..

March 20, 2007

The senior spotlight is on ... Carol McNamara!

As a key event specialist for the Wolverines, Carol is relied upon for her skill on the vault and floor and her ability to step into the lineup on bars and beam when needed. Most fans would agree that Carol's signature event is the floor exercise, as her opening full-in tumbling pass and dramatic dance easily captivates a crowd. Over the past three years, she has earned a NCAA Second Team All-America citation (2006, floor) and two Big Ten Championships (vault, floor - 2006).

While the 2006 season brought Carol great success and individual acknowledgement, the start of the 2007 season brought her uncertainty. During the pre-season, Carol sustained a fracture in her foot. Despite rehabilitation, her foot remains quite painful to tumble on. Nevertheless, Carol's strong work ethic and committment to her teammates fueled her return to the competitive lineup on vault in week two and on floor in week eight of the season. She has also stepped into the bars lineup in weeks three and four, despite only seeing competitive action on that event once as a freshman and four times as a sophomore. Outside of the gym, Carol is a general studies major in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts with aspirations to pursue graduate study in Architecture.

In anticipation of Senior Night and the upcoming postseason, we wanted to give you, the fans, an opportunity to reflect on each of the members of the Wolverine Class of 2007. Here is a look back at Carol's accomplishments over the past three years.

Taking a Look Back: 2004-2006

During her freshman year, Carol consistently performed on the vault and floor exercise for the Wolverines, averaging over a 9.8 on both events throughout the season. In particular, her performances on the vault earned Carol five Top 5 finishes during the regular season. During the postseason, Carol earned a 9.80 or higher on each of her three vaults and two floor routines, highlighted by a share of third place on vault (9.90) at the 2004 Big Ten Championships. In recognition of her contribution to the team that season, Carol was awarded the Coaches' Award at the annual post-season banquet.

In her sophomore year, Carol saw intermittent action on vault, bars, beam and floor. During the 2005 postseason, she earned a spot as the lead-off gymnast in the beam lineup - even though she hadn't competed on that event since January.

Carol's junior year proved to be her most successful year to date as a Michigan Wolverine. With the graduation of four seniors, a door opened for Carol to take a more active role in the competitive lineup. She competed on vault, beam, and floor in nearly every meet during the 2006 season. She earned five Top 5 finishes on vault, four on beam, and 6 on floor. Carol won her first individual event title on floor (9.9) during the last regular season meet vs. Michigan State and continued her success the following week by sharing the Big Ten Championship on vault with Katie and winning outright the Big Ten Championship on the floor exercise (9.9). These performances earned Carol Second Team All-Big Ten accolades that year. At the 2006 NCAA National Championships, Carol's 9.875 on floor in team preliminaries earned her Second Team NCAA All-America status on that event. In recognition of her contribution to the team that season, Carol was awarded the Most Improved Gymnast Award at the annual post-season banquet.

...