By Sara Rontal
Daily Sports Writer
Wipe Out!
Besides being the title of the familiar Beach Boys song, it is also what the Michigan women's gymnastics team did to its competition at the State of Michigan Classic on Sunday in Ypsilanti.
The Wolverines caught a huge wave and engulfed Eastern Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan and Western Michigan with a whopping team score of 196.425.
The score placed the Wolverines only 0.075 away from breaking into the top five all-time scores in Michigan history.
The Wolverines also surfed their way into the record books by scoring fifth on the vault with a 49.475 and fourth on the uneven bars with a score of 49.175.
"We were real happy with the results," coach Bev Plocki said. "We are finally coming together as a team."
That seems evident, especially when looking at the performance of freshman Sarah Cain, who is anything but a beach bum.
On Sunday, Cain captured her third straight all-around title with a score of 39.425. In the vault, she registered a 9.9 for the fourth straight meet.
"I was really excited about the meet," Cain said. "I had so much fun."
Plocki said she not only sees the team coming together, but she also acknowledges Cain's talent.
"She is becoming more consistent," Plocki said. "She is also getting more comfortable with the collegiate competition."
But Cain is not fazed by her individual performance.
"The individual doesn't count," she said. "I just wanted to help the team."
Along with Cain, sophomore Nikki Peters did wonders for Michigan's team score.
Peters scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars and a 9.975 in the vault.
Also helping the Wolverines ride the wave to victory was sophomore Lisa Simes, who finished second overall in the meet.
She finished second on the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise, an event which is anything but Michigan's weakest.
"We have had some good meets on the floor," Plocki said. "This team does not have a weak event."
Captain Andrea McDonald also turned in a solid performance.
Although still recovering from back problems, she scored a 9.725 on the vault and a 9.775 on the beam.
"She did well on both," Plocki said. "Next week, I hope to get her on the floor exercise."
Sophomore Beth Amelkovich also helped the team by finishing third in the all-around with a score of 39.125.
The meet boosted the Wolverines to 2-0 in the Big Ten, putting them in good position in their attempt to win a sixth consecutive Big Ten title.
Plocki said she had expected Michigan State to give the Wolverines a run in conference competition.
"Prior to this weekend, Michigan State would have been next in competition," Plocki said.
But the Wolverines drowned the Spartans, who finished with an overall score of 190.000.
The meet gave the Wolverines the biggest score of their season, making it their biggest win.
But the race for the Big Ten championship is far from over, especially since the Wolverines must face Ohio State on Thursday.
"Ohio State was good last year, and they are good this year," Plocki said.