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2007 Wolverine Season Preview

Michigan lost three All-Americans to graduation in 2006, including Jenny Deiley who graduated with the fifth-most All-America honors in Wolverine gymnastics history. 2006 All-Americans Lauren Mirkovich and Becca Clauson closed out their final years with All-America hardware, while Deiley earned multiple All-America accolades and was a finalist for Big Ten Gymnast of the Year in her final campaign.

Despite the loss of three key gymnasts, the Wolverines return with a talented lineup of both youth and experience. Sophomore Tatjana Thuener-Rego burst on the scene in 2006 to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and earn multiple All-America honors, while freshman teammate Becky Bernard capped her season with an All-America honor on bars. Katie Lieberman earned her second All-America honor on vault in her sophomore season, while Carol McNamara picked up her first All-America honor in her junior campaign. Lindsey Bruck also returns for her final season as the reigning NCAA Mideast Regional Gymnast of the Year and two-time All-American.

"This year we have the best of all worlds," said head coach Bev Plocki. "We have great leadership with Bruck and Kippley as captains and we have a wealth of experience from our seniors down to our freshmen. This group of freshmen arrive with a lot of accolades and accomplishments already and we'll have a greater amount of depth this year than in the past. We hope to have the luxury of giving more people opportunities throughout the season."

Joining the team's returning All-Americans are senior Clare Flannery, juniors Nellie Kippley and Megan Moore, and sophomore Huneth Lor. Kippley earned All-Big Ten second team honors in her sophomore season after winning a pair of titles on beam and has earned the U-M Gymnastics Coaches Award the past two seasons. Lor competed on beam and floor in her freshman campaign, while Flannery and Moore will provide depth to the Wolverine lineup.

Freshmen Sarah Curtis, Kelsey Knutson, Jaclyn Kramer, Maureen Moody and Jordan Sexton will join the fold and plan to make an immediate impact.

VAULT
Michigan's biggest improvement from 2006 has come on vault. Lieberman highlights the vault lineup once again, returning with multiple All-America honors and winning the Big Ten vault title two years in a row. Kippley has learned a new 10.0 vault and Bernard is also working on a new vault with great potential. Bruck, McNamara and Thuener-Rego each won a vault title in 2006, with McNamara posting the team's second-best returning RQS. Flannery is also improving on the event, with freshmen Curtis and Moody looking to break into the lineup.

BARS
The departure of the team's bars specialist, Mirkovich, leaves the door open for others to show what they can do. Bernard was an All-American on bars in her freshman season, while Bruck has also earned All-American hardware on the apparatus. Thuener-Rego returns with the team's second-best RQS as well. Knutson's strongest event is bars, where she has first team All-America potential. Moody will also add to the team's best.

"Scott (Sherman) has always done a great job with bars," said Plocki. "This year we've taken it to a whole new level."

BEAM
Michigan has a lot of depth on beam as well. Thuener-Rego competed in the NCAA Individual Event Finals on beam in her freshman season, following Bruck who did the same in her debut campaign. Kippley also made strides on beam in her sophomore season, winning two event titles. Knutson, Curtis and Sexton also have the talent to crack the lineup and contribute.

FLOOR
Michigan made the most of its late season strides on floor in 2006. McNamara was the Big Ten champion on floor and earned All-America honors in the event, while Thuener-Rego also picked up All-America hardware. Thuener-Rego led the Wolverines with four event titles on floor in 2006 and returns with the second-highest RQS. Curtis, Moody and Sexton will look to crack the lineup, giving the Wolverines depth at another position.

THE SCHEDULE
Michigan regularly schedules the best programs in the nation, including defending national champion Georgia and Super Six competitors Utah and Nebraska. The Wolverines will also host Denver, Southern Utah, Missouri, Maryland and Big Ten rivals Penn State and Illinois, while taking trips to West Virginia and Michigan State. The team will also compete in its 12th State of Michigan Classic held in East Lansing, facing Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Michigan State.

"We will have a tough road schedule with trips to Georgia and Utah," said Plocki. "This season will also be a chance for gymnastics fans in Michigan to see some new faces in Missouri and Maryland. Once again, we'll host the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships which we're very excited for. We plan to be competing at our best in late March and April."

Michigan will look to capture its 14th Big Ten Conference title in the last 16 years when Penn State hosts the Big Ten Championships. Michigan will likely have to contend with defending champion Minnesota and Big Ten powers Penn State and Michigan State. Michigan hosts the NCAA Northeast Regional for the sixth time in program history and Utah will host the NCAA Championships in April.

Top RQS Averages (2006)

* 2007 Season Preview was adapted, with permission, from the 2007 Michigan Media Guide.

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