Department of athletics, physical education and recreation
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Julia Zimmerman Qualifies for NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Championships
April 3, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The 2007 National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships regional selections were announced on Monday afternoon by the NCAA, with MIT sophomore Julia Zimmerman claiming one of just five qualification spots for the all-around competition in the Northeast region. The Chicago, Ill., native was the only Division III gymnast in the country to qualify for the meet, while she also made history by becoming the first ever MIT gymnast and just the fifth Division III gymnast in the past 24 years to earn the right to compete in the prestigious championships. The Northeast Regional Championships will take place in Ann Arbor, Mich., with the University of Michigan serving as host. All regionals will be conducted at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 14. Zimmerman's qualification for the regional championships is an incredible accomplishment to add to what was already a momentous 2006-07 campaign. Less than two weeks ago, she became just the second women's gymnast in MIT history to win the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) All-Around title, claiming the crown well ahead of two-time defending national champion Sarah Bulka of SUNY-Brockport. The only other MIT women's gymnast to ever claim the NCGA All-Around title was Sheila Rocchio, who earned the prestigious honor back in 1995. The next day, Zimmerman remarkably captured her second national championship in the span of 24 hours, earning the title on the beam with a flawless routine worth 9.700 points. She also finished third on the floor exercise, earning First Team All-America honors and capping an astonishing weekend. Proving that she performs her best under pressure, she set four personal bests and tied three Institute records over the course of the competition. Additionally, Zimmerman was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Gymnast of the Year for her efforts throughout the season, which had twice seen her garner ECAC Gymnast of the Week honors. At the ECAC Championships, she earned two silver medals and a bronze medal. The sophomore sensation broke the Institute all-around record early this season, then proceeded to top herself two more times, ultimately setting the current mark of 38.300. She also set the MIT record on the vault at 9.650, tied the record on the beam at 9.700 and tied the record on the floor exercise with a 9.775. During her freshman season, she was honored as the ECAC Rookie of the Year and was chosen as the female recipient of MIT's Varsity Club Award, which is given to the Institute's top freshman athlete. Zimmerman defines the term student-athlete. In addition to her remarkable athletic achievements, the Mechanical Engineering major is currently maintaining a perfect 5.0 grade-point-average. She will be joined at the Northeast Regional by all-around competitors Marissa Rosen of Pennsylvania, Alicia Sacramone of Brown, Kelly Gurney of Rhode Island and Alina Liao of Yale. The top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in Salt Lake City, Utah, hosted by the University of Utah from Apr. 26-28. In addition, the event winners at the regional championships will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or the all-around qualifiers. |
