ROUTINE
Grace Beal, Anna Fuder/Daily | Design by Lys Goldman
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY
RUN
Michigan wins
regional title,
advances to
National
Semifinals
TAYLOR DANIELS
Daily Sports Writer
F
ollowing a second-place
finish
in
its
regional
second round, the No. 3
Michigan women’s gymnastics
team had something to prove.
And Saturday night, the Wolverines
proved why they were the Raleigh
region’s No. 1 seed.
A dominant final two rotations
propelled the Wolverines (26-2, 9-0
Big Ten) to their 14th NCAA Regional
Championship win — and their 26th
Nationals appearance — over No. 11
Missouri (13-5, 3-4 SEC), No. 14 UCLA
(5-6, 3-4 Pac 12) and No. 22 Iowa
(18-12, 5-5 Big Ten). With an overall
score of 197.800, Michigan topped
Missouri’s — who also qualified for
Nationals — 197.425, UCLA’s 197.400,
and Iowa’s 197.075.
“Thursday was definitely a little
bit of a shakier day for us,” senior
Natalie Wojcik said. “But coming into
today, we really wanted to reset and
focus on confidence and holding our
heads high, walking into the meet and
knowing that we deserve to be here.”
Saturday night, Michigan came
to play.
In the first rotation, each of the
Wolverines’
scores
were
9.850,
leading to a respectable 49.250 after
the first rotation on the balance beam.
But trailing UCLA by 0.300 heading
into the second rotation, on paper,
it seemed like Michigan might be
headed for a Thursday night repeat.
The Wolverines made sure that
wasn’t the case.
Thursday, Michigan was flat,
lacking their characteristic jumping
and yelling after each routine.
Saturday night, they returned to
their usual selves, complete with fist-
pumps after senior Abby Heiskell’s
stuck landing, even after a below-
average team score on the event.
“When there’s some type of
adversity that they need to step up
for, I think that’s when they’re at their
best,” Michigan coach Bev Plocki said.
Michigan then headed to
its first-ranked floor exercise,
where it was missing two of
its usual six members of the
rotation. In preparation for
Nationals, the Wolverines
rested
the
Big
Ten
Gymnast of the Year —
junior Sierra Brooks — while
Heiskell sat with a sore heel. So
they needed either sophomore
Reyna Guggino or sophomore Jenna
Mulligan to step up and deliver
a countable score. Mulligan had
exhibitioned on floor multiple meets
during the season, but had never had a
score counted for the Wolverines.
Senior Abby Brenner delivered
a 9.850 for the Wolverines to
start off that rotation, and her
performance was met with
resounding cheers, hugs
and high fives from
her teammates.
Then, Mulligan delivered the
9.825 the Wolverines needed, and
behind Wojcik’s 9.950 event title-
sharing score, they closed the gap
to 0.200 behind UCLA heading into
their first-ranked vault event.
Wojcik started off the rotation with
a 9.875, followed by Heiskell’s 9.850
and sophomore Naomi Morrison’s
9.900. With the momentum building
for the Wolverines, Brooks notched
a near-perfect vault with a stuck
landing, earning a 9.975.
Up next was junior Gabby Wilson,
Michigan’s star on the floor exercise,
having earned two perfect 10s on that
event this season.
Wilson hit off of the vault, twisted
in the air and landed her vault with
a picture-perfect stuck landing,
securing her first career vault
perfect 10 that tied the Wolverines
with the Bruins headed into the
final rotation.
“It was definitely great to have
that 9.975 from Sierra and the 10 from
Gabby, but it was a great vault rotation
from the first five,” Plocki said. “And
that brought a lot of energy for us to go
in and close out the meet strong. We
know we’re a good bar team. We’re
confident in our ability to be able
If they have the same
confidence and execution
as Saturday, they’re sure to
have a shot.
to hit the handstands and stick the
dismounts.”
And Michigan did.
Heiskell led off the final rotation
with a stuck landing, earning her an
event title-sharing 9.950. Brenner
followed it up with a 9.900, matched
by Brooks two gymnasts later.
Wojcik hit a 9.925 with a near-perfect
Yurchenko and stuck landing to earn
the all-around title with a score of
39.600.
Freshman Jacey Vore, who was
pulled from the lineup last-minute
Thursday night, stepped up to
the springboard with a chance to
clinch the Nationals berth for the
Wolverines. Capping the Wolverines’
49.525 overall final rotation, Vore hit
a 9.850 to send Michigan to Nationals
with a first-place finish in the regional
final.
“This just proves that we’re doing
exactly what we need to do, we’re
where we’re meant to be,” Wojcik
said. “And we even know that we have
even more potential than what we
showed today, and that we can go into
Nationals in Texas and hopefully get a
repeat.”
If they have the same confidence
and execution as Saturday, they’re
sure to have a shot.