Weekly Release #11

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, March 26 -- at Big Ten Championships (Iowa City, Iowa), 6 p.m. CST
Saturday, April 9 -- at NCAA Regional Championships (TBD), 6 p.m.
Thu-Sat., April 21-23 -- at NCAA Championships (Auburn, Ala.)

LATE BREAKING NEWS...
Ray Becomes Big Ten's All-Time Weekly Award Winner
Fifth-year senior Elise Ray earned her ninth-career Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor Wednesday (March 23), moving her into first place on the conference's all-time list of weekly award winners. The award was Ray's third of the 2005 season. Junior Jenny Deiley and sophomore Lindsey Bruck each picked up a pair of Big Ten Gymnast of the Week awards this season, giving Michigan seven of 11 conference citations this year. The Wolverines tied for the most weekly citations by one team in a single season, equalling Iowa's feat in 2004. 

Dominique Dawes Signed On to Broadcast Big Ten Championships
College Sports Television (CSTV) announced that Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes will be part of its broadcast of the 2005 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships, Saturday (March 26).

A Look at the 2005 Big Ten Championships
Michigan (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) enters the 2005 Big Ten Championships as the six-time defending champion, capturing 12 of the last 13 conference crowns. The Wolverines hold the record for most consecutive Big Ten team titles, winning the last six (1999-2004) and six in-a-row from 1992-97.

The Wolverines lead the conference with 13 team titles, eight better than second-place Ohio State (5), nine better than Minnesota (4) and 12 better than Illinois (1). Michigan has captured 58 individual titles with 48 event champions and 10 all-around champions.

Fifth-year senior Elise Ray is a four-time defending Big Ten champion, winning the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise and taking the all-around competition in 2004. Ray has five titles in all, winning the balance beam in 2002. Junior Jenny Deiley is the only other current Wolverine with a Big Ten title on her resume, winning the uneven bars title in 2003.

Michigan posted the second highest score in school history at the 2004 Big Ten Championships with a 197.800 to defeat second-place Penn State (196.625) in Minneapolis, Minn. The last time U-M failed to win the team title was in 1998 when Minnesota edged out the Wolverines, 195.400-194.900 in Iowa City, Iowa. The Wolverines are 0-3 in Big Ten Championships held in Iowa City.

Michigan is the highest-ranked team entering the Big Ten Championships, ahead of No. 11 Penn State and No. 22 Minnesota. U-M leads the conference in all events and is a perfect 7-0 in the conference heading into the championships.

Penn State (14-5, 2-1 Big Ten), Minnesota (8-9, 2-1 Big Ten), Michigan State (17-11, 1-3 Big Ten), Ohio State (6-10, 0-4 Big Ten), Illinois (17-5, 2-2 Big Ten) and host Iowa (8-13, 1-3 Big Ten) round out the field.

Big Ten Championships Televised
College Sports Television (CSTV) will broadcast the 2005 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships from Iowa City, Iowa and air the meet on tape delay on Wednesday (March 30) at 10 p.m. CSTV is available to Comcast subscribers, or on DirecTV (channel 610).

Comcast Sports Local To Televise Wolverines vs. Spartans
Michigan's meet at Michigan State on March 18 will be televised and aired on tape delay by Comcast Sports Local (Channel 8) making it the third meet this season to be televised by Comcast. The meet between the Wolverines and Spartans will air on Thursday (March 24) at 7 p.m. and Friday (March 25) at 8 p.m. Also look for Michigan's meet against No. 8 Georgia which airs periodically during the week on Comcast Sports Local.

Current Streaks and Upcoming Milestones
Sophomore Lindsey Bruck tied for second on the all-time list for most all-around scores of 39.000+ by a sophomore with 10 in 2005. Bruck needs one more all-around score of 39.000+ to tie Beth Amelkovich, who posted 11 39.000+ scores in 1997 ... Bruck also moved into a tie for 11th on the all-time list for most career 39.000+ all-around scores with 11 ... Fifth-year senior Elise Ray won her 28th balance beam title in the regular-season finale.

Title Watch
A running tally of Michigan's leading title winners in 2005...

Vault: Jenny Deiley (7), Katie Lieberman (1), Elise Ray (1).
Bars: Elise Ray (10), Lindsey Bruck (1).
Beam: Elise Ray (5), Lindsey Bruck (4).
Floor: Jenny Deiley (4), Elise Ray (2), Lindsey Bruck (2), Becca Clauson (1), Shanna Duggan (1), Chelsea Kroll (1).
All-Around: Jenny Deiley (3), Lindsey Bruck (2), Elise Ray (2).

Wolverines in the National Rankings
How Michigan ranks in the nation...

Vault: Deiley (T-10th)
Bars: Ray (1st) and Deiley (T-15th)
Beam: Ray (T-7th) and Bruck (T-13th)
All-Around: Deiley (11th), Bruck (12th) and Ray (T-19th)

Dominating the Big Ten Across the Board
How Michigan ranks in the Big Ten Conference...

Vault: Deiley (1st), Lieberman (2nd), Ray (3rd), Duggan (7th), Bruck (8th).
Bars: Ray (1st), Deiley (4th), Mirkovich (5th), Bruck (6th), Lieberman (12th).
Beam: Ray (1st), Bruck (2nd), Clauson (5th), Duggan (10th).
Floor: Bruck (2nd), Deiley (3rd), Clauson (7th), Duggan (T-8th)
All-Around: Deiley (1st), Bruck (2nd), Ray (3rd).

Wolverines No. 7 in the Nation
Michigan is No. 7 in the nation heading into the Big Ten Championships. GymInfo bases its rankings on the Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) for the remainder of the year.

The Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) Unmasked
A team's regional qualifying score is based on the six highest team totals, three of which must be from away competitions. After dropping the highest score, the remaining five are averaged to determine the regional qualifying score. Below is a breakdown of Michigan's current RQS:

Top Six Scores (away score in italics)
197.800 vs. Iowa (3/4)
196.950 vs. West Virginia (2/18)
196.750 at State of Michigan Classic (2/6)
196.525 at Utah (1/28)
196.500 at Michigan State (3/18)
196.250 vs. UCLA (2/4)

Dropping the high score (197.800 vs. Iowa) and averaging the rest gives Michigan an RQS of 196.595.

NCAA Longevity
Michigan is one of only five programs in the nation to qualify for each of the last 12 NCAA Championships. U-M advanced to its 12th straight and 13th overall NCAA Championship in 2004, taking eighth.

Big Ten Title Streaks
Michigan tied a Big Ten record with its sixth consecutive conference title in 2004. The previous record was set by Michigan from 1992-97. The Wolverines have 13 Big Ten titles to their credit.

Ray Claims Michigan Immortality in the All-Around
Fifth-year senior Elise Ray's 39.625 all-around score at Michigan State (3/18) in the regular-season finale tied her for first place on the all-time list of most career 39.000+ all-around scores. Ray has 36 all-around scored of 39.000 or better, equalling Sarah Cain (1997-2000) who finished her career with 36. Ray already passed three-time national champion Beth Wymer (34) earlier this season. Ray is tied for 19th in the nation in the all-around competion (39.290), despite competing in just six all-around competitions this season.

Ray Owns the Uneven Bars - Gets Her 27th Title and 10th of 2005
Fifth-year senior Elise Ray captured the 27th uneven bars title of her career at Michigan State (3/18) with a 9.950. Ray has 10 bars titles in 11 meets in 2005 and has won 13 of the last 14 titles dating back to the 2004 Big Ten Championships. She has also posted 20 scores of 9.900 or better in the last 22 meets - giving her just two sub-9.900 marks in the last 426 days. Ray ranks first in the nation on bars (9.935).

Bruck Consistently Excellent in the All-Around
Sophomore Lindsey Bruck has posted 10 straight all-around scores of 39.000 or better in the last 11 meets, taking a pair of all-around titles and finishing runner-up five times. Bruck ranks 12th in the nation in the all-around (39.360).

Plocki Wins 300th
Head coach Bev Plocki captured her 300th-career victory at Michigan State (3/18) to improve her record to 300-86 in 16 season as a head coach at Michigan.

Plocki Stalking 150 Big Ten Conference Wins
Head coach Bev Plocki has 146 Big Ten Conference victories under her belt, just four shy of 150. Plocki is 146-24 all-time against conference opponents (90-8 against the Big Ten in the last 10 years and 144-14 in the last 15 seasons of competition.)

Michigan vs. the Top 25
The Wolverines are 8-2 against top-25 teams in 2005.

Wins Over Top 25 Teams (ranking/current ranking)
1/7 - Nebraska (10/4)
1/15 - Minnesota (19/22)
1/15 - Maryland (15/na)
1/21 - Penn State (20/11)
2/4 - UCLA (3/3)
2/6 - Michigan State (16/na)
2/6 - Central Michigan (20/13)
2/12 - Michigan State (24/na)

Losses To Top 25 Teams
1/28 - Utah (2/1)
3/11 - Georgia (8/8)

On Pace For Record-Setting Season
Michigan's 16-2 record (7-0 in the Big Ten) is shaping up to be one of the best in U-M women's gymnastics history. If the Wolverines sweep Big Tens, Michigan will finish the year 22-2. The Wolverines best finishes were a 25-3 record in 2002 and a 24-2 record in 1995.

197.800 Sets Records For Wolverines
Michigan's 197.800 against Iowa (3/4) was the fourth-best score in the nation this season and tied for the second-highest score in U-M gymnastics history. The Wolverines scored a 197.800 at the 2004 Big Ten Championships and had a 197.850 at the 2000 Big Ten Championships.

Michigan Putting Up Record Scores on Vault, Bars and Beam
U-M's 49.525 score on beam at the State of Michigan Classic (2/6) tied for the best score in program history (the other mark was a 49.525 on beam at the 2000 Big Ten Championship). Michigan's 49.475 on vault vs. Iowa (3/4) is the second-best score all-time next to U-M's 49.825 vs. Utah State in 1996. U-M also posted a 49.525 against Iowa (3/4), tying for the third-best score in program history.

Big Time Victory Over Big Ten Rival Iowa
Michigan's margin of victory (3.525) over Iowa was the Wolverines' widest margin of victory since U-M beat Northern Illinois by 3.825 points on Feb. 14, 2003.

All-American Bruck Rules the Beam
Sophomore Lindsey Bruck picked up right where she left off after earning All-America first team honors on beam in 2004 with a pair of beam titles in the first two meets of the season and four titles in 11 meets. Bruck finished sixth on beam at the 2004 NCAA Championship. She has six beam titles in her career and her RQS (9.880) is currently tied for 13th in the nation and ia second in the Big Ten.

Freshman Lieberman Among the Nation's Best Vaulters
Freshman Katie Lieberman won her first vault title at the Ohio State Quad, posting a 9.875 and finishing ahead of 20 other athletes. Lieberman is the eighth-best freshman vaulter in the nation, with her RQS is tied for 28th in the country (9.865) and second in the Big Ten. She has posted 11-straight scores of 9.800 or better and has four runner-up honors this season.

Shanna Duggan - True Blue Through and Through
Senior transfer Shanna Duggan opened her Wolverine career with a second-place finish on vault in the season opener against No. 10 Nebraska, posting her best vault score since the 2003 season. Since then, she has tied career bests on beam (9.900 at State of Michigan Classic) and on floor (9.900 vs. Iowa). Duggan captured her first career floor title at Michigan State (3/18) in the regular-season finale. While with Central Michigan, Duggan was the 2002 MAC vault champion and finished second on vault at the 2002 NCAA Central Regionals.

All-American Kroll Suffers Season-Ending Injury
Senior Chelsea Kroll started her senior season in style by winning her first-career floor title with a career-tying 9.900 vs. No. 10 Nebraska in the season opener but suffered a season-ending injury in touch warm-ups at the Ohio State Quad. Kroll earned All-America second team honors on beam in 2003.

Record Crowds
Michigan recorded the highest attendance in U-M gymnastics history against No. 3 UCLA when 5,039 fans packing Crisler Arena (2/4). 4,376 fans witnessed Michigan's win over No. 20 Penn State (2/21) - the fourth-best crowd in gymnastics history - and the second highest attendance for a regular-season meet. 19.508 fans witnessed Michigan women's gymnastics this season at Crisler Arena - an average of 3,902 fans per meet.

GymInfo Rankings Explained
The GymInfo ranking changes its criteria as the season progresses. The Jan. 10 to Jan. 17 rankings are based on highest score. From Jan. 24 to Feb. 14, the rankings shift, based on total season average. Then, from Feb. 21 on, the GymInfo rankings are based on the regional qualifying score (RQS).

Wolverines Seventh in Preseason Poll
Michigan earned a seventh-place ranking in the GymInfo Preseaon Coaches Poll, earning 479 points. UCLA topped the list with 608 points and 15 first-place votes, while Georgia was second with 565 points and three first-place votes and Stanford was third with 554 and four first-place votes.

Competing Against the Best
Michigan will face seven teams ranked in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll, including preseason No. 1 UCLA (Feb. 4), preseason No. 2 Georgia (March 11) and preseason No. 5 Utah (Jan. 28). No. 10 Nebraska (Jan. 7), No. 17 Iowa (March 4), No. 19 Penn State (Jan. 21) and No. 23 West Virginia (Feb. 18) round out the ranked schedule.

Four New Faces for 2005
Freshmen Lindsay Bourdon, Nellie Kippley, Katie Lieberman and Megan Moore will wear the Maize and Blue for the Wolverines this season.

Six All-Americans Return for 2004
Seniors Chelsea Kroll, Lauren Mirkovich and Elise Ray, juniors Jenny Deiley and Becca Clauson and sophomore Lindsey Bruck are Michigan's six returning All-Americans. Ray earned 2004 All-America honors on beam, bars and in the all-around, taking a national title on bars, while Deiley earned All-America accolades on vault and Bruck earned All-America honors on beam. Clauson, Kroll and Mirkovich earned All-America honors in 2003 on beam, floor and bars, respectively.

Four of Five All-Big Ten Selections Back in 2005
Four of last year's five U-M All-Big Ten team members -- Lindsey Bruck, Becca Clauson, Jenny Deiley and Elise Ray -- return for the 2005 season. Ray returns as the Big Ten bars, beam, vault and all-around champion, sharing co-champion status on vault.

Seven Wolverines Named Academic All-Conference in 2004
Seven Wolverines were named to the Academic All-Big Ten Conference team for their efforts in the 2003-04 school year. Becca Clauson, Jenny Deiley, Chelsea Kroll, Elise Ray, Kara Rosella, Sarrie Rubin and Alison Rudisi earned Academic All-Conference honors.