Weekly Release #13

Upcoming Schedule
Thu-Sat., April 21-23 -- at NCAA Championships (Auburn, Ala.)
    April 21 -- Preliminary Team and All-Around Competition (1 p.m./7 p.m. CDT)
    April 22 -- Super Six Team Finals (7 p.m. CDT)
    April 23 -- Individual Event Finals (7 p.m. CDT)

The NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships will be broadcast on CBS on tape delay and will air Sunday, May 1 at 1 p.m. EDT. Bonnie Bernstein and 1996 U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics captain Amanda Wolfson are set to announce the championships, while Tracy Wolfson will serve as the sideline reporter. A direct link to live stats will be made available through mgoblue.com, hosted by the CBS Sportsline website.

TELEVISION ALERT
ESPN2 will broadcast the Big Ten Winter Championships Review show on Thursday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m. EDT, featuring all the Big Ten Championships from the winter season. Tune in to relive Michigan women's gymnastics' seventh-straight Big Ten title won earlier this year at Iowa.

A Look at the Field for the 2005 NCAA Championships
The field for the 2005 NCAA Championships includes four of the usual suspects and 12 of the top 13 teams in the nation.

Session 1 (April 21, 1 p.m. CDT)       
No. 1 Utah
No. 3 LSU
No. 6 Nebraska
No. 8 MICHIGAN
No. 10 Oklahoma
No. 11 Penn State

Session 2 (April 21, 7 p.m. CDT)
No. 2 UCLA
No. 4 Alabama
No. 5 Georgia
No. 7 Florida
No. 9 Iowa State
No. 13 BYU

Utah, LSU, UCLA, Alabama, Florida and Michigan each placed first at regionals, while Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, Georgia, Iowa State and BYU earned bids to the NCAA Championships with second-place finishes.

LSU posted the highest regional score (197.250), followed by UCLA (197.025) and Utah (196.800). Michigan's regional score (196.600) was fourth-best of the 12 teams in the championships. UCLA is the two-time defending national champion, winning four of the last five titles. Alabama took the crown in 2002 to spoil UCLA's dominance since 2000.

Michigan has twice placed runner-up in the NCAA Championships, finishing second in 1999 and 1995

Current Streaks and Upcoming Milestones
Fifth-year senior Elise Ray took sole possession of first place on Michigan's career list for most all-around scores of 39.000+ with her 38th 39.000+ score at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships ... Junior Jenny Deiley moves up to fifth on the all-time list for most all-around scores of 39.000+ with 29 in her career. Deiley needs just one more to tie for fourth with Calli Ryals ... Sophomore Lindsey Bruck took sole possession of first place on the all-time list for most all-around scores of 39.000+ by a sophomore with 12 in 2005, moving ahead of Beth Amelkovich, who posted 11 39.000+ scores in 1997 ... Bruck also moved into 10th place on the all-time list for most career 39.000+ all-around scores with 13.

Leading In the Gym and in the Classroom
Eight gymnasts earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in the winter session of 2005, second only to men's and women's swimming and diving. All-Big Ten honors are awarded to student-athletes who are sophomores or above and letterwinners and hold a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Sophomore Lindsey Bruck, junior Becca Clauson, junior Jenny Deiley, senior Shanna Duggan, senior Chelsea Kroll, fifth-year senior Elise Ray, senior Kara Rosella, and sophomore Sarrie Rubin headed the list for the Wolverines.

The award was the third for Clauson, Deiley, Kroll and Ray, while Rosella earned the honor for the second time in her career.

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

Vault: Jenny Deiley (8), Katie Lieberman (2), Elise Ray (1).
Bars: Elise Ray (11), Lindsey Bruck (1), Lauren Mirkovich (1).
Beam: Elise Ray (5), Lindsey Bruck (4).
Floor: Jenny Deiley (4), Elise Ray (2), Lindsey Bruck (2), Becca Clauson (2), Shanna Duggan (1), Chelsea Kroll (1).
All-Around: Jenny Deiley (3), Elise Ray (3), Lindsey Bruck (2).

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

Vault: Deiley (12th) and Lieberman (25th).
Bars: Ray (2nd), Deiley (T-18th) and Mirkovich (24th).
Beam: Ray (7th) and Bruck (T-12th).
All-Around: Ray (T-9th), Bruck (13th) and Deiley (14th).

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 set a Big Ten record for the most consecutive Big Ten titles with its seventh in-a-row at the 2005 Big Ten Conference Championships. The Wolverines held the previous record, winning six titles in-a-row from 1992-97 and from 1998-2004. U-M has 14 Big Ten titles, the most in Big Ten history.

NCAA Regional Title
Michigan captured its seventh NCAA Regional crown in Lincoln, Neb., with a score of 196.600, defeating host Nebraska, Missouri, Arizona, Arizona State and Illinois. The Wolverines have captured six of the last nine regional titles. Fifth-year senior Elise Ray and senior Lauren Mirkovich shared the uneven bars title - the third regional title of Ray's career and the second for Mirkovich.

Ray Wins Back-to-Back NCAA Northeast Regional Gymnast of the Year
Fifth-year senior Elise Ray was named NCAA Northeast Regional Gymnast of the Year for the second straight season, leading Michigan to a 27-2 record and its seventh straight Big Ten title.

Ray Claims Michigan Immortality in the All-Around
Fifth-year senior Elise Rays 39.500 all-around score at the Big Ten Championships (3/26) moved her into first place on the all-time list of most career 39.000+ all-around scores, passing former Wolverine Sarah Cain (1997-2000). Ray has 38 all-around scores of 39.000+, passing Cain (36) and three-time national champion Beth Wymer (34). Ray is tied for ninth in the nation in the all-around competition (39.405), despite competing in just eight all-around competitions this season.

Ray Owns the Uneven Bars - Gets Her 28th Title and 11th of 2005
Fifth-year senior Elise Ray captured the 28th uneven bars title of her career with a 9.925 at the NCAA South Central Regional (4/9). Ray has 11 bars titles in 13 meets in 2005 and has won 14 of the last 16 titles dating back to the 2004 Big Ten Championships. She has also posted 22 scores of 9.900 or better in the last 24 meets - giving her just two sub-9.900 marks in the last 454 days. Ray ranks second in the nation on bars (9.935).

Mirkovich Wins Second Regional Bars Title
With a 9.925 on bars at the NCAA South Central Regional, senior Lauren Mirkovich won the second regional bars title of her career, matching her title-winning performance in 2003. Mirkovich ranks 24th in the nation on bars and has seven titles to her credit in her career.

Bruck Consistently Excellent in the All-Around
Sophomore Lindsey Bruck has posted 12 straight all-around scores of 39.000 or better in the last 13 meets, taking a pair of all-around titles and finishing runner-up six times, including a second-place finish at the 2005 Big Ten Championships. Bruck ranks 13th in the nation in the all-around (39.395). She is tied for fourth on the all-time list for most all-around scores of 39.000+ in a single season, needing one more to climb into a tie for second place. She has the most all-around scores for a sophomore in program history.

Plocki Wins 300th
Head coach Bev Plocki captured her 300th-career victory at Michigan State (3/18) and added six wins at the Big Ten Championships to improve to 306-86 in 16 season as a head coach at Michigan.

Plocki Gets 150th Big Ten Conference Wins
Head coach Bev Plocki earned her 150th-career Big Ten victory at the 2005 Big Ten Championships, improving to 152-24 in 16 seasons of Big Ten competition. Plocki is 96-8 against the Big Ten in the last 10 years and 150-14 in the last 15 seasons of competition.

Michigan vs. the Top 25
The Wolverines are 13-2 against top-25 teams in 2005.

Wins Over Top 25 Teams (ranking/current ranking)
1/7 - Nebraska (10/6)
1/15 - Minnesota (19/20)
1/15 - Maryland (15/na)
1/21 - Penn State (20/11)
2/4 - UCLA (3/2)
2/6 - Michigan State (16/na)
2/6 - Central Michigan (20/14)
2/12 - Michigan State (24/na)
3/26 - Penn State (11/11)
3/26 - Minnesota (22/20)
4/9 - Nebraska (6/6)
4/9 - Arizona (18/18)
4/9 - Missouri (19/19)

Losses To Top 25 Teams
1/28 - Utah (2/1)
3/11 - Georgia (8/5)

Michigan Running Away With Big Ten Weekly Awards
U-M earned a Big Ten record seven weekly honors (tying Iowa's seven honors in 2004), led by three citations for fifth-year senior Elise Ray and two awards for junior Jenny Deiley and sophomore Lindsey Bruck. With her final Big Ten Gymnast of the week award, Ray earned a Big Ten record ninth weekly citation for her career, moving ahead of Iowa's Alexis Maday, who had eight honors in her career.

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 (9.890) is currently tied for 12th in the nation.

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 seventh-best freshman vaulter in the nation - sharing the Big Ten Championships vault title - while her RQS is 25th in the country (9.880). She has posted 13-straight scores of 9.800 or better and has two titles and 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.

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.