Michigan vs. Michigan State: Autism Awareness Meet

On January 31st, the University of Michigan held their first ever Autism Awarness meet in Crisler Arena! With nearly 3,000 fans in attendance, the Wolverines claimed a victory over Michigan State- while also supporting a great cause!

2012 Olympian and two-time NCAA National Champion, Sam Mikulak was on hand signing autographs before the competition and joined Dr. Larry Nassar out on the floor as several gymnasts with autism performed their routines before the meet started. There were booths set up around the concourse with pamphlets, key chains, and free t-shirts for fans and members of the Michigan gymnastics team presented facts about autism all night long up on the video boards. It was such a cool thing to see all the kids excited about performing their routines in front of Sam and the Michigan/Michigan State gymnastics teams. I was super impressed that these kids did so well on such a big stage and some of them were capable of doing things that I could never do myself as a gymnast!

As for the competition, Michigan beat State by a landslide in their stunning new white leotards. (Loved them!) The final score was 196.800- 193. 900. It wasn't Michigan's best meet- they definitely made some mistakes and did not have the floor rotation they are capable of (not one routine scored in the 9.9's- which is unusual for Michigan!) but overall they did a great job! Michigan has scored 196.525+ in every meet this season so far, which will come in handy once the RQS scoring kicks in.


Some highlights from the competition:

Austin Sheppard scored a 9.975 after nailing her yurchenko full on vault. Many people- including myself, think she should have scored a 10, simply because nobody else in the NCAA gets a much height and is as clean as she is. She's so powerful! This vault was perfect in my opinion. Austin also scored a 9.875 on bars for a clean routine that included a piked tkatchev-straddle back and a stuck double front dismount.



Joanna Samspson scored a 9.975 on bars and a 9.925 on beam, which are both career highs for her! Surprisingly, this is the first time she's scored in the 9.9's on beam, but I'm glad she hit and was finally able to bring in a huge score. The Wolverines needed that after a fall from Gies!




Sophomore Briley Casanova also made the lineup for the first time this season as the anchor on beam and she hit under pressure. Her score of 9.775 ensured the Wolverines wouldn't' have to count a fall on beam! Way to go Briley!

The freshman duo are continuing to impress. Freshman Nicole Artz is proving to be a strong asset to the Michigan team on all three events she competes. She brought in another huge set of scores last night; a 9.8 on bars, 9.825 on beam, and a 9.875 on floor- which tied her for first with Joanna Sampson. Talia Chiarelli tied for third on beam with a 9.825 and scored a 9.775 on floor!



Michigan now hits the road for the next three weeks and the competition will only get tougher from here! On Friday they vs. Illinois- then their biggest Big 10 rival Nebraska the following Friday. Then on the 21st they will face Oklahoma, Alabama, and West Virginia in the Nadia Comeneci Invite before returning home for three weeks where they will wrap up the regular season.

More videos from the Autism Awarness are being uploaded here!

Check out our photos from the meet here!