the school
record by posting a 278.65 score.
Just two weeks later, the Wolverines
shattered that mark with a 281.65
showing against Michigan State.
The Wolverines finished the season
ranked No. 10 in the nation and
qualified for the East Regional.
The Wolverines were led in the
all-around by Most Valuable
Gymnast Jim Round and frosh Brian
Winkler. On the pommel horse, the
Wolverines boasted two of the na-^
tion's best in Mike Mott and Glenn-
Hill. Jorge Camacho battled Winkler
all year for the top spot on the floor
'We really have had
two totally different
seasons in one.'
- Bob Darden
exercise. All five qualified for
NCAA Championships in Nebraska.
Winkler, who was ranked tops in
the nation on the floor exercise,
shined at the championships. With,
an almost flawless 9.95 showing on-
the floor, Winkler became the first
national champion for the
Wolverines since John Corritore-
won on the parallel bars in 1978.
"What Winkler did in his fresh-
man year is amazing," Darden said.
"He's just a tremendous competitor
and was awesome at the
championships."
With the return of Winkler and a
solid group of underclassmen,
Darden expects even better things,
for next year.
"We got a guy (Chris Onuska)
coming in who's going to knock
your socks off," Darden said. "He's.
going to impact our team immedi-
ately, just like Winkler did. I expect
us to pick up right where we left off
this year."
0
0
Michigan gymnast Debbie Geiger performs on the balance beam at the Big
Ten Championships. The Wolverines won their first ever conference title
last season.
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insignia items.
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- Sweatshirts and Pants
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- Blankets
- Mugs and Glassware
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