Michigan Picked to Win Big Ten in Preseason Poll
12/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head women's gymnastics coach Bev Plocki has led the Wolverines to 21 Big Ten championships in her 26 seasons, and on Thursday (Dec. 10) her team was picked No. 1 in the Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Preseason Coaches Poll.
Michigan is coming off back-to-back Big Ten titles with the team recording its highest score ever (197.825) at a Big Ten Championship meet last year. The Wolverines have an unprecedented run of 20 championships in the last 24 seasons.
Looking to get U-M back on top of the podium will be the 12 student-athletes who are part of Team 40. Two of those student-athletes, junior Nicole Artz and freshman Olivia Karas, were chosen to the Big Ten Women's Gymnasts to Watch list.
Artz, a native of Holland, Michigan, was the Big Ten champion in the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam last year and earned two first team All-America honors. She was chosen to the All-Big Ten first team and All-Big Ten Championships Team before earning NCAA Northeast Region Gymnast of the Year. Artz is a junior captain this year and is majoring in elementary education and language arts.
Karas hails from Chicago, Illinois, and made a splash in her first meet as a Wolverine last Sunday (Dec. 10), an exhibition against Eastern Michigan. She had the top all-around score in the meet with a 39.25, posting a 9.8 or better on three of her four events. She is enrolled in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts but has yet to declare a major.
Michigan also has returning All-Americans Talia Chiarelli and Brianna Brown. Chiarelli is a junior captain from Boston, Massachusetts, and was on the All-America first team for both balance beam and floor exercise. Brown, a sophomore from West Chester, Ohio, was a second team All-American in the all-around.
The Wolverines will open the season Jan. 2 at the Cancun Classic in Cancun, Mexico. U-M will face off against Arkansas and Iowa.
