Avoidable mistakes result in Michigan’s third-place finish at the Big Ten Championship

EAST LANSING – Despite numerous chances to prove itself, Michigan could not pull it together.

Squandering key opportunities, the 11th-ranked Wolverines (11-6 overall, 9-1 Big Ten) came in third place at the Big Ten Women’s Gymnastics Championship on Saturday. Totaling 197.225 points, they finished behind second place Minnesota (16-6 overall, 6-3 Big Ten) and first place Michigan State (16-3 overall, 9-0 Big Ten), with 197.500 and 197.600 points, respectively.

Despite podiuming, they wanted more than just third place.

“Coming into this weekend, we knew we would have to put together a full meet,” graduate Sierra Brooks said. “It was a winnable meet for us, so everyone is really frustrated.”

That frustration began early as Michigan opened on the vault, where it struggled to stick its landings. Senior Reyna Guggino and freshman Ava Jordan were docked significantly for large steps when they hit the mat, both scoring a dissatisfactory 9.700. While one of these scores was dropped from the team vault total, the Wolverines’ insufficient execution during the beginning rotation set the tone for the rest of the evening. Brooks was the lone bright spot, earning a 9.975 and tying for first place on the event with the Golden Gophers’ Mya Hooten.

“I thought we were going to perform better on vault, but we performed the way we have been all season,” Michigan coach Bev Plocki said.

The Wolverines proceeded to the uneven bars, where they were slightly more consistent. Graduate Gabby Wilson and senior Carly Bauman stuck their dismounts, both exhibiting immaculate form and scoring 9.900s. Brooks was the top performer on bars, contributing a 9.925 score and tying for first place once again with Hooten. Although bars was Michigan’s second-best event, its poor vault performance weighed it down. It fell into a tie for fourth place with Ohio State against tough competition from the Spartans and Minnesota.

The third rotation on the balance beam was the Wolverines’ lowest-scoring of the evening, as they suffered from the costly errors they had hoped to avoid. Polished performances from senior Jenna Mulligan and Bauman highlighted the rotation, who both received a 9.900. However, the four remaining routines were plagued with sizable wobbles after turns, jump sequences and aerials. Guggino scored a 9.600, forcing the team’s event score to include Brooks’s low 9.675. Having to count such a low score was extremely adverse for the Wolverines, especially at this point in the competition and the season.

“We have to minimize having the one or two routines that we can drop, because we can only drop one,” Brooks said.

Michigan moved onto the floor exercise for the final event of the night, still tied for fourth place with the Buckeyes. The Wolverines put up their strongest rotation by far with five of the six scores scoring a 9.800 or higher. Brooks and Wilson both received a 9.950, winning the event in a four-way tie with Hooten and Michigan State’s Skyla Schulte. Michigan’s routines pleased the judges with clean, powerful tumbling passes, and their vibrant choreography energized the attentive crowd.

But it wasn’t enough.

Despite a slight morale boost during the final rotation, disappointment loomed among the Wolverines immediately after floor was over. All around, they had performed substantially below their own expectations at this crucial competition.

“We just made too many mistakes,” Plocki said. “And you can’t do that in a championship-level meet. These teams are too good.”

With only one more guaranteed meet in the 2024 season, it is do-or-die time for Michigan. Saturday was an evening full of unacceptable blunders that the Wolverines must eradicate in their final shots at redemption.

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