Season Review: 2020 Michigan Women's Gymnastics

Team Captains: Lexi Funk, Maddy Osman
Record: 12-1 overall, 9-0 Big Ten (regular-season champions)
Big Ten Championships: Canceled
NCAA Championships: Canceled

The 2020 University of Michigan women's gymnastics team had a record-breaking season, winning a fourth consecutive Big Ten regular-season title and posting a 12-1 record before the remainder of the season and postseason were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Big Ten regular-season champions

Elevate the Stage huddle

Team Highlights

• Michigan recorded an undefeated 9-0 record in the Big Ten to capture a Big Ten regular-season title for a fourth consecutive season. Over the last four years, the Wolverines have combined for a 34-2 conference record.

• U-M started the season 12-0, finishing the season 12-1 overall. The 12 straight wins gave Michigan its best season start since 2008 when the Wolverines went 15-0 before a loss to Utah in the regular-season finale.

• Michigan posted the two top team scores in program history, breaking a 20-year old record in back-to-back meets. U-M scored a 197.950 at Elevate the Stage (Feb. 22) and followed it with a 197.900 at home against New Hampshire (Feb. 28) -- both which eclipsed the previous record of 197.850 set at the 2000 Big Ten Championship.

• Michigan also broke single-season scoring average records for team score (197.128) and vault (49.342). The team scoring average was fifth best in the nation, while the vault average was the second highest in the country. The Wolverines also had the second-best bars average (49.286), third-best floor average (49.353) and fifth-best beam average (49.147) in program history.

• The Wolverines finished the year ranked No. 5, reaching their highest ranking of the season in each of the last two weeks. U-M was ranked in the NQS (National Qualifying Score) top 10 on vault (4th), bars (tie-8th), beam (10th) and floor (tie-4th).

• U-M tallied a combined 44 event and all-around titles from its gymnasts in the nine meets on the season, an average of just under five titles per meet for the year.

Maggie O'Hara, Sam Javanbakht, Polina Shchennikova, Sam Roy, Lexi Funk, Maddy Osman

Individual Highlights

• Freshman Sierra Brooks was named WCGA Regional Gymnast of the Year, Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first team All-Big Ten, a regular-season second team All-American on vault and the all-around, and was also chosen as the MGoBlue.com Female Freshman of the Year. In her first season at Michigan, Brooks burst onto the collegiate scene to finish 11th in the all-around rankings, second highest by a freshman. She won 11 event and all-around titles to earn seven Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades. Her 9.853 beam scoring average tied for fifth best in program history, and her 39.403 all-around average ranks 10th.

• Sophomore Natalie Wojcik followed up her tremendous freshman campaign with another big season, leading the Wolverines with 16 event and all-around titles. She was a second team regular-season All-American in the all-around, first team All-Big Ten for a second straight year and claimed four Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors. Wojcik and Brooks shared Team MVP honors. Wojcik's 39.775 at Elevate the Stage was the seventh highest all-around score in program history.

• Sophomore Abby Brenner was one of the top gymnasts nationally on vault, earning second team regular-season All-America honors. She won three vault titles on the season and had a NQS score of 9.910. Four of her final six vaults on the season scored 9.900 or higher and was a first team All-Big Ten selection.

• Freshman Gabby Wilson was a first team All-Big Ten selection. In her first season, she ranked in the top-30 nationally on vault and floor exercise. She also won eight event titles and scored 9.900 or higher on eight routines.

• Senior Lexi Funk was a team captain for a second straight season and earned second team All-Big Ten honors. She also received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Her top event was balance beam, winning two event titles.

Honors and Awards

Abby
Brenner

Sierra
Brooks

Lexi
Funk

Gabby
Wilson

Natalie
Wojcik

AAI Award
AAI Award Nominee: Lexi Funk

Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association
Northeast Region Coach of the Year: Bev Plocki
Northeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year: Scott Sherman, Maile'ana Kanewa-Hermelyn, Quest Hayden
Northeast Region Gymnast of the Year: Sierra Brooks
Regular Season All-America (Second Team): Abby Brenner (vault), Sierra Brooks (vault, all-around), Natalie Wojcik (all-around)

Big Ten Conference
Freshman of the Year: Sierra Brooks
Sportsmanship Award: Lexi Funk
All-Big Ten (First Team): Abby Brenner, Sierra Brooks, Gabby Wilson, Natalie Wojcik
All-Big Ten (Second Team): Lexi Funk

Big Ten Weekly Honors
Gymnast: Natalie Wojcik (Jan. 28, Feb. 11, Feb. 25, Mar. 3)
Event Specialist: Abby Brenner (Feb. 25), Gabby Wilson (Mar. 3)
Freshman: Sierra Brooks (Jan. 21, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18, Feb. 25, Mar. 3)

Academic All-Big Ten
Abby Brenner, So., Applied Exercise Science
Anna Dayton, Jr., Cognitive Science
Lauren Farley, Jr., Organizational Studies
Lexi Funk, Sr., Communication & Media and Spanish
Sam Javanbakht, Jr., Sport Management
Anne Maxim, Jr., Sociology
Maddy Osman, Sr., Communication & Media
Natalie Wojcik, So., Spanish