2007 SEASON IN REVIEW BIG TEN CONFERENCE NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS...43 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS...44 TEAM RECORDS...

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2 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW BIG TEN CONFERENCE NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS INDIVIDUAL RECORDS TEAM RECORDS NATIONAL AND REGIONAL HONORS BIG TEN HONORS ACADEMIC HONORS TEAM HONORS EVENT TITLE LEADERS ALL-TIME LETTERWINNERS MEDIA INFORMATION

3 SEASON-IN-REVIEW The Fighting Illini enjoyed their best season in head coach Bob Starkell s eight seasons at the helm, and one of the best in school history. A top-20 national ranking and a third place finish at the Big Ten Championships, including an event champion for the first time since 1999, highlighted a season that kept Illinois on a steady path as an up-and-coming national program. At the Big Ten Championships on the campus of Penn State University, senior star, turned in a near-perfect performance on the uneven bars to become Illinois' first conference event champion in eight seasons. Pomeroy s performance, along with freshman Sarah Schmidt s second place score of on the event, led the squad to a team bars score of , the second best score in school history, and put an exclamation point on Illinois breakout day at the conference championships. The third place team finish was the best since the 1990 UI squad won the Big Ten crown. Two weeks later, the Orange and Blue headed to Tucson, Ariz., for the NCAA South Central Regional Championships, where they finished fourth to equal the best regional finish in school history and just miss out on a top-two finish and a trip to the National Championships. Junior Michelle McGrady nearly advanced to the national meet as an individual, taking second place on vault with a 9.850, while Pomeroy closed out her stellar career with a fourth place finish on bars (9.825). Starkell was named South Central Regional Coach of the Year after the meet, marking the second time in the last three years he s won the region s top coaching honor. Illinois finished the season ranked 20th in the final GymInfo national rankings, the highest end-of-season ranking in school history. The team topped out at #19 during the regular season, which was the highest RQS ranking in school history. In addition to being ranked themselves, the Illini also had a knack for knocking off higher ranked foes during the regular season. In all, the Illini beat seven top- 25 teams on the season, including five that were ranked higher than the Illini at the time of competition. A home win over #16 Auburn on March 9 with a season-high score of was the squad s marquee victory. The Fighting Illini also left quite a mark on the record books in They set the vault school record with a vs. UIC on March 17 after tying the old record of earlier in the season. Overall, the Orange and Blue posted five of the top-8 vault scores in school history and put up four of the top-6 uneven bars scores. In terms of overall team score, the Illini racked up three of the top- 10 all-time scores, including a and a , which rank third and Nicole Cowart was named first team All-Big Ten in her freshman season. fourth on the list, respectively. Pomeroy finished her stellar Illini career as one of the top gymnasts in school history. She won the uneven bars, her signature event, in seven of the last nine meets, including the Big Ten title, and finished the season ranked seventh in the nation on the event. Her season high of 9.950, which she earned twice, equaled the second-highest bars score in school history behind only her own 10.0, which won the event at the 2004 South Central Regional Championship. Pomeroy won 10 total event titles on the season, seven on bars and three on beam, and 41 titles in her illustrious career. Pomeroy was one of six finalists for the prestigious American Award, which is awarded annually to a senior female gymnast who has best demonstrated her competitive, leadership, academic and community skills throughout her career. She was also a second team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District selection and a second team All-Big Ten selection to become the first Illini ever to earn All-Conference accolades in each of her four seasons (first team in 2005 and 2006 and second team in 2004 and 2007). Illinois took third at the Big Ten Championships, its highest finish since winning the title in Other Fighting Illini picked up conference accolades as well. Freshman Nicole Cowart was a first team All-Big Ten pick after winning 10 event titles on the season, including at least one in each event and the all-around, and finishing fourth in the all-around at the Big Ten Championships. Sophomore Julie Crall picked up second team All-Conference accolades despite missing the last five meets due to injury. In addition to Cowart s success, freshman Sarah Schmidt opened some eyes with her solid season (four event titles, sixth place in the all-around at Big Tens), and juniors Krystal Melcarek and McGrady stepped up to larger roles to complement the stacked sophomore class of Marijka Botterman, Crall, Kim Kruk and Lindsey Smith. With 2007 in the books as one of the best in school history and a stellar recruiting class joining a team that has 22-of-24 routines returning for 2008, it appears the best is still to come for a program already on the rise. TEAM AWARDS MVP: Most Outstanding: Nicole Cowart Most Improved: Sarah Schmidt Most Consistent Beam: Nicole Cowart Scholar-Athlete: 40 // 2008 ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS

4 2007 RESULTS (9-8 OVERALL, 3RD IN BIG TEN) Date Opponent Result Score Jan. 12 at No. 18 Missouri L Jan. 19 at No. 14 LSU L Jan. 27 Iowa W Feb. 3 No. 19 Ohio State W Feb. 9 at No. 8 Michigan w/ No. 6 Nebraska 3rd of 3 Michigan , Nebraska , Illinois Feb. 17 at No. 18 Michigan State W Feb. 25 No. 10 Iowa State/N. Illinois 2nd of 3 Iowa State , Illinois , N. Illinois Mar. 4 at Illinois State w/uw-lacrosse 1st of 3 Illinois , Illinois State , UW-Lacrosse Mar. 9 No. 16 Auburn W Mar. 11 at No. 14 Denver L Mar. 17 Illinois-Chicago W Mar. 25 at State of Illinois Classic 3rd of 4 Illinois-Chicago , Northern Illinois , Illinois (Dekalb, Ill.) , Illinois State Mar. 31 at Big Ten Championships 3rd of 7 Michigan , Penn State , Illinois , Ohio (University Park, Pa.) State , Minnesota , Iowa , Michigan State Apr. 14 at NCAA South Central Regional 4th of 6 Stanford , Oregon State , Arizona , (Tucson, Ariz) Illinois , Arizona State , Illinois-Chicago MEET-BY-MEET SCORING Date Team Vault Bars Beam Floor at No. 18 Missouri at No. 14 LSU Iowa No. 19 Ohio State at No. 18 Michigan w/no. 6 Nebraska at No. 18 Michigan State No. 10 Iowa State w/n. Illinois at Illinois State w/uw-lacrosse No. 16 Auburn at No. 14 Denver Illinois-Chicago at State of Illinois Classic at Big Ten Championships at NCAA South Central Regional Season Average Regional Qualifying Score TEAM BESTS Team Score vs. Auburn (3/9) vs. Iowa St. & NIU (2/25) vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/17) Vault Marijka Botterman vs. Auburn (3/9) Marijka Botterman vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/17) Nicole Cowart vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/17) Nicole Cowart at Michigan (2/9) x, last Michelle McGrady at NCAA South Regional (4/14) Bars at Big Tens (3/31) at State of Ill. Classic (3/25) vs. Auburn (3/9) vs. Iowa St./NIU (2/25) Sarah Schmidt at Big Tens (3/31) Beam Julie Crall vs. Auburn (3/9) vs. Iowa (1/27) Julie Crall vs. Iowa (1/27) Julie Crall vs. Iowa St./NIU (2/25) vs. Auburn (3/9) Julie Crall at Michigan State (2/17) Floor Nicole Cowart vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/17) Nicole Cowart vs. Auburn (3/9) Krystal Melcarek vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/17) Nicole Cowart at Denver (3/11) Julie Crall vs. Iowa (1/27) All-Around Marijka Botterman vs. Auburn (3/9) Nicole Cowart at Denver (3/11) Nicole Cowart vs. Auburn (3/9) 2008 ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS // 41

5 ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS 2007 Michigan Minnesota Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Minnesota Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Minnesota ILLINOIS Minnesota Minnesota Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Michigan BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS MARCH 31, 2007 // REC HALL // UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.. CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY Team Titles Last Ind.* Michigan Ohio State Minnesota ILLINOIS Iowa 0-11 Michigan State 0-9 Penn State 0-13 Wisconsin# 0-3 Indiana@ 0-0 * Total Individual Champions # Program discontinued in Program discontinued in 1983 Pl. Team Vault Bars Beam Floor Total 1. Michigan Penn State ILLINOIS Ohio State Minnesota Iowa Michigan State CHAMPIONSHIP RECORDS Vault 10.0 Katie Rowland, PSU 2003 Beth Wymer, Mich Heather Kabnick, Mich 1995 Beth Wymer, Mich Uneven Bars 10.0 Elise Ray, Mich Nikki Peters, Mich Nikki Peters, Mich Nikki Peters, Mich Balance Beam 10.0 Nikki Smith, PSU 2000 Floor Exercise Sarah Cain, Mich Sarah Cain, Mich Nikki Peters, Mich Heather Kabnick, Mich All-Around Elise Ray, Mich Team Score Michigan INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS Vault: Brandi Personett, Penn State Bars: CARA POMEROY, ILLINOIS Beam: Becky Bernard, Michigan Floor: Katie Lieberman, Michigan AA: Brandi Personett, Penn State GYMNAST OF THE YEAR Kristen Coleman, Michigan State FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Brandi Personett, Penn State COACH OF THE YEAR Carey Fagan, Ohio State 2007 ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS FIRST TEAM Nicole Cowart, ILL Katie Burke, Iowa Becky Bernard, MICH Tatjana Thener-Rego, MICH Kristen Coleman, MSU Nicole Curler, MSU Rochelle Robinson, MSU Kaylan Clevinger, OSU Maalika Moore-Thomas, OSU Brandi Personett, PSU SECOND TEAM Julie Crall, ILL, ILL Kara Pinjuv, IOWA Katie Turcotte, IOWA Jennifer Simbhudas, IOWA Katie Lieberman, MICH Huneth Lor, MICH Carmelina Carabajal, MINN Katie Perret, PSU Stephanie Sullivan, PSU Nicole Cowart was a first team All- Big Ten selection. 42 // 2008 ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS

6 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN SELECTIONS Marijka Botterman Speech Communications Julie Crall Business Administration SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS APRIL 14, 2007 // MCKALE CENTER // TUCSON, ARIZONA TEAM RESULTS Kim Kruk Spanish Michelle McGrady Accountancy Pl. Team Vault Bars Beam Floor Total 1. Stanford** Oregon State** Arizona ILLINOIS Arizona State Illinois-Chicago **Advanced to NCAA Championships Kinesiology 3.75 Lindsey Smith Chemistry EVENT CHAMPIONS Vault: Liz Tricase, Stanford Bars: Tabatha Yim, Stanford Beam: Jamie Holton, Arizona FX: Tasha Smith, Oregon State ALL-AROUND RESULTS 1. Tabatha Yim, Stanford Karin Wurm, Arizona Tasha Smith, Oregon State Alex Pintchouk, Stanford Brittney Morgan, Arizona Jami Lanz, Oregon State Nicole Harris, Arizona State Nicole Cowart, Illinois The Fighting Illini at the 2007 South Central Regional Championships in Tucson, Ariz ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS // 43

7 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS ALL-AROUND vs. Ball State, Kara Kapernekas at State of Illinois Classic, vs. Minnesota/UIC, Phaedra Dixon vs. Ohio State, State of Illinois Classic, 2004 Kim Berres vs. SEMO, at NCAA South Central Regional, 2004 Kara Kapernekas vs. Iowa, 2003 vs. Iowa, at Big Ten Championships, 2003 Phaedra Dixon vs. Iowa, 2000 is the Illinois All-Around record holder. VAULT Jessica Cole at State of Illinois Classic, 2003 Nicole Viernes vs. Florida & Iowa State, Marijka Botterman vs. Auburn, 2007 vs. Iowa, Marijka Botterman vs. Illinois-Chicago, 2007 Nicole Cowart vs. Illinois-Chicago, 2007 Nicole Cowart at Michigan, 2007 Michelle McGrady vs. Maryland, 2006 Marijka Botterman at UIC, 2006 Lauren Newcomb at Illinois State, 2005 Lauren Newcomb at Texas Women s Quad, 2005 Kara Kapernekas State of Illinois Classic, 2004 Danye Botterman vs. Iowa State, 2004 Nicole Viernes at Big Ten Championships, 1997 Nicole Viernes State of Illinois Classic, 1996 BARS at NCAA South Central Regional, at Big Ten Championships, 2007 at State of Illinois Classic, 2007 at Texas Women s Quad, vs. Auburn, 2007 vs. Iowa State & Northern Illinois, 2007 at State of Illinois Classic, 2005 at NCAA South Central Regional, 2004 State of Illinois Classic, 2004 vs. Ball State, 2004 Kelli Farrar at State of Illinois Classic, 1997 Kelli Farrar vs. Iowa, 1997 at NIT, 1996 BEAM Stacy Redmond vs. SEMO, Kara Kapernekas at State of Illinois Classic, 2003 Kara Kapernekas at SEMO, 2003 vs. Illinois State, 2001 vs. Ohio State, 2001 vs. Iowa, 2001 vs. Cal. State-Fullerton, 2001 Kim Berres at Big Ten Championships, Julie Crall vs. Auburn, 2007 vs. Iowa, 2007 at UIC, 2006 vs. Ball State, 2004 at Ohio State Triangular, 2004 at Ohio State Triangular, 2004 Amanda Kaufman at State of Illinois Classic, 2003 at State of Illinois Classic, 2002 Gina Wiechmann vs. Ohio State, 2001 Gina Wiechmann vs. Ohio State, 1999 Gina Wiechmann vs. Illinois State, 1998 Gina Wiechmann vs. SEMO, 1998 Kim Berres vs. SEMO, 1999 Kim Berres at State of Illinois Classic, 1999 Kim Berres at State of Illinois Classic, 1998 Kim Berres vs. Ohio State, 1998 Kim Berres vs. Illinois State, 1998 Kim Berres at State of Illinois Classic, 1997 Becky Ashton vs. Ohio State, 1997 Kim Berres at NIT, 1996 Nicole Ward vs. SEMO, 1995 FLOOR Kara Kapernekas vs. Ball State, 2004 Kara Kapernekas vs. Iowa, 2003 Amanda Kaufman vs. Iowa, 2003 Phaedra Dixon at State of Illinois Classic, Lauren Newcomb State of Illinois Classic, 2004 Kara Kapernekas vs. Iowa State, 2004 at State of Illiniois Classic, 2000 vs. Penn State, vs. Ball State, 2004 Kara Kapernekas at Ohio State Triangular, 2004 Amanda Kaufman at State of Illinois Classic, 2003 Michelle Mesik vs. Iowa, 2001 vs. Ohio State, 2001 vs. UIC, 2001 Kim Berres vs. Penn State, 1999 Kim Berres vs. Ohio State, 1999 Phaedra Dixon vs. Minnesota, 1999 Phaedra Dixon vs. Ohio State, 1999 Gina Wiechmann at State of Illinois Classic, 1998 Kim Berres vs. SEMO, 1998 Kim Berres vs. Iowa, 1997 *bold indicates athletes on roster. 44 // 2008 ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS scored the only 10.0 in school history on bars at the 2004 South Central Regional.

8 TEAM RECORDS TOTAL SCORE State of Illinois Classic 3/13/ vs. Iowa 3/3/ vs. Auburn 3/9/ vs. Iowa St. & NIU 2/25/ vs. Ohio State 3/6/ at Texas Women s Quad 2/26/ at State of Illinois Classic 3/23/ vs. Michigan State 1/25/ vs. Ohio State 2/3/ vs. Illinois-Chicago 3/17/07 VAULT vs. Illinois-Chcago 3/17/ vs. Iowa St. & NIU 2/25/ at Texas Women s Quad 2/26/ vs. Auburn 3/9/ State of Illinois Classic 3/13/ vs. Iowa 2/17/ vs. Iowa 1/27/ at Illinois St. w/uw-lacrosse 3/4/ at State of Illinois Classic 3/23/ vs. NIU & Central Michigan 1/29/ vs. Maryland 1/21/06 BARS at NCAA South Central Regional 4/3/ vs. Penn State 1/13/ at Big Ten Championships 3/31/ at State of Illinois Classic 3/25/ vs. Iowa St. & NIU 2/25/ vs. Auburn 3/9/ State of Illinois Classic 3/13/ vs. Ohio State 3/6/ vs. Illinois State 2/28/ vs. Illinois-Chicago 2/16/01 BEAM at Big Ten Championships 3/20/ at State of Illinois Classic 3/23/ vs. Ohio State 2/3/ vs. Iowa 3/3/ vs. Auburn 3/9/ vs. Ohio State 3/12/ at UIC 2/25/ State of Illinois Classic 3/13/ vs. Ohio State 3/6/ vs. Iowa State 2/14/ at NCAA South Central Regional 4/3/04 FLOOR at State of Illinois Classic 3/16/ vs. Iowa 3/8/ vs. Ohio State 3/6/ vs. Ball State 2/21/ vs. Iowa State 2/14/ vs. Ohio State 2/3/ vs. Iowa 3/3/ at Ohio State 1/31/ vs. Michigan State 1/25/ vs. Penn State 2/13/99 The 2004 Fighting Illini women s gymnastics team set the school record of to win the State of Illinois Classic. ALL-TIME TEAM RECORDS Year Duals Big Ten Regional Coach rd 4th Bob Starkell th 4th Bob Starkell th 6th Bob Starkell th 5th Bob Starkell th -- Bob Starkell th -- Bob Starkell th -- Bob Starkell th -- Bob Starkell th 5th Lynn Brueckman th 6th Lynn Brueckman th -- Lynn Brueckman th -- Lynn Brueckman th -- Lynn Brueckman th -- Lynn Brueckman th -- Bev Mackes th -- Bev Mackes T-4th -- Bev Mackes st 5th Bev Mackes th 5th Bev Mackes rd 7th Bev Mackes th 4th Bev Mackes th -- Bev Mackes th 4th Bev Mackes T-4th 4th Bev Mackes rd 4th Bev Mackes th* 5th Bev Mackes th* 6th Bev Mackes nd* 4th Bev Mackes nd* 8th Bev Mackes rd* 9th Bev Mackes st* 5th Allison Milburn st* 7th Allison Milburn 1975 n/a 4th* -- Kim Musgrave 1974 n/a n/a* -- Kim Musgrave *Women s championships were not officially recognized by the Big Ten until ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS // 45

9 NATIONAL & REGIONAL HONORS ALL-AMERICANS 1976 Nancy Thies, UB (AIAW) INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL QUALIFIERS 1976 Nancy Thies, AA 1977 Patty Carmichael, AA Nancy Thies, AA 1979 Gayle Fleischmann, AA 1981 Heidi Helmke, AA 1982 Heidi Helmke, AA Karen Brems, AA 1987 Denise Lamborn, AA 2004, UB, AA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS 1976 Nancy Thies, BB, FX, AA 1977 Nancy Thies, V, FX, BB, AA 2004, UB ALL-REGIONAL SELECTIONS 1976 Nancy Thies 1977 Nancy Thies 1979 Gayle Fleischmann 1980 Mary Charpentier 1983 Heidi Helmke Luann Roberts 1984 Allison Garrity 1986 Luann Roberts INDIVIDUAL REGIONAL QUALIFIERS 1986 Laura Hicks (AA) Allison Garrity (AA) 1995 Kelli Farrar (AA) Stacy Redmond (AA) Nicole Ward (AA) 2000 Phaedra Dixon (AA) (AA) (FX) (BB) 2001 (AA) (V, FX) 2002 (AA) (AA) 2003 Kara Kapernekas (AA) (AA) NIT CHAMPIONS 1996 Kim Berres, BB 1996, UB COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM 1996 Tracey Althans, BB, FX 1996 Kim Berres, V, BB, AA 1996 Kelli Farrar, UB 1996, UB 1996 Kari Karubas, FX AMERICAN AWARD FINALIST (senior female gymnast who has shown competitive, leadership, academic and community skills during career) 2007 REGIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR 2005 Bob Starkell 2007 Bob Starkell REGIONAL ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR 1998 Bob Starkell 2005 Kim (Mazza) Landrus (left) and (right) became the first Illini to compete at the national meet in 17 years when they took the floor at the 2004 NCAA Championships in Los Angeles. Bob Starkell (center) was named 2007 South Central Regional Coach of the Year. He's pictured with Regional Assistant Coaches of the Year John Court and Colleen Johnson of Arizona. NANCY THIES, 79 OLYMPIAN // NINE-TIME BIG TEN CHAMPION // ALL-AMERICAN Nancy Thies (Marshall) is without a doubt the most decorated gymnast in Illinois history. Born in Urbana, Thies competed just two seasons for the U of I, winning nine Big Ten titles, seven regional titles and earning All-America status on the uneven bars. She was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Year in 1976 and 77, in addition to being named the U of I Female Athlete of the Year in 77. In 1979, she earned a bachelor s degree from the university in history and journalism. Prior to attending Illinois, Thies competed at the 1972 Munich Olympic games and helped the United States to a fourth-place finish, the highest a U.S. team had finished in modern gymnastics history. At those Olympics, Thies became the first person to perform the back somersault on the beam in Olympic competition. During her international career, she won seven medals and two national titles, one on vault and beam. Following her gymnastics career, Thies worked as a gymnastics commentator for NBC sports for seven years, while also working as a journalist and author. Additionally, she was an active member of the United States Gymnastics Federation (USGF) as both a member for the Executive Committee and Vice-Chairman for Women. UI grad Nancy Thies was a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team and later became a broadcaster for NBC sports. 46 // 2008 ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS

10 FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG TEN PERFORMERS Nancy Thies * Peggy Pullman Mary Charpentier 1978* Laura Knutson , 2006 Mimi Eberle 1980* Lynn Devers 1991 Nicole Cowart 2007 Denise Lamborn , 1990 Kim Berres 1998 Heather Singalewitch 1988, 1990 Gina Wiechmann 1999 *Honors won at unofficial Big Ten Championship. Women s sports were not officially recognized by the Big Ten until BIG TEN CONFERENCE HONORS INDIVIDUAL BIG TEN CHAMPIONS 1976* Nancy Thies,V,BB,UB,FX,AA 1977* Nancy Thies,V,UB,FX,AA 1978* Mary Charpentier, BB 1980* Mimi Eberle, V 1988 Heather Singalewitch, AA 1990 Laura Knutson, tied BB Denise Lamborn, V Peggy Pullman, tied BB Heather Singalewitch, FX 1991 Lynn Devers, tied UB 1999 Gina Wiechmann, tied BB 2007, UB BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE YEAR 1976* Nancy Thies 1977* Nancy Thies 1988 Heather Singalewitch BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR 2002 BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR 1990 Bev Mackes 2005 Bob Starkell BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR 1984 Karen Brems 1991 Lynn Devers ALL-BIG TEN 1976* Nancy Thies 1977* Nancy Thies 1978* Mary Charpentier 1980* Mimi Eberle 1987 Denise Lamborn 1988 Denise Lamborn 1990 Laura Knutson Denise Lamborn Peggy Pullman Heather Singalewitch 1991 Lynn Devers 1998 Kim Berres 1999 Gina Wiechmann (2nd) Kara Kapernekas (2nd) 2004 (2nd) (2nd) 2005 Kara Kapernekas (2nd) 2006 Julie Crall (2nd) 2007 Nicole Cowart Julie Crall (2nd) (2nd) BIG TEN TEAM TITLES points points points BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK 1/27/99 Gina Wiechmann 3/3/99 Phaedra Dixon 3/1/00 1/9/02 3/1/05 2/8/06 BIG TEN ALL-DECADE TEAM 1980 s Heather Singalewitch 1980 s Denise Lamborn Lynn Deveers won the Big Ten Medal of Honor in ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS // 47

11 ACADEMIC HONORS COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT 2007 (At-Large Second Team) SCHOLASTIC ALL-AMERICANS 1983 Karen Brems 1984 Karen Brems 1989 Lynn Devers Shari Smith 1990 Lynn Devers Becky Gaa Denise Lamborn Shari Smith 1991 Kara Corso Lynn Devers Becky Gaa 1992 Becky Gaa 1993 Becky Gaa 1994 Tracey Althans Kimberly Bathke 1995 Tracey Althans Karla Peterson Dina Slomski 1996 Tracey Althans Gena Gruss Melanie Dorwart 1999 Allison Berg Gena Gruss Michele Mesik Mina Moradi 2001 Jennifer Barrett Allison Berg Lindsay Ransom 2002 Allison Berg Amanda Kaufman Lindsay Ransom 2003 Amanda Kaufman Lauren Petric 2004 Margaret Dann Kim Kirzow Lauren Newcomb Lindsay Ransom ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN 1984 Karen Brems 1988 Laura Knutson 1989 Shari Smith Lynn Devers Laura Knutson 1990 Lynn Devers Laura Knutson Jennifer Durdil Denise Lamborn Shari Smith 1991 Kara Corso Lynn Devers Jennifer Durdil Becky Gaa 1992 Kara Corso Mary Beth Clisham Becky Gaa 1993 Becky Gaa Kimberly Bathke Mary Beth Clisham Kara Corso Pam Swan 1994 Tracey Althans Kimberly Bathke Mary Beth Clisham Dina Slomski 1995 Tracey Althans Dina Slomski 1996 Tracey Althans Nicki Ciccarelli Kelli Farrar 1997 Becky Ashton Kim Berres Nicki Ciccarelli Melanie Dorwart 1998 Becky Ashton Kim Berres Melanie Dorwart Gena Gruss 1999 Becky Ashton Kim Berres Melanie Dorwart Gena Gruss 2000 Allison Berg Phaedra Dixon Gena Gruss Michelle Mesik Mina Moradi 2001 Jennifer Barrett Allison Berg Michelle Buranich Phaedra Dixon Amanda Kaufman Michelle Mesik Mina Moradi Gina Wiechmann 2002 Allison Berg Michelle Buranich Amanda Kaufman Michelle Mesik Mina Moradi was a four-time Scholastic All-American Michelle Buranich Jessica Cole Amanda Kaufman Lauren Newcomb Lindsay Ransom 2004 Margaret Dann Kim Kirzow Lauren Newcomb Lindsay Ransom 2005 Margaret Dann Lauren Newcomb 2006 Michelle McGrady 2007 Marijka Botterman Julie Crall Kim Kruk Michelle McGrady Lindsey Smith GEORGE HUFF AWARDS 1977 Sarah Ausich Jean Bagel 1978 Tammy Bedrosian Joan Delast Sarah MacAdams Cynthia Weber 1979 Elizabeth LaPlante Sarah MacAdams 1980 Jan Osowski Joyce Pontious 1981 Joyce Pontious Jan Osowski 1982 Karen Brems Ann Pollack 1983 Karen Brems 1984 Karen Brems 1985 Heidi Helmke Luan Roberts 1986 Emily Collins Natacha Yonezuka 1987 Luan Roberts 1988 Michelle Maart 1989 Lynn Devers Laura Knutson Michelle Ruf Shari Smith 1990 Lynn Devers Jennifer Durdil Laura Knutson Heather Singalewitch Shari Smith 1991 Kara Corso Lynn Devers Jennifer Durdil Rebecca Gaa Laura Knutson Denise Lamborn Heather Singalewitch 1992 Susan Adams Mary Clisham Lynn Devers Rebecca Gaa 1993 Kim Bathke Mary Beth Clisham Kara Corso Jennifer Durdil Rebecca Gaa Dina Slomski 1994 Tracy Althans Kimberly Bathke Kara Corso 1995 Tracey Althans Kimberly Bathke Becky Drummond Dina Slomski 1996 Tracey Althans Nicole Ciccarelli Kelli Farrar Karla Peterson Dina Slomski Nicole Vierness 1997 Rebecca Ashton Katherine Karubas 1998 Rebecca Ashton Kimberly Berres Nicole Ciccarelli Katherine Karubas Nicole Vierness 1999 Rebecca Ashton Kim Berres Melanie Dorwart Gena Gruss Kristen Montero 2000 Rebecca Ashton Phaedra Dixon Melanie Dorwart Gena Gruss Mina Moradi 2001 Allison Berg Michelle Buranich Phaedra Dixon Gena Gruss Amanda Kaufman 2002 Jennifer Barrett Allison Berg Phaedra Dixon Michelle Mesik 2003 Amanda Kaufman Lauren Newcomb 2004 Margaret Dann Kimberly Kirzow Kathryn Kopren Lindsay Ransom 2005 Margaret Dann Michelle McGrady Lauren Newcomb 2006 Marijka Botterman Julie Crall Michelle McGrady Lindsey Smith was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. 48 // 2008 ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS

12 TEAM HONORS MOST OUTSTANDING 1994 Puni Viernes 1995 Stacy Redmond 1996 Kim Berres 1997 Kim Berres 1998 Kim Berres 1999 Phaedra Dixon 2000 Phaedra Dixon Kara Kapernekas Julie Crall 2007 Nicole Cowart MOST VALUABLE 1994 Mary Beth Clisham 1995 Dina Slomski 1996 Becky Ashton Kristin Montero 1999 Kim Berres 2000 Gena Gruss 2001 Jennifer Barrett 2002 Mina Moradi Kara Kapernekas 2005 Lauren Newcomb UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HONORS UI DIKE EDDLEMAN FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 1977 Nancy Theis 1984 Karen Brems UI FEMALE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 1994 Nicole Viernes 1996 Kim Berres Julie Crall ILLINOIS EVENT TITLE LEADERS CAREER EVENT TITLES (includes All-Around) Nancy Thies Denise Lamborn Heather Singalewitch Kim Berres Phaedra Dixon Kara Kapernekas Heidi Hilmke Gina Wiechmann Kara Corso Gayle Fleischmann SINGLE SEASON EVENT TITLES (includes All-Around) Nancy Thies Nancy Thies Heather Singalewitch Denise Lamborn Denise Lamborn Heather Singalewitch Gayle Fleishmann Phaedra Dixon Kara Corso 1992 UI OUTSTANDING FEMALE SCHOLAR- ATHLETE (Highest GPA for each class) 1992 Becky Gaa (Jr.) 1994 (So.) 1996 (Sr.) 2006 (Sr.) MOST IMPROVED Michelle Lacki 1998 Michelle Lacki 1999 Melanie Dowart 2000 Allison Berg 2001 Jennifer Barrett Phaedra Dixon 2002 Amanda Kaufman Krystal Melcarek 2006 Ursula Orozco 2007 Sarah Schmidt FIGHTING ILLINI OUTSTANDING TEAM GPA AWARD (Highest GPA for a team) Cumulative GPA FIGHTING ILLINI SPIRIT AWARD (Ui student-athlete who best represents Fighting Illini spirit) 1995 Dina Slomski Above: Nancy Thies won an Illinois record 58 event titles in her career. Below: Sarah Schmidt was voted the Most Improved Illini gymnast during the 2007 season. MOST CONSISTENT BEAM 1994 Kari Karubas 1995 Nicole Ward 1996 Kim Berres 1997 C. Fernandez 1998 Kim Berres 1999 Gina Wiechmann 2000 Phaedra Dixon Kara Kapernekas 2004 Margaret Dann 2005 Margaret Dann Nicole Cowart SCHOLAR-ATHLETE 1995 Tracey Althans Dina Slomski 1996 Tracey Althans Melanie Dorwart C. Fernandez Allison Berg & 2007 Julie Crall won the 2006 UI Newcomer of the Year Award. YEAR-BY-YEAR EVENT TITLE LEADERS (includes All-Around) 1975 Maria Salinas Nancy Thies Nancy Thies Gayle Fleischmann Gayle Fleischmann Mimi Eberle Karen Brems 6 Heidi Helmke Karem Brems 4 Heidi Helmke Heidi Helmke Heidi Helmke 2 Launn Roberts 2 Karen Brems Laura Hicks Laura Hicks Denise Lamborn Heather Singalewitch Heather Singalewitch Denise Lamborn Sarah Wasserman 6 Kara Corso Kara Corso Nicole Viernes 5 Nicole Ward Stacy Redmond Kim Berres Kim Berres Gina Wiechmann Phaedra Dixon Phaedra Dixon Nicole Cowart ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS // 49

13 ALL-TIME LETTERWINNERS A // B // C Adams, Susan , 89, 90, 91 Althans, Tracey , 94, 95, 96 Amico, Mary Ashton, Becky , 97, 98, 99 Baffes, Kathy , 79, 80 Bagel, Jean Barrett, Jennifer Barrow, Christine Bathke, Kimberly , 92, 93, 94 Bedrosian, Tammy Berg, Allison , 01, 02 Berres, Kim , 97, 98, 99 Botterman, Danye , 05, 06, 07 Botterman, Marijka , 07 Brems, Karen , 82, 83, 84 Buranich, Michelle , 01, 02, 03 Carmicheal, Patty Carr, Bridget , 81, 82 Castle, Jennifer Charpentier, Mary , 79, 80, 81 Ciccarelli, Nicki , 95, 96, 97 Ciccarelli, Tracey , 97 Clisham, Mary Beth , 92, 93, 94 Cole, Jessica , 04, 05 Collias, Emily , 85, 86 Corso, Kara , 91, 92, 93 Cowart, Nicole Crall, Julie , 07 D // E // F // G Danke, Cheryl Dann, Margaret , 03, 04, 05 Delact, Joan Devers, Lynn , 89, 90, 91 Dixon, Phaedra , 99, 00, 01 Dorwart, Melanie , 97, 98, 99 Drummond, Becky Dumich, Sara , 04, 05 Durdil, Jennifer , 90, 92 Earle, Emily , 04, 05, 06 Eberle, Mimi Current junior Marijka Botterman Ericson, Carissa , 99, 00, 01 Farrar, Kelli , 96, 97, 98 Fernandez, Carmella , 98, 99, 00 Fleischmann, Gayle , 78, 79, 80 Forsthoefel, Natalie , 94, 95, 96 Gaa, Becky , 91, 92, 93 Gallagher, Jana , 01, 02, 03 Gardner, Laura Garrity, Allison , 85, 86, 87 Greathouse, Teresa , 76 Gruss, Gena , 98, 99, 2000 H // I // J // K // L Hamilton, Gail Hawley, Karen , 01, 02, 03 Helmke, Heidi , 82, 83, 84 Hicks, Laura , 86 Hogan, Kelly , 95, 96, 97 Howell, Lisa Johnson, Gaye , 79, 80 Kalal, Randy Kapernekas, Kara , 03, 04, 05 Karubas, Kari , 95, 96, 97 Kaufman, Amanda , 01, 02, 03 Kirzow, Kim Knutson, Laura , 88, 89, 90 Kontur, Tracy , 88, 89, 90 Kruk, Kim , 07 Lacki, Michelle Lamborn, Denise , 88, 90 LaPlante, Liz Lunquist, Debr a M // N // O // P Maart, Michelle , 86, 87, 88 MacAdams, Maggie , 77, 78 Matiya, Joellyn , 81, 82 McGee, Cindy Mesik, Michelle , 01, 02 McGrady, Michelle- 2005, 06, 07 Melcarek, Krystal- 2005, 06, 07 Montero, Kristin , 97, 98 Montgomery, Lisa Moore, Cindy , 83 Moradi, Mina , 01, 02 Murin, Laura Neilson, Dotty Newcomb, Lauren , 03, 04, 05 Numrych, Charlene , 82, 83, 84 Orozco, Ursula Osowski, Jan , 80, 81 Pedregal, Marianne , 85, 86, 87 Pellegrinetti, Lisa , 99, 00, 01 Peterson, Anne , 79, 80 Peterson, Karla , 93, 95 Pollack, Allyson , 82 Polz, Laura , 91, 92 Pomeroy, Cara , 05, 06, 07 Pontious, Joyce , 79, 80, 81 Powers, Terri , 79, 80 Pullman, Peggy , 92 was a four time letterwinner Q // R // S // T Rechenmacher, Jayne , 79, 80, 81 Rechenmacher, Jill Redmond, Stacy , 96 Reid, Connie Roberts, Luann , 84, 85, 86 Robinson, Deborah Rosenwinkel, Pam Roska, Sarah Rossetto, Karen , 90, 91 Rudnicki, Patsy , 83, 84, 85 Ruf, Michelle , 86, 87, 88 Ruffolo, Laura Salinas, Maria , 76 Schmidt, Sarah Segers, Alicia Semeniuk, Tanya Sheppard, Sarah , 79, 80 Shively, Debbie , 88 Simpson, Faith Singalewitch, Heather , 88, 89, 90 Singer, Melissa , 05, 06, 07 Slomski, Dina , 94, 95 Smith, Karen Smith, Lindsey , 07 Smith, Shari , 89 Sullivan, Kelcey T // U // V // W // X // Y // Z Tex, Cathy Thies, Nancy , 77 Travis, Lee , 77 Viernes, Nicole , 95, 96, 97 Ward, Nicole , 93, 94, 95 Wasserman, Sarah , 92 Weber, Cynthia , 76, 77, 78 Webster, Julie Wild, Katie , 04, 05, 06 Wiechmann, Gina , 99, 00, 01 Williams, Ashley , 03, 04, 05 Wurtzel, Melissa Yonezuka, Natacha , // 2008 ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS

14 MEDIA INFORMATION MEDIA INFORMATION MEET CREDENTIALS All home meets are held at Huff Hall and the public is charged for admission. A pass list, located at the northwest entrance of Huff Hall, is used for media and photographer admittance. Please contact Eric Giovanini, ( or egiovan2@uiuc.edu) or Derek Neal ( or drneal@uiuc.edu) of the Athletic Public Relations office in advance to request credentials. Media credential requests for road meets should be made through the host SID office. COACH/GYMNAST INTERVIEWS Please schedule all interviews through the Athletic Public Relations office. For interviews with head coach Bob Starkell or any Illinois coach or student-athlete, please contact Eric Giovanini or Derek Neal. Coach Starkell is usually available for interviews before or following afternoon workouts on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Interviews with athletes will be conducted according to class and practice schedules. POST-MEET INTERVIEWS Coach Bob Starkell and gymnasts will be available after meets following a short cool-down period. Please make all requests for interviews to Eric Giovanini or Derek Neal at the scorer s table. WORKOUT TIMES The Illini work out during the week on the third floor of Kenney Gym on the corner of Wright St. and Springfield Ave. Parking for Kenney is located along Wright St. in metered areas. Practices start between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily and usually run about three hours. FIGHTINGILLINI.COM Fightingillini.com, the official website of the University of Illinois Athletic Department, is the fastest and easiest way for fans, alumni, students and parents to follow Illinois athletics. Maintained by the UI Athletic Public Relations office, fightingillini.com provides viewers with not only the latest scores, game stories, photos and statistics from all Illinois varsity sports, but also feature stories and blogs on student-athletes and coaches who shape the headlines. Live radio broadcasts of volleyball, football, men s and women s basketball, softball and baseball, as well as selected audio interviews, video highlight clips and live video of home gymnastics meets are availible at the click of the computer s mouse. FIGHTINGILLINI.COM FEATURES: The latest news on Illinois 19 varsity sports Live streaming video of home gymnastics meets Up-to-date results, schedules, statistics and game notes Feature stories on Illini student-athletes and coaches Student-athlete and coach biographies and blogs Photo galleries Audio and video clips MEET RESULTS Results will be available following the conclusion of the meet and also will be sent to the opposing team s sports information office. A story, complete with results, will be sent to selected media outlets and will be available on fightingillini.com. Team and individual results will be updated following each meet. If you wish to have your media agency added to the list, please contact Eric Giovanini or Derek Neal in the Athletic Public Relations office. ILLINI ON THE WEB Live results and athlete information is also kept up-to-date at The women s gymnastics page features athlete biographies, schedules, results, statistics, feature stories, blogs, news, releases and live meet stats and video. GYMNASTICS MEDIA OUTLETS PRINT Champaign News-Gazette Jeff Huth P.O. Box 677 Champaign, IL Ph: (217) /5604 Fax: (217) The Daily Illini 57 East Green St. Champaign, IL Ph: (217) Fax: (217) Sports@dailyillini.com Gatehouse News Service John Supinie Ph: (217) (cell) johnsupinie@aol.com Covering the Peoria Journal Star and Springfield State Journal-Register RADIO WDWS Radio Dave Loane, Sports Director P.O. Box 3939 Champaign, IL Ph: (217) Fax: (217) dloane@wdws.com WKIO/WLRW/WIXY, Illini Radio Group Mike Cation, Sports Director 2603 West Bradley Ave. Champaign, IL Ph: (217) FAX: (217) cation@att.net WDAN Radio Eric Turner, Sports Director 1501 N. Washington Danville, IL Ph: (217) WPGU Radio 24 East Green St. Champaign, IL Ph: (217) Fax: (217) TELEVISION Big Ten Network 600 W. Chicago Ave. Suite 875 Chicago, IL Phone: (312) Fax: (312) WAND-TV Steve Breitweiser, Brian Jodice 904 Southside Drive Decatur, IL Ph: (800) or- (217) Fax: (217) WCIA-TV Adam Mikulich, Nevin Nelson, Aaron Bennett 509 South Neil St. Champaign, IL Ph: (217) Fax: (217) WICD-TV Josh Samuels, Bart Baker, Matt Coldagelli 250 County Fair Drive Champaign, IL Ph: (217) Fax: (217) INTERNET ILLINOIS WOMEN S GYMNASTICS // 51