The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - March 30, 1992 - Page 7
WINsKI
Continued from page 1
but let Ali make her own decision.
"It was what she wanted,"
Ali's mother, Linda, said. "When
she went there, her goal was to get
*a college scholarship."
At that time, Michigan was not
oze of her options. However, Win-
s's parents had Ali's video while
passing through Ann Arbor during
her senior year. They dropped it off
with then-gymnastics coach Dana
Kempthorn, who called Winski in
fOr a recruiting trip.
It was the only trip Winski
*took. She committed to Michigan
soon after returning from Ann
Arbor.
By the time Winski came to
Michigan in the fall, Kempthorn
had been replaced by coach Bev Fry.
"When I got this position, the
way that they (Ali and classmate
Eva Gordon) were described to me
from the assistant coach was that
he had recruited these two hot-
*shots," Fry said.
"He said that Ali was going to
be a 38.0 all-arounder. That she's
going to win the Big Tens. She was
one of Karolyi's gymnast. I was
fired up about that.
"But when Ali got here, she
was not a 38.0 gymnast, she was a
34.0 gymnast," Fry recalled.
Winski began this season with a
personal-best score of 37.90. She
scored 38.45 against Michigan
State last week. When Michigan
won the Big Ten Championships
this Friday, Winski scored 38.25,
good for third in the all-around be-idtamtsBt ye
hind teammates Beth Wymer
(39.00) and Kelly Carfora (38.40).
"Ali has physically matured
into the gymnast that (the assis-
tant) talked of," Fry said.
Ironically, those around her feel
Winski's greatest contribution is
something other than gymnastics.
Although she is a face full of
smiles on the floor, in the locker-
room Ali Winski has become the
team's vocal leader.
"She knows how to get at ev-
erybody," said Wolverine assistant
Megan Shields. "Going into a meet,
once we leave the vans, we're an
amoeba. We're into ourselves. Ali
is one of the instigators of that. She
is one of the best motivators on
this team."
Winski said the team had a need
for vocal leadership when she ar-
rived at Michigan. She grew into
her role as leader last season, but
was put to the test this season
when 1991 Big Ten co-all-around
*0 champion Wendy Wilkinson suf-
fered a season-ending injury earlier
this year.
"Wendy was my roommate on
the road and my training partner,"
Winski said. "She was like my bet-
ter half. She's been in there every
day rooting us on, and she's been a
big part of this."
Even with her support, Wilkc-
inson's presence on the sidelines
was also a reminder of the void
that Wilkinson filled so well last
season. Much of the pressure fell
on Winski to keep the team in
stride.
"I think of myself as a leader in
the sense that I'd get everyone to-
gether and make sure they all stay
together as a team," Winski said.
The coaching staff recognized
the results.
"Ali and Deb (Geiger) are going
to be seniors next year. They'll
of a team aspect. I just really enjoy
getting out there."
Winski said the floor exercise is
a highlight for her.
"It's all Ali," Fry said, regard-
ing Winski's floor routine. "You
can choreograph to a certain point
for anybody, but if they can't go
out there and perform the routine
that you choreograph for them,
then it doesn't come off the way
that it can.
"Ali's is a crowd-pleasing
floor routine. Through her
personality and through her
showmanship of that routine, she
Men place sixth at Big Tens
by Mike Hill
Daily Sports Writer
Despite recording its second
highest score ever with a 279.25, the
Michigan men's gymnastics team
could only muster a sixth-place
finish at the seven-team Big Ten
Championships in Champaign.
Minnesota shocked second-
ranked Ohio State by placing first
with a 284.60. The favored
Buckeyes scored a 284.40, just .82
points lower than their average, but
it was enough of an opening for the
seventh-ranked Golden Gophers to
squeeze out the victory.
Illinois also surprised the
competition with a third-place
283.15 performance, an
improvement of four points from
their average. Iowa and Penn State
followed with 281.95 and 281.80,
respectively. The Wolverines placed
ahead of fifth-ranked Michigan
State, which disappointed by
dropping 4.35 points from their
average score of 282.10.
Michigan hoped to finish
somewhere in the middle of the
pack, but coach Bob Darden said he
was not disappointed with his team's
performance.
"I think (assistant) Mike
(Milidonis) and I would agree that
this was an excellent way to end the
regular season," he said. "We would
have liked to have finished higher,
but having every team in our
conference ranked in the top 10.
makes it tough."
The Wolverines boasted
qualifiers in three of the six events.
Brian Winkler, the top-ranked
'We would have liked
to have finished
higher, but having
every team in our
conference in the top
10 makes it tough'
- Gymnastics coach
Bob Darden
competitor in the nation on the floor
exercise, finished on top with a
9.825 performance. Jorge Camacho
tied for second with the Buckeyes'
Kip Simons with a 9.725.
"Brian and Jorge have been great
on the floor all year for us," Darden
said. "It's really impressive to have a
freshman (Winkler) as a Big Ten
champ on the floor."
Sophomore Mike Mott qualified
for the finals with a 9.70 score on
the pommel horse. But a slip during
his final routine cost him three
places. Still, Mott finished sixth with
a combined score of 9.15.
On the vault, Jim Round and
Winkler performed well enough to
reach the finals. In the qualifying
rounds, Winkler scored a 9.90,
which Darden said could have easily
been awarded a perfect 10.0.
Winkler placed third behind
Minnesota's John Roethlisberger
and Iowa's Jim Cuthbertson, while
Round finished seventh.
"As you can see, we had some
really great individual
performances," Darden said.
"Everyone's scores went up
throughout the season. I'm really
pleased."
The all-around competition added
compulsory events to the usual
Olympic events. It was also broken
up into two different competitions
- the 1992 Olympic and 1996
Olympic categories. Roethlisberger,
the favorite, decisively won the 1992
Olympic all-around competition
with a 115.50. Winkler placed fifth
for the Wolverines in the 1996
Olympic category with a 97.30.
Winkler's 56.85 on the Olympic
events marked a personal best.
"We're going to be working with
Brian all week," Darden said. "We
want to work with him on his
compulsories for this weekends
meet."
Michigan junior Ali Winski hams it up for the audience at this weekend's
Big Ten Championships. Winski finished third in the all-around competition.
CHAMPS
Continued from page 1
Penn State took their shot at the
balance beam. A solid beam team all
season, the pressure of Big Ten com-
petition hit the Lions during that
rotation.
Their first gymnast fell. Then
their second. Then Allison Barber,
who was making a bid for all-
around champion, fell off the beam.
The meet was over. On the floor ex-
ercise, each Michigan routine made
the crowd of mostly Wolverine
fans roar louder.
Michigan won the Big Ten title.
"Beam won this meet for us,"
Michigan coach Bev Fry said. "Three
years ago, beam was like the death
event for us. So coming into this
season, I sat down, I talked to these
kids, and I said beam is going to be
what wins meets for us this year."
That and maturity. Unlike last
season, beginning in warmups and
throughout the session, the
Wolverines were loose.
"We treated this as just another
meet," Michigan assistant Megan
Shields said. "It showed in the
warmups. We were very focused and
having fun. The other teams here
were tense and putting extra pres-
sure on themslves."
The team that might have put the
most pressure on itself was Penn
State. The Lions performed well on
their first three rotations, but when
the Wolverines wouldn't go away,
Penn State showed the signs of pres-
sure.
"We knew we had to do well (on
the beam) to win. Obviously we
didn't," Penn State assitant Jessica
Strunck said.
But Penn State did not lose this
meet - Michigan won.it. This sea-
son Fry put extra emphasis on in-
tangibles such as mental preparation
and focus. It paid off Friday night
when the entire team responded.
"Beth won all-around tonight,"
Kuzara said. "But on each event
there are four other scores. It's a
six-man team. Tonight we had the
one fall. But we got a strong team
performance all the way down the
line."
completed the Michigan sweep, fin-
ishing third. Junior Debbie Geiger
finished 8th.
"We started out as freshmen and
we ended up last," Wolverine senior
co-captain Laura Lundbeck said.
"This is something you always look
forward to, but not until this year
was that really a reality."
Host Michigan State finished a
surprising third at the meet, scoring
187.55. Iowa finished fourth with
187.20. Ohio State, Illinois, and
Minnesota rounded out the field.
Saturday night, Wymer won two
Big Ten individual titles. She scored
meet-records 9.9, to win the uneven
bars, and 9.875, to win the floor ex-
ercise. Carfora and Winski joined
Wymer on the All-Big Ten team.
"At the start of the year, injuries
were all everyone talked about,"
Kuzara said. "No one wanted to talk
about the good stuff. But they are a
unique group of kids.
"Eventually, we're talking
about being the best in the nation.
That's going to be a while, but this
is a big step for us."
probably be in a captain's role," as-
sistant Dave Kuzara said. "They are
the first ones to speak up, the first
ones to fire everybody up."
Even with a Big Ten title under
her belt, Winski takes no extra
credit for her team's performance.
She said this season's team made
her job easy.
"I've never been with a group of
girls that have been closer than this
and have more love for each other,"
she said.
Winski has come to accept her
role as a leader on the team. But she
said she realizes she is one part of a
group.
"Before college you were out
there for yourself and yourself
only. Now there is so much more
grabs people and draws them in."
Just as Winski developed
confidence and leadership abilities,
she became a charismatic
performer. The whole package is
very different from the gymnast
Fry inherited three years ago.
"She came in good ... but she's
grown up so much on this team,"
Shields said.
When she arrived in Ann Arbor,
Winski established a goal to win a
Big Ten Title. Friday, the Wol-
verines accomplished that, and
Winski was named to the All-Big
Ten team.
"She's a pretty good gymnast,"
said her brother Adam.
True. And on a pretty good
team.
Behind
second in
Wymer, Carfora finished
the all-around. Winski
a I
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