Jan. 9, 2008

2008 Illinois Women's Gymnastics Media Guide

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 23 Fighting Illini Women's Gymnastics team kicks off its 2008 season in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Friday night against the sixth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at 7:30 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum.

Head Coach Bob Starkell and the Fighting Illini expect the trip down south to be a great test to begin the season.

"Our team has trained very hard and is ready for competition," Starkell said. "This first meet is always exciting and traveling to Alabama will add to that excitement. There is no question if you want to be a good team, you have to compete against the best, and the University of Alabama fits that bill. This will be a great test for us and hopefully we can be at the top of our game."

Live stats for the Illinois-Auburn meet will be available on fightingillini.com and rolltide.com, along with a meet recap and complete results.

As the Fighting Illini head into the 2008 season, here is a look at the outlook for this year's team:

In 2007, the Fighting Illini Women's gymnastics team improved upon its successful 2006 season and further introduced itself as nationally recognizable program. Illinois qualified for the NCAA South Central Regional Championship for the fourth consecutive year and finished fourth for the second straight year, equaling the best regional finish in school history. The Illini also took third at the Big Ten Championships, their best finish at the conference meet in 17 years, and finished the season ranked 20th in the GymInfo Rankings, marking the highest final ranking in program history.

With 22 of 24 routines returning and the addition of a very talented recruiting class, the Illini are out to accomplish bigger and better things in 2008.

"We would like to finish in the top-three in the conference again and put ourselves in a position to win a Big Ten Championship," said ninth-year head coach Bob Starkell. "Nationally, we're looking to get into the top-18 and get a seeded spot at a regional. We are very close, we just need to be stronger and more consistent down the stretch."

The one major hole to fill in this year's line-up is the void left by the graduation of Cara Pomeroy, one of the greatest gymnasts in school history. Pomeroy won the 2007 Big Ten Uneven Bars title to become the first Illini since 1999 to win a conference event crown and is the first Illini to ever earn All-Big Ten recognition four times. Pomeroy won 41 career event titles, which ranks second in Illinois history, and earned the only perfect 10.0 in school history with a flawless routine on the uneven bars at the 2004 South Central Regional meet.

While Pomeroy's consistency on bars and beam will be missed, this year's talented freshman class of Allison Buckley, Melissa Fernandez, Lashlee Morris, and Samantha Perino should more than fill the void.

"I don't think you can fully replace Cara because she is such a remarkable athlete," Starkell said. "However, the freshmen group has been a great addition and has made the competition for the line-up that much stronger. We have two potential all-arounders in the freshman class that can fill a lot of spots."

The young freshman class has plenty of talent and experience around them. Seniors Michelle McGrady and Krystal Melcarek look to step-up in a big way in 2008 with their talents and leadership. The junior class had another incredible season last year and all four are again expected to be major contributors again this season. These two classes, in combination with a remarkable sophomore class, and the solid group of freshmen give the 208 Illini the potential to make a lot of noise.

"This year, barring injury, we should have more depth on all four events than we have seen in a long time," Starkell said. "I've been impressed by how each class has stepped up to show some leadership, some by example and some by voice. I'm excited about this team and am looking forward to seeing the strides we can make this season."

SENIORS

The senior duo of Michelle McGrady and Krystal Melcarek will be key for this year's squad, particularly for a leadership standpoint. Both have been solid contributor throughout their careers, but this season Starkell is looking for more from his veterans.

"Our senior group is small in numbers, but each one has experience and has taken big steps during her time in the program," Starkell said. "This year, the key for them how they can step-up into more of a leadership role."

McGrady is expected to be a major contributor on both vault and beam this season. Last year, she was the Illini's most consistent vault performer, competing predominantly in the leadoff position. McGrady tied for second on vault at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships with a season-high 9.850, narrowly missing advancing to the NCAA Championships. Towards the end of the season, she entered the beam line-up, filling the void left by an injured Julie Crall. During her career, McGrady has won seven individual titles, including four on vault.

"Michelle will be key factor for the success of this years' squad," Starkell said. "We look for her to be extremely strong on both the vault and the balance beam."

Melcarek is the leader for the Illini on the uneven bars. She has hit 37 of 38 bars routines in her career, including 22 straight, and has won two event titles on bars. During the last half of the season, Melcarek was also a solid contributor on floor exercise, where she will most certainly have the opportunity to crack the line-up again this year.

"Krystal has had a remarkable record on the uneven bars," Starkell said. "We have put here in a very strategic place as the first up on bars in every year that she has competed. She has very rarely missed a routine, so we would expect her to stay in that position."

JUNIORS

This year's junior class has been a major part of this program's success the past two seasons. All four juniors - Marijka Botterman, Julie Crall, Kim Kruk and Lindsey Smith - have shown incredible skills in their respective events, and now as upperclassmen they are expected to step up even more both in the gym and as mentors to the underclassmen.

"The junior class is key not only because they are now upperclassmen, but also because they been instrumental in getting to where we are at right now as a program," Starkell said. "The four of them are all strong athletes and could potentially be all-arounders at any time."

Crall has been a huge asset to the program since the beginning of her freshman season. After earning second team All-Big Ten status as a freshman, she was well on her way to an even better season last year before an Achilles' Tendon tear sidelined her for the final five competitions of the season. Despite the injury, Crall once again garnered second team All-Big Ten recognition for her early success on the vault, beam, and floor exercise. After a successful surgery and rehabilitation in the off-season, Crall is back and is expected to be a major contributor on the beam and uneven bars this season.

"We are taking Julie's injury from last year slow, but she is making great progress and looks strong heading into the season," Starkell said. "Her spot is vital on the balance beam and uneven bars."

Botterman comes into the 2008 season with plenty of experience. Last year, she competed all-around in every meet and garnered 15 top-three finishes. She has won nine individual titles in her first two seasons, including four last season. Vault has been her strongest event, as she's won four titles on the event and holds the third-best score in school history (9.900). She will be expected to be of remarkable value in all her events this year.

Kruk also comes into this season with plenty of experience from her first two seasons. She has competed all-around 21 times in her career and has won eight career event titles. She, along with former teammate Cara Pomeroy, had the top beam performance at last year's South Central Regional. This year, Kruk should make some noise in several events.

"Kim Kruk and Marijka Botterman are solid on all four events," Starkell said. "They're both been all-arounders for us in the past, but this year we've go more depth and they will be fighting for top-six spots on some events. Their contributions will be big for us, as I expect them both to compete in several areas."

Smith, a powerful tumbler, was solid all of last year on both vault and floor exercise. She racked up four top-3 finishes and looks to build on last year's success for this upcoming season.

SOPHOMORES

The sophomore class is coming off a phenomenal freshman campaign. Headed by Nicole Cowart, a First Team All-Big Ten honoree from a year ago, this group's ability is vital for this year's expectations.

Cowart competed all-around in every meet last season and garnered ten event titles, tying Cara Pomeroy for the team lead. She placed in the top ten in four events at last season's NCAA South Central Regional and was named the team's Most Outstanding Gymnast in 2007. Cowart will likely be a top performer not only for the Illini, but also in the Big Ten Conference.

"Nicole has competed all-around in every meet and we do not see that changing this year," Starkell said. "She has had a phenomenal preseason and we will possibly look for her to be in the top spots on each event."

Sarah Schmidt also made plenty of noise in her 2007 freshman campaign. Schmidt started the season competing only two events at the start of the season, but was competing all-around during the second half and became of the teams top performers on several events. She tied for second place on the uneven bars at the Big Ten Championships, behind only former teammate Cara Pomeroy, and captured four event titles and 20 top-three finishes in 2007. She was voted the team's Most Improved Gymnast, and is looking to improve even more this season with more confidence and an upgraded vault.

"Sarah had a great preseason of training," Starkell said. "She has improved on vault, so that might give her the opportunity to compete as an all-arounder earlier this year than she did last year."

Laura Woolf did not have the opportunity to compete last season, but has shown a lot of improvement over the last year and should add depth and potentially crack the line-up on the balance beam and uneven bars.

FRESHMAN

Another talented freshman group joins the Illini program this season. Led by Schaumburg, Ill. native Allison Buckley, who won four events at the 2007 NHSGA National High School All-Around Championships, this year's class of four is expected to its talents on all four events. Buckley, along with Melissa Fernandez, who finished eighth in the all-around at the 2007 JO National Championships in the Senior D division, could both compete all-around this season.

"Melissa and Allison are very strong on all four events," Starkell said. "Allison is a powerful athlete. She excels in the floor exercise and vault, but her other two events are just as strong. Melissa, on the other hand, is more of a finesse athlete. She could be one of the better beam workers in the conference. Her style should lend her the opportunity to earn high scores throughout the year."

Samantha Perino and Lashlee Morris also have the opportunity to see action in the line-up this year.

"Lashlee is a very stylish athlete," Starkell said. "She could potentially make the line-up in three events. Sam is another all-arounder in training. Right now, we see her adding depth and possibly seeing action in the floor exercise line-up early-on."

Coach Starkell's Event-by-Event Breakdown

Vault

"Our upperclassmen are our key people on vault. Michelle McGrady ended the season with some of her strongest performances and we don't expect that to change. Both Marijka Botterman and Kim Kruk competed on vault the majority of last year, so I see them having the opportunity to be in there as well. Also with Lindsey Smith, we will have a very solid core group of vaulters. Nicole Cowart was very consistent for us last year on vault and Sarah Schmidt has added difficulty to her vault, making her a threat to crack the line-up. Add in freshmen Melissa Fernandez and Allison Buckley, who have two very strong looking vaults and could make an impact right way, and our vault team could be stronger than ever. We should be able to put up six 10.0 vaults at all times and that bodes well for us because we will be going in with the highest possible start value, which is something we haven't had in the past."

Uneven bars

"Last year, uneven bars was probably our strongest event. Of course, it helped having Cara Pomeroy in the lineup. With her departure, some people have had to try to take a leadership role in this event. Bars are going to be very competitive because a lot of individuals can potentially be in the line up. It will be nice that we will still have Krystal Melcarek as our leadoff performer, as she has been extremely consistent throughout her career. Out of the junior group, I look for Marijka Botterman, Julie Crall, and Kim Kruk to push for the top-six. And our sophomore class may even be stronger with Nicole Cowart and Sarah Schmidt. Sarah had a very impressive go at it last year, placing second at Big Tens, and she is going to be a key performer again this year. Allison Buckley and Lashlee Morris are probably our strongest bar workers out of our freshman group and could push the line-up as well."

Balance Beam

"Balance beam could potentially be our strongest event this year. We have added more depth on the event this season, and with Julie Crall returning to form we expect to have one of the top beam workers in the conference. Also, Melissa Fernandez and Allison Buckley have two very strong beam routines and will help fill the void left by Cara Pomeroy's departure. After that, we have a lot of girls that are doing some awfully good things heading into the season. I'd expect Nicole Cowart, Michelle McGrady, Kim Kruk, Sarah Schmidt and Marijka Botterman all to be pushing each other for spots in the line-up."

Floor Exercise

"The freshman group is probably going to make its largest impact on the floor exercise. All four have the potential to make the line-up. Both Allison Buckley and Melissa Fernandez are very strong tumblers and could put up some of our higher scores throughout the season. Sophomores Nicole Cowart and Sarah Schmidt might have been our top two athletes on floor last year and both could possibly hold our anchor spot. With four freshmen possibly in the line-up, we will need to trust their experience at the end of the rotation. Senior Krystal Melcarek and juniors Marijka Botterman, Kim Kruk and Lindsey Smith all have tons of experience eon floor and won't give up their spots without a fight."

All-Around

"All-around is up in the air right now because we have so much competition on all four events and, at this point, we are going to try to put up the top-six on each event and not worry about the all-around. With that being said, the two individuals that will most likely get the shot at it right away are Nicole Cowart and Allison Buckley. Melissa Fernandez and Marijka Botterman could both be all-arounder as well, depending on how the line-ups shake out. And if her new vault goes well, Sarah could jump up in there too. The might be some meets where we only have one or two all-arounder and then somewhere we have three or four. It all depends on who is competing well at the time."

-- ILLINI -