Fueled by their best road score of the season, the Michigan Wolverines captured a Big Five meet title and a share of the Big Ten regular-season championship on Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa. The Wolverines' 197.150 not only broke a season-high mark but also earned a spot in the evening session of next weekend's Big Ten Championships in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Both meet runner-up Iowa (196.400) and third-place Penn State (195.450) also clinched spots in the Big Ten evening session. Fourth-place Minnesota (194) and fifth-place Rutgers (192.650) will compete in the afternoon session. Nebraska won Saturday's other Big Five meet -- which was held in Champaign, Illinois -- to tie Michigan for the Big Ten title.

Michigan

The Wolverines have shined all season on floor and did not disappoint in the Big Five meet with a 49.325, led by Nicole Artz (9.90) and Emma McLean (9.90), who shared the event title. Olivia Karas won the vault title by nailing her Yurchenko 1 1/2 for a 9.95 to help her team place a strong 49.275 on vault.

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Michigan momentum continued on bars with a 49.375, paced by junior Paige Zaziski, whose 9.950 earned a share of the bars title. The Wolverines also welcomed back Brianna Brown to the lineup, and the junior posted a 9.875. Michigan wrapped up the night on beam and was able to avoid counting a fall with a 49.175. The Wolverines posted three scores of 9.85 to help the seal their victory. Michigan's top all-around total came from freshman Lexi Funk with a 39.275.

Iowa

The Iowa GymHawks continued their strong showing this season with a second-place finish of 196.40. Angel Metcalf gave the GymHawks a big boost with a season-high 39.375, finishing second in the all-around. Iowa started the night on the ever-so-tough beam, where it scored 48.875. Mollie Drenth paced the GymHawks on the event with a score of 9.900 for a share of the beam title. Led by Melissa Zurawski's 9.875, Iowa earned its best score of the meet on floor with a strong 49.275.

Iowa moved to the vault where it recorded a score of 48.875. Maria Ortiz was the runner-up on vault with a season-high 9.850. The Hawkeyes finished the night on uneven bars with an impressive 49.325, tying their season high in the event. Angel Metcalf's new career high of 9.950 earned her a share of the event title.

Coach Larissa Libby on Iowa's performance:

I'm am so happy. To us, qualifying for the night session is a win. We proved that we are worthy of being in that session today, and we have just not been able to do that in the past. We've competed well, but it's never been good enough to make that jump into the night session. I couldn't be more proud of how the team competed today.

Penn State

After an up-and-down season, the Nittany Lions proved they deserved to be in the night session of Big Tens with a third-place team finish. Penn State had a bit of a shaky start on bars to start the competition and posted a 48.575. Sabrina Garcia led PSU on the event with a strong 9.875. Penn State rebounded great on beam with their second-highest balance beam score of the year with a 49.125. Nicole Medvitz led the charge as she tied for the event title with her score of 9.900.

After their bye, the Nittany Lions recorded a 48.925 on the floor exercise, where they were able to drop a fall. Briannah Tsang stepped up big as she hit a great routine for a 9.90. Penn State closed out the meet with a 48.825 on the vault. Both Garcia and Briannah Tsang posted a 9.80 to lead the way for the Nittany Lions.

Interim co-head coach Kera Molinaro:

The ladies showed a lot of heart today. After a little bit of a shaky start first rotation on the uneven bars, they came back and hit on the balance beam, floor exercise, and vault. The team showed a lot of mental toughness to be able to come back and finish third to secure a spot in the evening session at next week's Big Ten Championships.

Minnesota

The Minnesota Gophers had a tough draw for the Big Five meet and saw some struggles on beam to finish the meet on a bye. The Gophers started the meet on floor with a strong 49.30 team score. Minnesota was led by freshman Paige Williams, who tied for the floor title with a career high of 9.900. Williams was again the top performer on vault with a 9.85 to help the Gophers to a 48.975 on vault.

Minnesota moved to bars where it surpassed the 49 mark with a 49.025 as a team. Bailie Holst hit a strong routine for a season-high 9.925. The Gophers finished the meet on beam, where they saw struggles as a team and had to count two falls en route to a 47.525. Minnesota had to sit out the final rotation on a bye and wait to see if its 194.825 was good enough for the night session. Finishing fourth, the Gophers will compete in the afternoon session of Big Tens next weekend.

Rutgers

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights' fifth-place finish will be in the afternoon session at Big Tens. Rutgers will host the Big Ten Championship as it looks to improve on its 192.650 finish. The Scarlet Knights had their best score in their first rotation on vault with a 48.80, led by Clair Jones' season-high 9.85. Rutgers saw struggles on bars as it ended the rotation with a 46.425. The Scarlet Knights rebounded on beam with a 48.675, led by Makenzey Shank's 9.80. Rutgers rounded out the meet on floor to post a 48.75. Riahanah Ali had a team-best 9.825 on the event for the Scarlet Knights.


Related:
Nebraska Wins Big Five Meet
Complete Results