Bev Plocki just wrapped up her 23rd season at the helm of the University of Michigan women's gymnastics program. During her tenure as head coach, Plocki has had led Michigan to 18 Big Ten Championships, 18 NCAA Championships appearances, and 10 NCAA Super Six appearances.
The 10-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, five-time NCAA Regional Coach of the Year and the 1994 NCAA National Coach of the Year has led Michigan to eight NCAA regional titles and has taken the Wolverines to No. 2 in the nation twice at the NCAA Championships, with 17 top-10 finishes. Plocki's Wolverines captured a Big Ten-record seven conference titles in a row from 1999-2005, won seven of the last 14 NCAA Regional crowns, secured 148 NCAA All-America honors and seven NCAA individual national titles.
Plocki inherited a program that, in seven seasons, had finished no better than fourth at the Big Ten Conference Championships, posting a 27-60 (.310) overall record and a 5-39 (.114) mark in the Big Ten, while qualifying for just one NCAA Championships. The season prior to her arrival, the Wolverines finished last in the Big Ten with a 2-19 overall record and were a winless 0-13 in the Big Ten. In Plocki's first season (1990), she led the Wolverines to seven wins, achieved 13 wins in 1991 and then took the Wolverines to 20 wins, a Big Ten title and second place in the NCAA Central Region in 1992. 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 All-America First Team accolades. The Wolverines railed 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 23 seasons at Michigan, Plocki has coached U-M gymnastics icons Elise Ray, Beth Wymer and Kylee Botterman to a total of seven NCAA national championships among them, while mentoring 148 All-America first and second team honorees, 123 All-Big Ten award winners and 74 individual conference event champions. In addition, Plocki has coached nine Big Ten Gymnast of the Year honorees and nine Big Ten Freshman of the Year award winners. Plocki's student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom with 134 Academic All-Big Ten honors and 87 student-athletes earning National 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 received her greatest coaching honor to date when she won the 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, Beth Wymer and Elise 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 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.
A native of Butler, Pa., Plocki received her bachelor's of science degree in physical education (1987) and her master's degree in sports management and administration (1989) from West Virginia. Bev and her husband Jim -- a University of Michigan strength and conditioning coach -- have two children, Elizabeth and Tyler James. They reside in Saline, Mich.
Plocki's All-Time Coaching Record
| Year |
Overall |
Big Ten |
Big Ten Finish |
NCAA Reg. 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 |
-- |
| Total |
587-212-2 |
217-36 |
|
|
|
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
Career Highlights
587-212-2 (.732) overall record
217-36 (.857) Big Ten record
18 Big Ten Conference titles
Seven consecutive conference titles, a Big Ten record (1999-2005)
Eight NCAA Regional Championships (1997, '99, 2000, '01, '03, '05, '06, '11)
10 NCAA Super Six appearances (1994, '95, '96, '97, '99, '00, '01, '03, '05, '11)
87 NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors
148 All-America first or second team honors
74 Big Ten individual titles
Elise Ray - 2001 NCAA all-around, 2002 NCAA balance beam and 2004 uneven bars champion
Beth Wymer - three consecutive NCAA uneven bars titles (1993-95)
Kylee Botterman - 2011 NCAA all-around, nine-time NCAA All-American
16 consecutive NCAA Championships Appearances (1992-2008)
14 consecutive top two finishes at NCAA Regional Championships (1994-2008)
21 consecutive top four finishes at NCAA Regional Championships (1992-present)