Beverly Jean Plocki (born Beverly Jean Fry; September 6, 1964) is an American

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

coach, and the current coach of the

Michigan Wolverines women's gymnastics The Michigan Wolverines women's gymnastics team represents the University of Michigan and competes in the Big Ten Conference. Under head coach Bev Plocki, the team has won 27 Big Ten championships and advanced to 31 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Cham ...

team. In 32 years as the head coach at Michigan, her teams have a record of 830–263–4 and have won 25

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

championships, and advanced to 25 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, including 16 straight NCAA championship tournaments from 1993 to 2008. Plocki led her team to the NCAA Championship in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, the first championship won by a

team.

Biography

Plocki was an All-American gymnast on the balance beam at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

while studying for a master's degree. Plocki applied for an open coaching spot at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

at age 23 and got the job. When she took over at the University of Michigan, the women's gymnastics team was at a low point, having gone 0-13 and finished in last place in the conference in 1989 and having compiled a 1-10 record in 1988. The Michigan gymnasts improved to 7-15 in Plocki's first season. Plocki's conversion of the Michigan gymnastics program received a major boost when she succeeded in recruiting

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, native Beth Wymer to Michigan. In recruiting Wymer, Plocki told her: "You can go to one of the three dominant schools (Utah, Georgia or Alabama) and be another All-America on their list of All-Americas. Or, you can come to Michigan and be the first All-America." Since then, Plocki has had All-Americans every year. Plocki gives Wymer credit for helping to build the Michigan gymnastics program: "I don't know where we would be today if she hadn't made the decision to come to Michigan. Her being here allowed us to recruit a completely different level of athlete. It is monumental what she did for this program." In 2001, Plocki landed another blue-chip recruit when Elise Ray, captain of the 2000 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team committed to Michigan. In 1992, Plocki led the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship. Michigan went on to win six straight Big Ten championships starting in 1992 and also became one of the top teams in the NCAA championships. In 1993, Plocki's squad made its first appearance in the NCAA championships and finished ninth. In 1994, Michigan finished fourth in the NCAA championship and improved to No. 2 in 1995. In 1997, Michigan's gymnasts won a sixth straight Big Ten championship, won all five events, and finished 1-2-3 in the all-around. After missing the Big Ten championship in 1998, Plocki's teams started a new streak of seven straight conference titles from 1999 to 2005, a Big Ten record for most consecutive titles. The 1999 team also finished No. 2 at the NCAA championship. In all, Michigan has won 23 Big Ten Championships under Plocki, including 15 of 17 Big Ten championships between 1992 and 2008. Plocki's teams also advanced to the NCAA championships 16 straight seasons between 1993 and 2008. Plocki is an 11-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, eight-time NCAA Regional Coach of the Year and was the 1994 NCAA National Coach of the Year. In 2018, Plocki won her 23rd Big Ten championship. With the win, she tied former Indiana men's swimming head coach

James Counsilman James Edward "Doc" Counsilman (December 28, 1920 – January 4, 2004)
...

for the most championships by any head coach in any sport in Big Ten history. In

, Plocki led Michigan to their first NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships in program history.

Coaching record

References

External links

U of M Women's Gymnastics

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plocki, Bev 1964 births Living people American gymnastics coaches Michigan Wolverines women's gymnastics coaches People from Butler, Pennsylvania Alabama Crimson Tide women's gymnasts West Virginia Mountaineers women's gymnasts West Virginia Mountaineers women's gymnastics coaches