No. 4 UCLA gymnastics will face No. 9 Michigan on Saturday in a top-ranked Big Ten matchup. Daily Bruin contributor Kate Bergfeld analyzes the Wolverine squad ahead of the clash.

Michigan
Ranking: No. 9
Strength: Beam
Weakness: Vault
X-Factor: Carly Bauman

The Wolverines will make the trip to Pauley Pavilion for the first time since 2013.

The squad finished No. 17 overall last season and failed to move past the NCAA tournament regionals.

But the Wolverines have turned things around this season.

Michigan earned a win against rival No. 19 Ohio State last week, besting the Buckeyes by three-tenths. The team’s final rotation on beam helped secure the victory.

Ranked second in the Big Ten, Michigan’s beam team has achieved success. The Wolverines are currently ranked No. 3 on beam nationally – just a spot above UCLA.

And this success is backed by history. Across the past 10 seasons, Michigan has secured seven top-10 beam rankings at the end of the season.

Yet, Michigan has struggled to maintain consistently high beam scores, with an average of 49.430, despite earning a season-high 49.650 at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad on Jan. 10. However, Michigan has steadily improved, posting a 49.425 and 49.600 at its last two meets.

Junior Kayli Boozer and graduate student Carly Bauman are two of the Wolverines’ top beam weapons. Boozer boasts a 9.950 season high and averages a 9.930, while Bauman owns a season-high 9.950 and averages a 9.895 – good for No. 6 and No. 15 in the nation, respectively. Boozer has earned five consecutive wins on the apparatus, and Bauman has achieved back-to-back victories.

But Michigan has struggled to stick its landings to secure high scores on floor, standing as the No. 14 floor team in the country. It owns a season high of 49.550 but average a 49.250 after recording a season-low 48.975 on Jan. 17, when the Wolverines posted sub-9.850 marks and sophomore Jahzara Ranger logged a 9.625 in the anchor position.

Bauman is tied for No. 17 in the country on floor, with a season high of 9.975. Freshman Quincy Walters has also made an impact, tallying a season-high 9.950 and owning a 9.880 average.

Bauman can also put on a show on bars. Serving as the anchor, she has a career high of 9.975, which she recorded against UCLA last season. The Wolverines currently rank No. 11 on the event, averaging a 49.210 with a high of 49.425, which they earned on Jan. 10. However they have failed to reach that score again, with the closest being two-tenths below the season-high tally.

Vault also represents a weaker event for the Wolverines. Ranked at No. 14, the team started the season with a 49.000 before dropping to 48.975 at the next meet. Since then, the Wolverines have slowly climbed, notching two season-high scores of 49.325 on Feb. 1 and Feb. 7. Tied at No. 27, sophomore Sophia Diaz is their highest ranked vaulter with an average score of 9.855 and a high of 9.900.

While Michigan may not have athletes competing in the all-around, the squad boasts talent, which stems from a deep roster, with 12 athletes competing consistently. In many squads, between eight and 10 athletes contribute regularly – but for the Wolverines, almost two-thirds of the squad has seen competition.

Michigan has only lost to then-No. 20 Minnesota and then-No. 15 Michigan State, owning dual meet wins against then-No. 24 Iowa and No. 19 Ohio State. The Wolverines have the opportunity to shift the script and upset the Bruins in what would be their first top-10 win of the season.