The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
January 11, 2016 — 3B

ROBERT DUNNE/Daily

Freshman Olivia Karas fell on both the beam and the uneven bars, but she scored a meet-high 9.950 on the floor exercise in the Wolverines win over No. 7 Georgia.
‘M’ tops Georgia, stays undefeated

By LANEY BYLER

Daily Sports Writer

With 
only 
a 
0.150-point 

difference 
headed 
into 
the 

last event Saturday, the No. 7 
Michigan women’s gymnastics 
team knew it had to pull a strong 
performance on the floor to 
secure a win at its home opener 
against No. 9 Georgia. To do that, 
the Wolverines had to set aside 
miscues from earlier in the meet 
— and they did just that.

Four Wolverines scored a 9.900 

or above on the floor exercise, 
propelling Michigan to its final 
score of 196.925, trumping the 
Bulldogs’ 195.200. Among these 
gymnasts were senior Briley 
Casanova and freshman Olivia 
Karas, both of whom achieved 
career-high scores on the floor, a 
9.900 and 9.950, respectively.

Karas started strong on the 

vault, earning the highest score of 

a 9.900, and took first in the event. 
After making mistakes on the bars 
and beam, she made a tremendous 
comeback on the floor event to tie 
for first with a score of 9.95 with 
junior Nicole Artz.

“That’s what happened tonight, 

we had mistakes,” said Michigan 
coach Bev Plocki. “But the other 
five were able to come through 
and do what we needed to do for 
the team. That’s part of learning 
the college way. I think this was a 
great learning experience for her.”

Artz’s contributions in all areas 

of the meet propelled Michigan 
to the win as she matched her 
previous career high on the floor 
with a 9.950, tying with Karas. 
Artz also walked away with three 
more 
achievements, 
including 

being the all-around champion 
with a score of 39.450, and tied 
junior Talia Chiarelli for first in 
the balance beam exercise with a 
score of 9.875. Artz also tied for 

first with Georgia’s Sydney Snead 
on the uneven bars with a score of 
9.900.

“Nicole is a kid on our team who 

works hard every day,” Plocki said. 
“She never takes shortcuts, and she 
works just as hard in the classroom. 
She’s a tremendous student and a 
tremendous athlete. She leads by 
example. She works hard, but she 
doesn’t take herself too seriously. 
I think that’s what endears her to 
everybody and makes them want 
to follow her as a leader.”

Chiarelli also spent some time 

on the podium, earning a third-
place finish on the floor with a 9.925 
and a second place finish on the 
vault with a 9.875. Her consistency 
and strong performances helped 
Michigan maintain its lead over 
Georgia and keep a hold on its 
undefeated season.

“I don’t really think about 

personal too much,” Chiarelli 
said. “As a team, we just wanted 

to have another great meet. 
We came off of a great meet in 
Cancun (Mexico) last week, so we 
just wanted to stay consistent and 
keep the energy up and fix a few of 
the smaller things.”

Despite 
initially 
trailing 

Georgia after the first event, the 
Wolverines made a solid return 
while on rotations for the bars 
and beam, establishing a small 
lead they would maintain for the 
rest of the meet. Despite the win, 
Michigan had small mistakes and 
bobbles, particularly on beam, 
that need attention — not a single 
Wolverine scored a 9.900 or 
higher during that event.

“This was a great result with 

a win against a tremendous 
program, but we also came away 
with a lot of things we need to 
work on,” Plocki said. “I think 
they know that, they understand 
that, and we’re ready to go back in 
the gym Monday and get to work.”

Individuals shine 
in Wolverine win 

By AVI SHOLKOFF

Daily Sports Writer

In a meet against the No. 9 

team in the country, the Michigan 
women’s gymnastics team needed 
to be especially sharp at Crisler 
Center on Saturday to earn an 
impressive win.

Led by five athletes who either 

tied or set new career highs in the 
meet, the fifth-ranked Wolverines 
narrowly defeated No. 9 Georgia, 
196.925-195.200. 

After missing all of last season 

due to injury, sophomore Lauren 
Marinez surpassed her personal 
record on the beam with a 9.775, 
beating her score of 9.750, which 
she set just last weekend.

Senior 
Briley 
Casanova 

scored a 9.900 on the floor event, 
her highest since her freshman 
year, which came as a surprise 
even to her.

Michigan practiced few special 

dance moves, though Casanova 
explained the importance of a 
drill she and her teammates call 
“shoot ’em downs.”

“(It’s a drill in which) we 

just try make eye contact with 
everyone on our team on the 
floor whenever we do a dance 
through,” Casanova said. “We 
really emphasized that.”

Freshman Emma McLean also 

tied a career high. She received 
a 9.850 in the floor event, living 
up to the promise she’s showed 
as a newcomer. Last weekend at 
the meet in Cancun, Mexico, she 
scored a 9.775. 

Sophomore 
Nichelle 

Christopherson, who performed 
in just four routines last season, 
significantly improved from her 
showing on the uneven bars in 
the previous meet. There, she 
scored a 9.100 after being added 
to the rotation at the last minute. 
Saturday, she scored a 9.825, 
tying her best score ever, which 
she set last January.

Junior Talia Chiarelli, who 

finished in the top three for each 
event in which she competed, 
explained 
what 
individual 

successes can mean for the team.

“It’s awesome,” Chiarelli said. 

“It’s even more awesome to do 
that in one of the first meets of 
the season.”

Another freshman who has 

excited both her teammates and 
coaches is Olivia Karas. Karas 
set a new best in the floor event 
in her young career, scoring a 
meet-high 9.950. However, she 
also struggled at times during the 
meet, falling on both the beam 
and the uneven bars.

“(Karas) is absolutely capable 

of making a name for herself 
in 
college 
gymnastics,” 
said 

Michigan 
coach 
Bev 
Plocki. 

“When she learns how to control 
her nerves and emotions and go 
out there and really perform, that’s 
when she’s going to be at her best.”

Karas scored a meet-low 8.850 

on the uneven bars due to falling 
in the middle of her routine.

Luckily for her, her teammates 

stepped up, with junior Nicole 
Artz and sophomore Brianna 
Brown scoring in the top three.

Plocki attributed the players’ 

individual successes to the facility 
at Crisler and to the coaching staff.

“That’s what we want to do, 

to develop these young ladies,” 
Plocki said. “It’s nice from a 
coaching perspective to see the 
fruits of your labor come out and 
show season best scores.”

Despite many players setting or 

tying career-high scores, Plocki 
stressed the importance of the 
entire team’s success in addition 
to that of the individual athletes.

“If we had a lot of people who 

had a lot of great individual 
accolades, but the team lost, it 
would be a disappointing night no 
matter what any individual did,” 
Plocki said. “The team result is 
the reason we do this.”

Michigan uses non-scoring 
meet as early-season gauge

By TOR THORNE 

For the Daily

The Michigan men’s track 

and field team returned to action 
for the first time this year at 
the Hillsdale Winter Opener on 
Saturday in Hillsdale, Mich. With 
just 11 Wolverines competing in 
the day’s events, the unscored 
meet provided little information 
about the team as a whole. But 
Michigan coach Jerry Clayton 
said the meet still held value.

“This weekend was basically 

about the individuals who wanted 
to try to see where they’re at at 
this point,” Clayton said.

The Wolverines found the 

majority of their success Saturday 
in field events, taking first place in 
shot put and the top three spots in 
the weight throw.

For senior shot putter Derek 

Sievers, whose 18.42 meter throw 
earned him first place in the event 
and an early season personal 
best, this meet will serve as an 
important 
stepping 
stone 
to 

improve upon for the remainder 

of the season.

“It’s always easier to compete 

in practice the next week when 
you’ve had a good performance,” 
Sievers said. “Because you just 
keep the momentum going.”

Michigan redshirt freshman 

Joseph Ellis took first place in 
the weight throw with a throw 
of 18.96 meters, earning his first 
event title as a member of the 
Wolverines.

Redshirt 
sophomore 
Grant 

Cartwright and fifth-year senior 
Brad Bolton added second- and 
third-place finishes with throws 
of 18.52 meters and 17.00 meters, 
respectively.

Clayton 
was 
also 
pleased 

with the performance of the 
pole vault group, which had two 
members finish in the top five. 
Junior Michael Hovater took 
fourth place, trailed directly by 
redshirt freshman Kevin Haughn 
in fifth. True freshman Nicholas 
Burkhalter finished in 11th place 
with a height of 4.35 meters.

Sophomore Charlie DeJonge 

was the only athlete to represent 

the 
Wolverines 
in 
multiple 

events Saturday, finishing the 
60-meter hurdles in 8.73 seconds 
to take fourth place. DeJonge 
also competed in the shot put, 
finishing 13th, but setting a new 
personal best of 11.45 meters.

In high jump, senior Stephen 

Sykes cleared 1.90 meters and 
finished third overall. Meanwhile, 
redshirt 
sophomore 
Kevin 

Stephens Jr. finished fourth in the 
long jump with a distance of 6.53 
meters.

While Saturday’s meet was an 

important test for its competitors, 
Clayton emphasized the even 
greater importance that each 
athlete’s performance would have 
on his coaching moving forward.

“(The race) gives me ideas of 

what I need to do training-wise 
to make adjustments so that we 
can get through this month of 
January and come out really 
ready to roll in February when we 
get to the championship phase,” 
Clayton said. “The bigger test will 
be when we have 90 percent of the 
team open up next weekend.”

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Senior Derek Sievers took first place in the shot put at the Hillsdale Winter Open with a throw of 18.42 meters.

Wolverines shake off rust 
at Hillsdale Winter meet

By MATTHEW KENNEDY 

For the Daily

Balance — that’s what Michigan 

women’s track and field coach 
James Henry is trying to achieve 
this season. With 16 top-three 
finishes in 11 different events, the 
14th-ranked Wolverines appear 
to be on their way to achieving 
Henry’s goal.

“It’s hard for me to talk about 

one or two athletes and say, ‘She’s 
the person that just did it,’ ’’ Henry 
said. “I’m pleased to know that we 
don’t have such a program where 
one athlete ‘just does it.’ ”

Michigan opened its season 

Saturday at the Hillsdale Winter 
Opener, 
a 
non-scoring 
meet 

featuring a variety of Division 
II teams. Setting official times 
for the first time this season, the 
Wolverines created a benchmark 
to improve upon for the rest of the 
season.

Michigan 
wasn’t 
focusing 

on beating any times going into 

the meet, though. Rather, the 
Wolverines’ focus was beating 
the competition and shaking off 
the early-season rust that many of 
the student-athletes had. In doing 
so, Michigan was able to take 
home first place in eight different 
events.

Though some of the track and 

field team members have already 
competed this year as part of 
the cross country team, most of 
the Michigan runners have been 
waiting since September to finally 
race.

As balanced as Michigan’s 

roster was, there were a few 
standout performances for the 
Wolverines. 
Sophomore 
Claire 

Kieffer-Wright, who also is a 
member of the Michigan volleyball 
team, won the high jump with a 
final cleared height of 1.74 meters, 
while junior All-American Erin 
Finn won the 3,000-meter run by 
more than 30 seconds with a final 
time of 9:13.41.

In addition, redshirt senior 

All-American 
Shannon 
Osika 

turned in a strong performance 
in the 1600-meter, winning the 
event with a time of 4:42.10. Osika 
was also part of an experienced 
Michigan 4x400 relay team, which 
also 
included 
redshirt 
senior 

Laura Addison, redshirt junior 
Gina McNamara, and redshirt 
senior Danielle Pfeifer. The group 
narrowly edged out Hillsdale for 
another Wolverine victory.

The most important result of 

the meet, though, was something 
that didn’t happen.

“The kids came out unscathed,” 

Henry said. “We got solid marks 
and we’re all healthy.”

Now that Michigan knows its 

starting point, the team is aware 
of where it can finish.

“Being in a position to win a 

championship and finishing in 
the top three,” Henry said. “That’s 
our team goal, and if things go 
to our favor, we’re hoping to be 
in the position to improve upon 
those two goals.”

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Junior Erin Finn (front) won the 3,000-meter run by more than 30 seconds at the Hillsdale Winter Opener on Saturday.

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS