Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Michigan Wins 25th Big Ten Championship
3/23/2019 8:54:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
» Michigan won its sixth straight Big Ten Championship and 25th overall.
» Head coach Bev Plocki set a Big Ten record with 24 titles.
» Olivia Karas (all-around), Emma McLean (vault) and Natalie Wojcik (all-around, floor) won individual titles.
Site: State College, Pa. (Rec Hall)
Event: Big Ten Championship
Records: No. 7 Michigan (23-5-1)
Score: 197.400 (1st of 10)
Next U-M Event: Thur-Sat., April 4-6 -- host NCAA Regional (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
• Complete Results (PDF)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team won the Big Ten Championship for the sixth consecutive year and 25th time in school history on Saturday (March 23) at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State University.
Head coach Bev Plocki set a Big Ten record as her 24th Big Ten title is now the most by any coach, in any sport, in Big Ten history. The 2019 championship broke her tie with former Indiana swimming head coach James "Doc" Counsilman.
This is the third time in program history the Wolverines have won six championships in a row, matching the six straight from 1992-97 and inching closer to the seven in a row from 1999-2005.
Seniors on winning their fourth ? in four years and picking up individual titles after overcoming adversity. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/hIGFXk0siF
— Michigan Women's Gymnastics (@UMichWGym) March 24, 2019
The team scored a 197.400 for its sixth-highest score in the history of the Big Ten Championships.
Three Wolverines won individual Big Ten titles. Freshman Natalie Wojcik, who was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Friday's championship banquet, claimed the all-around (39.600) and floor exercise (9.950) titles. She is the first Michigan women's gymnast since Nicole Artz in 2016 to win two or more titles. The last all-around champion was Artz in 2017 and the last floor champion was Olivia Karas in 2017. Karas tied Wojcik and Minnesota's Lexy Ramler for the all-around title with a 39.600. Senior Emma McLean earned her second career Big Ten vault title. She captured it in 2017 and followed up with another in her final season, scoring a 9.900.
Karas, McLean and Wojcik also were named to the All-Big Ten Championship team.
Michigan began the meet on balance beam and hit six of six routines for an impressive start. Sophomore Lauren Farley got the team off to a great start, hitting her routine for a 9.875. Karas andvWojcik each scored a 9.900 to tie for the team lead. Karas entered the season with a career high of 9.900 on the event and has scored that or better in four of the last five meets. Wojcik hit the 9.900 mark for the seventh straight meet and 10th time in 12 meets this season.
The Wolverines came back out after a bye rotation and were brilliant on floor exercise. They scored a 49.450, their second highest score of the season on floor. Wojcik matched a season high with a 9.950 to lead the team. Karas followed with another brilliant routine for a 9.925, giving her seven scores of 9.900 or higher on the event this season. McLean also hit the 9.900 mark for the third time this season.
U-M scored a 49.275 on vault. The score was particularly high for the meet as the Wolverines posted the top three scores. McLean stuck her Yurchenko Full for the first 9.900 on the event at the meet. Karas and Wojcik continued their outstanding meets, each scoring a 9.875 to close out the rotation.
The Wolverines headed to uneven bars and just needed to hit routines to clinch the title. All six gymnasts scored at least a 9.825. Karas and freshman Abby Brenner tied for the team high with a 9.900.
Michigan will host one of four NCAA Regionals, April 4-6, at Crisler Center. The other eight teams coming to Ann Arbor will be announced on the NCAA Selection Show on Monday (March 25) at 5 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Players Mentioned
