Seniors Continue Championship Legacy
3/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 23, 2017
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team has a history of winning championships in the Big Ten, and the legacy continued last weekend in Piscataway, New Jersey, as seniors Nicole Artz and Talia Chiarelli walked away with their fourth straight championship.
"Fortunately, it has become the culture of our program," said head coach Bev Plocki, who has led Michigan to 22 of its 23 Big Ten titles. "It is something that every year is a focal point for our team. There is a lot of pride of competing in the Big Ten and being a Big Ten champion is prestigious."
When you walk in through the front door of the Donald R. Shepherd Training Center the first thing you see is a trophy case lined with Big Ten championship trophies from left to right and floor to ceiling. Then when you enter the gym the entire ceiling is filled with championship banners, all built by the hard work of the Michigan gymnasts over the last three decades.
"When I walked in on my recruiting trip my initial thought was there was no way I could be that good," said Artz, who is a six-time individual Big Ten champion. "Because of the tradition of this program you do become a better athlete and a better person."
The high expectations of winning a Big Ten championship has been passed down from class to class. In Plocki's 28 seasons, she has never had one of her recruits go four years without winning at least one Big Ten title, or even three years for that matter. This year, Artz and Chiarelli became the 10th recruiting class to go 4-for-4, winning four straight.
"It feels really special that we could do that for Michigan all four years we were here," said Chiarelli. "We are constantly told that Big Ten titles aren't just handed to you. You really have to work hard to make it happen."
Each of the last four titles have come in different circumstances, giving each one its own special meaning to the seniors.
The pair's freshman season, Michigan finished third at the Big Ten Quad the week before and was placed in the early session of the Big Ten Championships. U-M had also finished fourth and second the previous two years, the only two-year drought since Plocki's first two seasons leading the program.
The team responded by putting on a show with a 197.550 in State College, Pennsylvania, to become the first school to ever win the title out of the early session. Artz earned her first career Big Ten title with a 9.875 on balance beam and finished third in the all-around. Chiarelli contributed a 9.825 on beam as well.
"As freshmen, everything was overwhelming and crazy," said Artz. "It is hard to explain to people what it takes to win or the feeling you get afterwards. You have to experience it to understand."
In 2015, the Big Ten Championships came to Ann Arbor. Michigan reveled in being the hosts. With a home crowd and lots of alumni behind them, the Wolverines soared to a 197.825, the second-highest score in school history. Artz won three events with a 9.950 on uneven bars, 9.950 on beam and 39.650 all-around. Chiarelli captured the floor exercise title with a 9.925.
Last year was a difficult journey. The team was battling injuries and trailed the host school Nebraska heading into the final rotation. Finishing on floor, all things came together for U-M as the team put up a 49.450 to overtake Nebraska for a meet-high score of 197.125. Chiarelli clinched the team championship with a 9.900, and Artz put the icing on the cake with a then career-high 9.975 to win the event. Artz also won beam with a 9.925.
"Winning at Nebraska was great because a lot of us were deteriorating at that point," said Artz. "I started sobbing after every routine I did, but the feeling at the end was indescribable."
This season, the team started slow and has been building week by week. The culmination of the team's hard work and improvement came with a dominating performance in Piscataway, New Jersey. A tremendous beam rotation and exclamation point with Emma McLean's 9.975 vault sent U-M to a winning score of 197.300. Both seniors won titles with Chiarelli scoring a 9.925 on beam and Artz claiming the all-around with a 39.500.
"This year felt like the most rewarding for the work we put in," said Chiarelli. "Preseason was really hard, and we didn't start off the season on a high note. Being able to pull it out when it counted felt good."
The seniors have certainly left their mark on Michigan's storied program and are hoping to enjoy another month of competing. The Wolverines will head to Morgantown, West Virginia, for the NCAA Regional on April 1 and will hope to qualify for the NCAA Championships April 14-15 in St. Louis, Missouri .
