"Feeling the vibe."

The motto of the No. 10 Michigan women's gymnastics team never seemed more true than on Saturday night at Crisler Arena. The Wolverines came out of the gate strong on vault and used that momentum throughout the night. Michigan fed off the raucous crowd and won its second straight NCAA Regional competition.

The team - ready to forget its disappointing fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships - came into Regionals eager to prove themselves on a national stage. The Wolverines had two weeks off after the Big Ten Championships and used the time to fine-tune their routines.

"This (winning regionals) was just really hard for us to do," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "The kids were so disappointed after Big Tens and were determined to demonstrate that what happened then was something they were never going to let happen again. I'm just thrilled and excited to have qualified to nationals. And to be coming out seeded No. 1 is awesome."

Fifth-year senior Lauren Mirkovich continued her dominance on uneven bars and won her third title, tying her season-high score of 9.900. Freshmen Tatjana Thuener-Rego and Becky Bernard joined Mirkovich on the podium. They finished second and sixth, respectively, as Michigan won the event.

Ever since Thuener-Rego and classmate Huneth Lor jokingly came up with the phrase "feel the vibe" early in the season, the Wolverines have used it as a fun motivational phrase to keep their spirits up. With such a tight-knit team, the gymnasts constantly feed off each other's energy and use the motto to remind them that their teammates have their back whenever things go south.

"It has been a saying to pull us all together," junior Carol McNamara said. "It's just about feeling the vibe as one because we go out there as one and we compete as one. The line is just a big pump-up to get us going."

And no one needed a boost more than McNamara, who fell off of the balance beam for the second time in as many meets. The junior was just seconds into her routine when she lost her balance and slid off toward the end of the apparatus in similar fashion to her fall at the Big Ten Championships. But, the Wolverines didn't have the "vibe" at Jenison Fieldhouse two weeks ago, and McNamara's fall triggered four consecutive falls for Michigan. The team scored a season-low 47.475 on the apparatus.

But, on their home turf and in the last meet in Crisler Arena for seniors Mirkovich, Jenny Deiley and Becca Clauson, the Wolverines stayed on course. Michigan maintained its composure and built off McNamara's clean dismount. Despite Deiley's early close-call with the mat, the Wolverines won the event and placed two gymnasts on the podium.

"At first, I was like, 'This can't be happening,' " McNamara said. "But when I went back to my team, I was so confident in them, just with how we have been practicing and the way everyone was looking. I knew they were going to pick me up and finish strong. They were feeling the vibe."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go blue. Feeeel the vibe" the team's signature cheer could be heard from their bench throughout the beam event, and as the gymnasts headed to the locker room for their bye rotation. While the Wolverines danced in the locker room, trying to keep their momentum going strong for floor routine, No. 2 Utah was closing out the night on the beam. The Utes' subpar performance meant that all Michigan needed was 48.610 points to win the meet and clinch the No. 1 seed at the NCAA Championships.

Led by junior Lindsey Bruck, Michigan went on to place four Wolverines on the podium in floor exercise. Deiley and sophomore Katie Lieberman tied for second place on the event with Deiley finishing fifth in the all-around competition.

This was without a doubt an easy task for the gymnasts, and with junior Lindsey Bruck - who finished second in the all-around competition - leading the way, Michigan went on to place four Wolverines on the podium in the event. Deiley and sophomore Katie Lieberman tied for second place, and Thuener-Rego's sixth-place finish was good enough to make it to the podium in the all-around competition, tying for fifth-place with Deiley.

"I'm actually really excited to go out so strong at home," Deiley said. "Big Tens was a huge bummer for me. It was kind of like my senior meet - I was just really proud of my team. They made it a lot of fun for me, and this is definitely a bitter sweet ending at Crisler."

With the victory, Michigan advances to the NCAA Championships on April 20. The Wolverines defeated No. 2 Utah by .003 points-the same margin of victor the Utes had over Michigan when the two teams faced off in Ann Arbor in early February.