California Girls

No. 2 Wolverines already dreamin' in sunny L.A.

Football? Check. Hockey? Check (pardon the pun). Now it's time for the No. 2 Michigan women's gymnastics team to take its shot at a national championship these next few days.

The team arrived in Los Angeles last night and had a light afternoon practice yesterday at Pauley Pavilion, which is decorated in accordance with the importance of the upcoming tournament.

"It has a very national feel to it," all-Big Ten freshman Bridget Knaeble said.

JOHN KRAFT/Daily Lisa Simes and the rest of the Michigan women's gymnastics team begins competition at the NCAA Championships today in Los Angeles.

The Wolverines have become accustomed to qualifying for NCAAs. In fact, this trip to Los Angeles marks their sixth consecutive appearance. In the past three seasons, they have taken their achievements even further by earning an elite spot in the "Super 6."

What is the "Super 6," you might ask?

The 12 teams that prevailed in their respective regional tournaments, thus qualifying for nationals, are placed in one of two preliminary groups that compete separately on the first day of NCAAs. After preliminaries, the six programs with the highest overall team scores move on to the "Super 6."

The Wolverines not only feel confident about making their fourth straight "Super 6" appearance - they are excited about their realistic chances of winning it all.

"We would love to win it," senior co-captain Heather Kabnick said. "It is within our reach."

Her optimism was echoed by teammate Lisa Simes. "We are all very excited to be here and we are having a great time," Simes said. "When we have a lot of fun, we perform really well."

The NCAAs are being held at Pauley Pavilion, home of the UCLA Bruins, where the Wolverines struggled earlier this season during the UCLA Invitational.

During their January trip to L.A., the Wolverines felt mentally unprepared for the level of competition they faced, and it showed in their finish. But Michigan feels this will have no bearing on their upcoming performance.

This time around, the team has a different mentality. "We're ready both emotionally and physically," Simes said.

Although seeding has little effect on a team's performance - the sole advantage of being one of the top-seeded teams comes in the form of a choice of the order of events - Michigan has the psychological advantage of being a No. 5 seed. Since the Wolverines finished second at regionals, this high seeding speaks well of the strength of the Central Region.

Ranked above the Wolverines are a trio of SEC teams - No.1 Georgia, the clear favorite that has sat atop the nation all season, Florida and Alabama - and Washington.

Also at stake this weekend are individual championships.

Co-captain Heather Kabnick has a legitimate shot at winning gymnastics' most prestigious individual honor - the all-around crown. At the NCAA Central Regional Championships, considered by many to be the strongest of the five regions, she came away with a first-place finish. Kabnick prevailed on the floor exercise with a 9.950 en route to her victory.

Needless to say, Kabnick's performance and leadership will be crucial as Michigan tries to make this a triple-crown year for Wolverine athletics.

"I hope this weekend goes well." Kabnick said. "And we can follow the trend that other Michigan sports have ... this year."

04-16-98