2003 Michigan Women's Gymnastics Season Outlook
12/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
After rolling through the regular season last year, the Michigan women's gymnastics team struggled in the postseason and eventually missed qualifying for the NCAA Super Six team finals for just the second time in nine years. Sitting in the stands watching other teams compete for the national championship has stuck with the Wolverines over the summer and provided extra motivation in the fall.
"We came off a disappointment last year in not making the Super Six," said head coach Bev Plocki. "Our athletes don't want to have that feeling again, so they are working very hard right now to make sure that we prepare ourselves to be competing for a title at the end of the year."
"I am really excited about this year," said Plocki. "We've had a great fall season. Everyday has been a lot of fun. Being in this facility has inspired all of us to new levels. We have had so much learning take place that I anticipate the difficulty level for our team to be much higher this year."
The increase in difficulty can be traced directly to the new training equipment available in the Shepherd Center. The options available to the gymnasts at each event have given them the confidence needed to take their skills to the next level.
"We have every training tool possible at our disposal," said Plocki. "The athletes have been eager to try new skills because they can go into the foam pit. We have every surface to tumble off of or into.
"It has been a lot of fun for the gymnasts because they don't have any fear or reluctance to try new things. Once they begin to have some success at doing some of these things into the foam and are going in feet first every time, it gives them so much confidence to move over to the resi-pits or the hard-floor surface. It has just made the learning curve so much easier for them because they are able to take baby steps. They don't have a fear of injury."
The trio leading the charge for U-M are the co-captains, senior Janessa Grieco and junior Elise Ray, and junior Calli Ryals. The three make up the core of the returning Wolverines and have been three of the most successful members of the team during their careers. Plocki looks for each of them to help guide Michigan back to the Super Six.
"It's a pleasure for me to see how inspired Elise is this year in gymnastics," said Plocki. "She has been learning new skills, adding more difficulty into her routines and seems to really be enjoying gymnastics.
"Janessa has always been and will always be the hardest worker I have in the gym. She continues to perfect and refine her skills and routines. Her strength has been her consistency throughout her collegiate career.
"Calli is so naturally talented. She has a brand new vault this year and has increased the difficulty in her bar routine. She has always been a pleasure to watch and is definitely a crowd favorite."
In addition, Michigan returns three student-athletes who were injured last season and adds three freshmen to the mix.
"Lauren Mirkovich, Erica Rubin and Kallie Steffes, who were injured last year, are coming back very strong and should be back at full potential by mid-season," said Plocki. "In addition our freshmen have brought a lot to the program, both personally and athletically. All three of them are such sweet kids, and they are a lot of fun to have in the gym. They are very, very hard workers and have great attitudes.
"Jenny Deiley is going to be a major impact person for us in the all-around right out of the gate, while Becca Clauson is certainly going to have an impact for us on vault, beam and floor. Rachel Colon is one of those kids who is at her best when we are critiquing a routine or we have a judge come in to evaluate a routine. I will be very interested to see how Rachel performs once we get into the season, but she has great potential to contribute for us in the all-around."
With the core group returning, the injured student-athletes coming back strong and the freshmen contributing, Michigan should be able to put together four balanced lineups this season.
"I think that we should be a pretty balanced team with our top six in all four events," said Plocki. "We probably have the most depth on floor and vault, which is a change for us. The vault has been an event in which we have not had a great deal of depth in the past few years. On bars, our top six are going to be strong, but right now we probably have the least amount of depth in that event."
That balance and depth is going to be tested. Once again, Plocki has put together one of the toughest schedules in the nation, including meets with the top five teams from the 2002 NCAA National Championships. The challenge starts early with three of four January meets against teams that qualified for the national championships, including defending champion Alabama and runner-up Georgia. Local fans get a treat toward the end of the season. Michigan hosts gymnastics powerhouses UCLA and Nebraska at Crisler Arena as a tune up for hosting the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships in April.
"We have, as always, an incredibly challenging schedule," said Plocki. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I believe that we have to test ourselves throughout the season to know where we stand going into the postseason. I love bringing in programs like Nebraska and UCLA because it gives our fans a chance to see the highest level of collegiate gymnastics available."
All the pieces are in place for Michigan to return to the Super Six and compete for a national championship. If the strength of a successful fall season can help the team weather a tough regular-season schedule and intense postseason competition, look for the Wolverines on the awards stand in late April.
Players Mentioned
