National champions! Michigan claims first NCAA title with best program score

National champions! Michigan claims first NCAA title with best program score

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National champions! Michigan claims first NCAA title with best program score

20/04/2021 19:29:00

// Megan McIntosh

Michigan won its first NCAA Championship and joined an exclusive club, becoming only the seventh team to ever win one.
»The Wolverines achieved a program-best 198.2500 in their national championship victory.
»UM’s score is the third highest score in the history of the national championship event.

Site: Fort Worth, Texas (Dickies Arena)
Event: NCAA Championships (Team Finals)
Scores: Michigan 198.2500, Oklahoma 198.1625, Utah 197.9875, Florida 197.1375
Record: UM (29-2)
Next UM event: Season Complete (NCAA Champion!)

• Complete results (PDF) | Photo gallery

FORT WORTH, Texas – This amounts to one final routine, because every other event is completed. Junior Abby Heiskell standing alone on the beam while the rest of the women’s gymnastics team watched for second place at the University of Michigan, waiting for the final score to flicker. Heiskell needed a 9.8500 for the Wolverines to reach their all-time championship, and Heiskell delivered with a 9.9250, and Michigan became the 2021 national champion with a program-best 198.2500 Saturday afternoon (April 17) at the Dickies Arena .

UM joined an exclusive club, becoming only the seventh team to ever win an NCAA women’s gymnastics title, scoring the third best score in championship history and the best score in Michigan history. The Wolverines join Georgia, Utah, UCLA, Alabama, Oklahoma and Florida as the only teams in the country to win a national championship.

“I have been waiting for this feeling for 32 years,” said head coach Bev Plocki. “It’s just an incredible pride and just an admiration for what our team went through and the sacrifices they made.”

Michigan led the entire event and after the first rotation across the field gained a slight lead of 0.0500 before going up by 0.1375 for the second and third rotations. The all-around trio of Heiskell, Sierra Brooks and Natalie Wojcik all scored 39.7000 or higher scores to reach the top three spots in Michigan NCAA history. Brooks led the group with a 39.7750 and became the UM leader in the all-round at the NCAA Championship, while Wojcik finished second in Michigan NCAA history with a 39.7375, and Heiskell finished the top three places with a 39.7250 in the all-round.

Brooks, Wojcik and Heiskell ended the event with three consecutive scores of 9,900 or better to win the championship. Brooks scored a 9.9625 on the beam, Wojcik followed it up with a 9.9875 and Heiskell finished the championship with a 9.9250.

The Wolverines started business on the floor with five live scores of 9.9000 or better than Nicoletta Koulos achieved a career high of 9.9125 and Wojcik tied for a best career with a 9.9500. Michigan finished the turn with 9.9125s from Heiskell and Brooks, while Gabby Wilson anchored the floor with a 9.9375, giving UM a 49.6250 after one full rotation.

The Wolverines continued to bring it up when they beat a 49.6500 on the safe behind Heiskell and Brooks, who both tied 9.9750s at career highs, while Wojcik scored a 9.9375. In the uneven bars, Heiskell started again with a beautiful routine and achieved her third score of 9.900 or better on the day with a 9.9125, while junior Abby Brenner returned from an injury and put up a 9.9250 in her only event of the day to rekindle the Michigan energy. After the third rotation, the Wolverines led the field with 0.1375 with a run count of 148.7625 and one rotation between them and a national championship.

With all eyes on Michigan, Brooks, Wojcik and Heiskell ended the tournament with some of the best gymnastics in their careers to win the everyday national title for Michigan women’s gymnastics and etch their name in UM and NCAA history . .

• NCAA.com: Watch Michigan win its first national women’s gymnastics championship
• NCAA.com: Top Highlights of the 2021 Women’s 2021 Gymnastics Championships

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