Source: BigTen.org
Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:19:00 PM EST
Published: Saturday, April 18, 2009 12:41:38 PM EST
Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:19:00 PM EST
Published: Saturday, April 18, 2009 12:41:38 PM EST
Friday April 17:
Three Big Ten Conference squads posted season-high scores at the NCAA's 'Super Six' Team Championships on Friday night at the University of Minnesota's Sports Pavilion. The conference will look to advance 18 individual event specialists to the individual event finals.
The No. 4-ranked Michigan men's gymnastics team placed second at the NCAA Championships with a season-high score of 361.500. The finish is the highest for the Wolverines since the 2000 season, when it also claimed the runner-up spot on the winner's podium.
The No. 3-ranked Illinois finished in fifth place, tying its season-high score of 359.300. With the finish, the Illini continued its streak, having now placed in the top-five at the NCAA Championships in each of their past seven seasons (2003-09). Sixth-ranked Ohio State recorded another career night, tallying its second-consecutive season-high score with a 355.95 team total to finish the competition in sixth place.
Stanford was crowned the 2009 national champion (362.800), and Michigan beat out third-place Oklahoma by a mere three one-hundredths of a point (361.200) as the Sooners rounded out the top three spots. California came in fourth with a composite team score of 361.15.
Two squads and six individual event specialists will head to Lincoln, Neb., to represent the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Championships, hosted by the University of Nebraska on April 16-18.
Illinois is making its NCAA Championships debut this weekend after finishing second at the West Regional on April 5. Penn State will accompany the Fighting Illini at the event, making its first appearance at nationals since 2005 and 15th overall (7th as a Big Ten Conference member). The Nittany Lions finished second in the Southeast Regional behind top-ranked Georgia. The two teams will join 10 other squads at the Bob Devaney Sports Center to vie for the NCAA team title. Illinois enters the competition as the 11th seed, with Penn State earning the 12th seed in the 12-team field.
Six Big Ten individuals also qualified for this year's NCAA Championships in Illinois' Allison Buckley (beam), Michigan's Becky Bernard (uneven bars), Kylee Botterman (floor exercise) and Sarah Curtis (all-around), Ohio State's Rebecca Best (all-around) and Penn State's Brandi Personett (all-around). To qualify, the six specialists either placed first in their individual event or posted one of the top two all-around scores (from individuals not advancing to nationals with a team) at their respective regional sites.
Preliminary team and all-around competition will be conducted in two sessions Thursday, April 16 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (CT). The top three teams from each session will advance to the Super Six competition Friday, April 17 at 6 p.m. (CT). The top four individuals from each session in each event (plus ties) from the preliminary team and all-around competition will compete in the individual-event competition Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m. (CT). Penn State will compete in Thursday's afternoon session, with Illinois set to compete in the evening.
The 12-team field includes defending national champion Georgia as well as challengers from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA and Utah along with the nation's top all-arounders and individual event specialists.
Three Big Ten Conference squads posted season-high scores at the NCAA's 'Super Six' Team Championships on Friday night at the University of Minnesota's Sports Pavilion. The conference will look to advance 18 individual event specialists to the individual event finals.
The No. 4-ranked Michigan men's gymnastics team placed second at the NCAA Championships with a season-high score of 361.500. The finish is the highest for the Wolverines since the 2000 season, when it also claimed the runner-up spot on the winner's podium.
The No. 3-ranked Illinois finished in fifth place, tying its season-high score of 359.300. With the finish, the Illini continued its streak, having now placed in the top-five at the NCAA Championships in each of their past seven seasons (2003-09). Sixth-ranked Ohio State recorded another career night, tallying its second-consecutive season-high score with a 355.95 team total to finish the competition in sixth place.
Stanford was crowned the 2009 national champion (362.800), and Michigan beat out third-place Oklahoma by a mere three one-hundredths of a point (361.200) as the Sooners rounded out the top three spots. California came in fourth with a composite team score of 361.15.
Two squads and six individual event specialists will head to Lincoln, Neb., to represent the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Championships, hosted by the University of Nebraska on April 16-18.
Illinois is making its NCAA Championships debut this weekend after finishing second at the West Regional on April 5. Penn State will accompany the Fighting Illini at the event, making its first appearance at nationals since 2005 and 15th overall (7th as a Big Ten Conference member). The Nittany Lions finished second in the Southeast Regional behind top-ranked Georgia. The two teams will join 10 other squads at the Bob Devaney Sports Center to vie for the NCAA team title. Illinois enters the competition as the 11th seed, with Penn State earning the 12th seed in the 12-team field.
Six Big Ten individuals also qualified for this year's NCAA Championships in Illinois' Allison Buckley (beam), Michigan's Becky Bernard (uneven bars), Kylee Botterman (floor exercise) and Sarah Curtis (all-around), Ohio State's Rebecca Best (all-around) and Penn State's Brandi Personett (all-around). To qualify, the six specialists either placed first in their individual event or posted one of the top two all-around scores (from individuals not advancing to nationals with a team) at their respective regional sites.
Preliminary team and all-around competition will be conducted in two sessions Thursday, April 16 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (CT). The top three teams from each session will advance to the Super Six competition Friday, April 17 at 6 p.m. (CT). The top four individuals from each session in each event (plus ties) from the preliminary team and all-around competition will compete in the individual-event competition Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m. (CT). Penn State will compete in Thursday's afternoon session, with Illinois set to compete in the evening.
The 12-team field includes defending national champion Georgia as well as challengers from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA and Utah along with the nation's top all-arounders and individual event specialists.
