Michigan State University Athletics
Big Ten Coaches Press Conference Quotes
3/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 24, 2006
Illinois Head Coach Bob Starkell
Opening Statement...
"The Big Ten provides an atmosphere that is just as exciting as an NCAA Championship, and we're surrounded by quality coaches and athletes, so we're always looking forward to coming to this special event. This year I have an extremely young group, with over fifty percent of the team made up of freshman, so we've been up and down in consistency. We've also been bitten by the injury bug in the last two weeks, so I never know what my lineup is going to be, and I'm not quite sure what to expect from my team this weekend."
On his expectations from junior gymnast Cara Pomeroy...
"One nice thing about Cara is that she's missed two routines in the last three years, and consistency tends to be in her nature. Her mental ability and the way she can concentrate on an event, no matter how the team is performing at the time, really gives her an advantage when she's performing. Hopefully she can go out and do the same this weekend."
Minnesota co-Head Coach Jim Stevenson
Opening statement ...
"More and more I'm so proud of the women who participate in our sport, at the collegiate level. They serve as such a wonderful example to thousands of young girls that are involved in sports. With the NCAA Championships coming up another concern that we all have is what kind of representation the Big Ten has in that event. It does so much for our conference. If one team gets there and does well that's huge for us because all of the Big Ten schools are a more valuable choice for the top level recruits. There is gymnastics beyond this weekend, but this weekend is really important as a staging event in preparation for the National Championships."
Minnesota co-Head Coach Meg Stevenson
Opening statement...
"We've had a really fun year with this group. It's the biggest team we've ever had, we have 16 on our team this year, six are upperclassmen. We've been really fortunate with great leadership from our seniors, Laura Johnson, Maria Opsahl, and Kelly Stout. They've done a great job keeping this team focused, excited, and educating our new freshman. We're excited about the competition. We always say that this is the 'Big Ten National Championships' because it is so close, every year anyone can win. We appreciate all the hard work from Michigan State. You guys have done a great job upgrading the facility and making it look really nice. Our girls will really appreciate that when they see it."
On senior gymnast Laura Johnson ...
"She looks great. I think it's really tough for all the seniors in this competition, because they don't want to focus on it being their last Big Ten meet. We think she has really stayed focused. She has been an incredible team player this year, as far has helping the other kids with competition. She is ready to go and excited; we're looking for her to just be Laura."
Ohio State Head Coach Carey Fagan
Opening Statement ...
"It's exciting, it's just a different feel coming into this competition, and I know my team's excited. It's even the small things like the Big Ten bags and the gift bags waiting in the hotel rooms for us last night. The kids' eyes light up, and suddenly a light comes on, that this is not just another meet. I think we've had a good season thus far, we're positioned better than we were last year coming in. Hopefully we'll qualify in the regionals, and we'll just see what happens from there, but I feel a lot more optimistic about this meet probably than when I was sitting here last year. A couple of standout performers for us are Brittany Brown on floor, she's had a great season, averaging close to a 9.83; Kaylin Schlecht on bars, she was our regional qualifier as an individual last year, and she's done a great job on bars for us again this year, and Maalika Moore-Thomas will be in the all-around for us again, since she's done that all year. We're excited, and thanks to Kathie and Michigan State."
On the team's week off coming into the competition ...
"We're actually on the quarters system at Ohio State, so we had finals, and then the weekend off, and this is our Spring Break. From a scoring perspective in the Regional Qualifying Score, it's not the best thing to have a weekend off. We sat at home last weekend and watched everyone go out and compete, and our RQS stayed, and everyone else's went up, so that was frustrating for us. We gave the girls the entire weekend off, we did some team-building activities, and if anything, my team is rested, so we'll see how that works out."
Iowa Head Coach Larissa Libby
Opening Statement...
"We'd like to thank Kathie and Michigan State for hosting the championships this weekend. We have a very young team this year, and we've struggled a lot with the illness injury bug. We've also struggled a lot with depth. We're led by two very talented seniors who've done a great job for us, but they're tired. Right now we aren't really training them, they're just going out and competing on the weekends. We really only have six or seven girls who are competing right now, and we have a lot of young kids who are still learning how to compete. We've had an inconsistent year; we're probably the best three event team in the country, but we can't figure out that fourth event. We're still optimistic about this weekend's event, on any given day anybody can fall and anybody can be at their best. We're hoping for the latter. We have yet to put together a complete meet, so we're hoping to do that and we're very proud and excited to be a part of this competition."
On season-best scores on beam and floor last weekend...
"We're really excited about that, I think it gave us confidence to do so well against an extremely amazing Iowa State team that is currently ranked fourth in the nation. I think it gave the girls the momentum and boost that they needed mentally, which is what I think our problem is. It isn't our ability, we have a lot of talent, so I hope it gives them the confidence to come in here and do their best. With seven teams competing at the same time, there is so much going on, so the focus isn't the same as a one-on-one meet. I hope it allows us to concentrate on ourselves as a team, and the things that we can control such as attitude, determination and performance."
Penn State Head Coach
Opening Statement...
"I too would like to thank Michigan State. We look forward to competing, it's been a fun year for us and our athletes have worked extremely hard, starting off in the pre-season. This is a culmination of all of the hard work, celebrating wonderful accomplishments, and celebrating what they bring to their individual campuses, which is leadership. I want my team to celebrate the gifts that they've been given. People to look for on my team are, Lisa Clark, who at 5-foot-8, when she tumbles she can really get up there. Jen Orlando who is a great all-arounder, and is enjoying the best gymnastics of her career, which is tough to do in your senior year. This meet is going to be all about a team effort all the way through the line-up for us. I would also like to say that it's great to be among friends and rivals and I hope everyone has a great competition."
On last years close meet, and what they are doing different this year...
"This competition is always very close, which is a good thing. We're not going in focused on Michigan or any of the other teams, we're just focusing on everybody doing their job. We encourage everyone to do their best, we aren't hoping for someone to do bad so that we can win. We've come in second too many times, and that's tough as a coaching staff, but we've been proud of our team. It comes down quality gymnastics, and letting the judges decide who should be No. 1"
Michigan Head Coach Bev Plocki -
Opening statement...
"Year in and year out the Big Ten Championship meet means just as much to our team, as any other meet we'll compete in all season. Obviously there is a lot of talk about the NCAA's at this point in the year, but there is such a level of importance in the Big Ten Championship and pride factor behind competing here. There are so many great coaches and teams in the Big Ten, I have been at Michigan for 17 years and the conference continues to grow stronger and improve every season. Every team needs to turn in their best performance, because anything can happen on a given day. I think this will be a great meet for all the teams and for anyone who is lucky enough to come out and watch."
On her team's status entering the meet...
"We really have a young team this season, as a result we had a bit of a dip in the middle of the season. The season is so long and young teams can struggle with that at times. Fortunately for us, we have such a strong team. We don't have a lot of standout individuals, instead we have a great group that really understands and executes their roles."
On the leadership of a three-member senior class...
"All three, Becca Clauson, Jenny Deiley and Lauren Mirkovich, who is a fifth-year senior, have been a big help to our younger gymnasts this year. It's amazing how much the younger athletes actually do look up to the seniors. They are all such hard workers and the experiences that they have had, the seasons they have been through and the stories they can tell are very reassuring."
On her team's experience vs. top-level competition...
"Each team is different and a single class only goes back four years, so our history does not play as large a role as people would think. Still, we do try to compete with some of the best schools in the country throughout the season. That helps to eliminate the intimidation factor when we come into a meet like this one."
Michigan State Head Coach Kathie Klages
On hosting the championships...
"We are very excited to host the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships here at Michigan State University. The event is going to be very exciting; we have some superb athletes in the Big Ten Conference."
On Michigan State...
"Our team is very small this year - we only have 11 athletes and only five of those are upperclassmen, including sophomores. We have been challenged through the year with our depth and a few minor injuries. It has been a very interesting year for us. I am very proud at the way our team has come together under those circumstances. I am excited to say that we are the closest to being healthy in the last couple of weeks as we have been all season. We feel like our team is prepared and is ready to go for this competition tomorrow night."
On MSU's top performers...
"I think Sarah Alexander is an incredible leader on this team. When she is able to be at her best that really puts a sense of calm amongst our team. She is still working through a shoulder injury that developed a few weeks ago, but she is an incredible woman and is very, very tough. The leadership and the experience she brings to this team, being the only senior left, is really invaluable. Kristen Coleman has a great chance in the all-around competition. The judging system has changed a lot this season so it really depends where you were around the country. Entering the meet ranked fifth, it will be fun to see how well Kristen can compete against the other girls in the Big Ten."
Players Mentioned
