Postseason begins for'M' women gymnasts

By Stephen A. Rom
Daily Sports Writer

It's a brand new season.

And with that knowledge, the Michigan women's gymnastics team will travel to Michigan State on Saturday to compete in the Big Ten Championships. This will be the first of three post-season meets for the Wolverines that could culminate in the NCAA Championships in Salt Lake City on April 22-24.

Winning the Big Ten Championship this weekend would be a fitting end to a season that saw the Wolverines go 4-1 in conference meets and 13-4 overall. But the title is not imperative for them to achieve their ultimate goal - a national championship.

he Michigan women's gymnastics team looks at the postseason in a whole new way. LOUIS BROWN/Daily

"We want to win the Big Ten crown," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "But in all reality, it means nothing to our potential success in the NCAAs."

Plocki knows this quite well.

She has seen her team secure the Big Ten crown in six of the last seven years, but never once continue on to win a national championship. The closest the Wolverines ever came was a second-place tie in 1995.

Nonetheless, this team is different than in years past. It has a strong mix of both young and veteran gymnasts that will bring experience and enthusiasm to the post-season.

But perhaps if there is something the Wolverines should concern themselves with, it would be to remain true to what has earned them the success that they enjoy today.

"We're trying to focus on the fact that just because we are going into the 'championship' part of the season, we don't want to change what we have been doing," Plocki said.

What the team has been doing is putting up record numbers. In two of the last three meets, the Wolverines topped their season-high team score. Two weeks ago against UCLA, they brought home the sixth-highest team score in Michigan history. And in last weekend's season finale, the Wolverines dismantled Michigan State in the very same building that they will be competing in on Saturday.

But, this trip to the Jenison Fieldhouse will prove a little more challenging than the walk in the park they had last week against the Spartans. Yes, Michigan State will be there for another stroll, but so will five other Big Ten teams ranked in the top-25, including three in the top 10.

"This is going to be the toughest conference meet since I have been at Michigan," Plocki said.

One team that Plocki said she feels will give the Wolverines the most trouble is Penn State. The Nittany Lions were ranked fifth at the end of the regular season and have been a constant thorn in Michigan's side. After Penn State jumped ahead of Michigan in the national poll, the Wolverines were never able to surpass the Lions again.

But regardless of the caliber of competition, if Michigan can put together a mistake free outing, that will be enough to carry the team wherever it wants to go.

"Concerning ourselves with the things we can control is what will make this outcome a win," Plocki said.

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