Features on Plocki
• Tradition Never Graduates: Plocki's 24-Championship Journey at Michigan (MGoBlue.com)
• Bev Plocki Reflects on Winning Record 23 Big Ten Titles (MGoBlue.com)
• Plocki Selected to 2018 West Virginia Hall of Fame Class (MGoBlue.com)
Bev Plockihas completed her 34thseason as head coach of the University of Michigan women's gymnastics program.During her tenure, Plocki has transformed the program into a consistent national powerhouse, winning the programs first-ever national title in 2021. She hasledthe Wolverines to 26Big Ten championships, the most by any coach, in any sport, in Big Ten history. She also has guided the squad to eightBig Ten regular season titles, 26NCAA Championship appearances and 10 NCAA Super Six berths.
One of the nation's top gymnastics coaches, Plocki is an 11-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, 13-time NCAA Regional Coach of the Year and a two-timeNational Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 2021 and 1994.She has led Michigan to 13NCAA Regional titles and has guided the Wolverines to25top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. Under her tutelage, Michigan captured a Big Ten-record seven conference titles in a row from 1999-2005, while 53of her student-athletes have secured 210NCAA All-America honors and nineNCAA individual national titles.
Plockiand the Wolverinesjoined an exclusive club, becoming just the seventh team to ever capture an NCAA women's gymnastics title in 2021, scoring the third-best score in championship history and the best score in Michigan history. The Wolverines joined Georgia, Utah, UCLA, Alabama, Oklahoma and Florida as the only teams in the country to win a national championship.Plocki and her staff led Michigan to its first national championship with a then-program-best 198.2500. The Wolverines eclipsed the 198 mark for the first time in 2021 and ended the season with four scores of 198.000 or higher. In the 2021 national championship season, U-M broke the U-M balance beam (49.600) and uneven bars (49.725) records, while notching the second-best score in program history on the vault with a 49.800. The Wolverines finished the regular season ranked in the top 15 in all four events, including leading the nation on the vault, and went into the NCAA Championships ranked second nationally.
Following up the national championship season, Plocki and the Wolverines topped the national rankings for nine straight weeks to start the 2022 season and continued to set a new standard for Michigan gymnastics. The Wolverines set a program record with a 198.525 at Rutgers, which at the time ranked as the sixth-highest score in NCAA history. In the same meet, U-M set a program record on the vault with a 49.875, the second highest in NCAA history at the time, which included three straight perfect 10.0s. Michigan also broke its previous floor record, recording a 49.750 at home against Auburn and West Virginia. Michigan not only broke records in the gym but also sold out Crisler Center for the first time in program history in the 2022 season. Plocki and her Wolverines capped off the season with the highest team average (197.696) and floor average (49.554) in program history while ranking second on vault (49.454) and uneven bars (49.418) and third on beam (49.227).
Plocki continued to bring the program to new heights in the 2023 campaign as it posted sixscores of 198+ and captured its conference-leading 27th Big Ten title, while earning her 13th Regional Coach of the Year nod. The Wolverines ranked inside the top five nationally for the entire 2023 campaign and werethe top floor team nationally for six straight weeks, while also ranking No. 1 on the vault three times. U-M tied its uneven barsrecord (49.725) and broke its beam record (49.625), while securing its first-ever 198+ at Crisler Center agianst No. 1 Oklahoma.
Plocki inherited the program in 1990 that had finished no better than fourth at the Big Ten in the seven seasons prior to her arrival. In 1989, the year before Plocki took over, the Wolverines finished last in the Big Ten with a 2-19 overall record and were a winless 0-13 in the Big Ten. She took Michigan from a seven-win team in her first year (1990) to a 20-win team in her third year (1992), while also securing the program's second Big Ten title and second NCAA Championships appearance. She also captured the first of what would be four-straight Big Ten Coach of the Year awards in 1992, while adding the first of four NCAA Regional Coach of the Year trophies to her mantle. Michigan also celebrated its first NCAA All-American when freshman Beth Wymer finished among the nation's best in the uneven bars and in the all-around competition, earning a pair of NCAA All-America (first team) accolades. The Wolverines proceeded to rally off a then-Big Ten record six-straight conference titles over the next six years as Plocki vaulted Michigan to the top of the conference. In just three seasons, Michigan became a perennial contender for the national championship.
In 33seasons at Michigan, Plocki has coached fiveU-M gymnasts -- Elise Ray, Beth Wymer, Kylee Botterman, Joanna Sampson and Natalie Wojcik-- to a total of nineindividual national championships. Additionally, 53of her student-athletes have combined to receive 210NCAA All-America citations. Her gymnasts have also received a total of 187All-Big Ten honors and won or tied 110Big Ten individual event titles. Plocki has coached 14Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and 13Big Ten Freshman of the Year award winners. Plocki's student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom with 234Academic All-Big Ten honors and 73student-athletes haveearned 138National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC) Scholastic All-America accolades. Plocki's Wolverines earned Michigan's inaugural Community Service Award in 2001, repeating in 2002, while earning the Leaders and Best Award in 2000 and 2001, given to the U-M team with the highest GPA.
In 1994, Plocki receivedthe NCAA National Coach of the Year award after guiding the Wolverines to a program-best 27-1 record and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Michigan boasted six All-Americans and Wymer's second individual event title, while sweeping the Big Ten individual event titles and conference postseason awards.
Of all Plocki's All-America student-athletes, Wymer and Ray stand out as the most successful. Under Plocki's tutelage, Wymer became one of Michigan's most celebrated gymnasts, earning 13 All-America honors, three NCAA individual event titles, 14 Big Ten Conference individual titles, three Big Ten Gymnast of the Year awards, three Academic All-Big Ten honors and the 1995 Big Ten Medal of Honor. During Wymer's four years in Ann Arbor, Michigan tallied a 116-9 record, posting a 45-1 conference record. The Wolverines won four Big Ten titles, advanced to four straight NCAA Regionals and finished among the top 10 in the nation four times, including a then-program-best runner-up finish in 1995.
Despite Wymer's departure, Plocki kept the cupboard stocked with world-class student-athletes, highlighted by the addition of 2000 U.S. Gymnastics Olympic captain Elise Ray to the squad for the 2001 season. Ray won three national titles and earned a school record 14 All-America honors while with the Wolverines, picking up eight NCAA Regional individual titles, six Big Ten Conference Championships individual titles, two NCAA Regional Gymnast of the Year citations and the 2005 Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Year award. The Wolverines won 93 meets with Ray on the roster, winning the Big Ten title five years in a row, capturing three regional crowns and posting three top-5 finishes. Ray promptly won a national title in the all-around competition in her freshman campaign in 2001, helping Michigan post a third-place finish at nationals.
Plocki, a native of Butler, Pennsylvania, was a gymnast at Alabama for one season (1983) before transferring and finishing up her college career at West Virginia (1985-87), where she received her bachelor's of science degree in physical education (1987) and her master's degree in sports management and administration (1989). She is a graduate of the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy (Dimension II) where she was the recipient of the Judy Sweet Spirit Award in 2007.
Plocki and her husband, Jim, have two children, Elizabeth and Tyler. They reside in Saline, Mich.
Plocki's All-Time Coaching Record
| Year | Overall | Big Ten | Big Ten Finish | NCAA Regional Finish | NCAA Finish |
| 1990 | 7-15 | 2-10 | 6th | --- | --- |
| 1991 | 13-12 | 9-5 | 3rd | --- | --- |
| 1992 | 25-4 | 11-0 | 1st | 2nd | --- |
| 1993 | 29-10 | 9-1 | 1st | 4th | 9th |
| 1994 | 36-8 | 13-0 | 1st | 3rd | 4th |
| 1995 | 36-5-1 | 12-0 | 1st | 2nd | T-2nd |
| 1996 | 29-14 | 10-3 | 1st | 2nd | 6th |
| 1997 | 32-9 | 9-0 | 1st | 1st | 4th |
| 1998 | 22-10 | 8-2 | 2nd | 2nd | 8th |
| 1999 | 32-6 | 10-1 | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
| 2000 | 30-12 | 9-0 | 1st | 1st | 6th |
| 2001 | 27-10 | 9-0 | 1st | 1st | 3rd |
| 2002 | 31-7 | 11-0 | 1st | 2nd | 7th |
| 2003 | 26-12 | 9-1 | 1st | 1st | 5th |
| 2004 | 19-11 | 8-1 | 1st | 2nd | 8th |
| 2005 | 32-7 | 13-0 | 1st | 1st | 5th |
| 2006 | 22-8-1 | 7-3 | 4th | 1st | 7th |
| 2007 | 21-11 | 8-2 | 1st | 2nd | T-11th |
| 2008 | 29-6 | 11-0 | 1st | 2nd | T-8th |
| 2009 | 22-7 | 10-0 | 1st | 3rd | -- |
| 2010 | 25-7 | 10-1 | 1st | 2nd | 10th |
| 2011 | 26-11 | 10-1 | 1st | 1st | 6th |
| 2012 | 16-10 | 9-5 | 4th | 3rd | -- |
| 2013 | 31-5 | 17-2 | 2nd | 1st | 7th |
| 2014 | 28-8 | 14-2 | 1st | 1st | 10th |
| 2015 | 27-6 | 19-0 | 1st | 2nd | 7th |
| 2016 | 23-8 | 6-3 | T-3rd | 3rd | --- |
| 2017 | 27-7 | 8-1 | 1st | 1st | 10th |
| 2018 | 26-5-1 | 8-1 | 1st | 4th | --- |
| 2019 | 29-8-1 | 9-0 | 1st | 2nd | --- |
| 2020 | 12-1 | 9-0 | * | * | * |
| 2021 | 29-2 | 7-1 | 2nd | 1st | 1st |
| 2022 | 28-5 | 9-0 | 1st | 1st | 8th |
| 2023 | 27-3-1 | 8-1 | 1st | T-2nd (3rd with tiebreaker) | 9th |
| Total | 874-270-5 | 331-47 |
* Postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Coaching Honors
• 1992 Big Ten Coach of the Year
• 1992 NCAA Central Regional Coach of the Year
• 1993 Big Ten Coach of the Year
• 1994 Big Ten Coach of the Year
• 1994 NCAA Central Regional Coach of the Year
• 1994 National Coach of the Year
• 1995 Big Ten Coach of the Year
• 1997 NCAA Central Regional Coach of the Year
• 1999 Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year
• 2000 Big Ten Coach of the Year
• 2000 NCAA Region 5 Coach of the Year
• 2003 Big Ten Coach of the Year
• 2004 Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year
• 2008 Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year
• 2010 Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year
• 2010 NCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year
• 2013 NCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year
• 2015 Big Ten Coach of the Year
• 2016 NCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year
• 2017 NCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year
• 2018NCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year
• 2019NCAANortheast Regional Coach of the Year
• 2020 NCAANortheast Regional Coach of the Year
• 2021 WCGA National Coach of the Year
• 2022 NCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year
• 2023NCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year
Career Highlights
• 874-270-5(.763) overall record
• 331-47(.876) Big Ten record
• 26Big Ten Conference titles
• Record for the most Big Ten titles by any coach in Big Ten history for any sport (26)
• EightBig Ten Regular Season titles
• Seven consecutive conference titles, a Big Ten record (1999-2005)
• 13NCAA Regional Championships (1997, '99, 2000, '01, '03, '05, '06, '11, '13, '14, '17, '21, '22)
• 26NCAA Championship appearances
• 10 NCAA Super Six appearances (1994, '95, '96, '97, '99, '00, '01, '03, '05, '11)
• 138NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors from 73 student-athletes
• 210NCAA All-American citations from 53student-athletes
• 110Big Ten individual champions
• Elise Ray - Three-time NCAA champion (2001 - All-Around, 2002 - Balance Beam, 2004 - Uneven Bars)
• Beth Wymer - Three-time NCAA champion (1993-95 - Uneven Bars)
• Kylee Botterman - 2011 NCAA champion (All-Around), Nine-time NCAA All-American
• Joanna Sampson - 2013 NCAA champion (Floor Exercise)
• Natalie Wojcik - 2019 NCAA champion (Balance Beam), Seven-time NCAA All-American
• 16 consecutive NCAA Championships Appearances (1992-2008)
• 14 consecutive top two finishes at NCAA Regional Championships (1994-2008)
• 31consecutive top four finishes at NCAA Regional Championships (1992-2019, 2021-2023) * 2020 regional canceled due to Covid-19 pandemic
