No. 1 Michigan to Open 2022 Season Hosting No. 15 Georgia at Crisler

No. 1 Michigan to Open 2022 Season Hosting No. 15 Georgia at Crisler

» Michigan was voted No. 1 in the WCGA Preseason Poll for the first time in program history.

» The Wolverines return 10 letterwinners and add three freshmen to the roster.

» Michigan and Georgia will meet for the first time since 2018. U-M had won four of the last five meetings.

THIS WEEK

Thursday, Jan. 6 — vs. #15 Georgia (Crisler Center), 7 p.m.

TV: B1G+ | Live Results | Live Video

• Complete Notes (PDF)

PROMOTIONS

• Jan. 6: Photos with the 2021 National Championship banner

• Full Promotions Schedule

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan women’s gymnastics team opens its 2022 campaign Thursday (Jan. 6) against No. 15 Georgia at Crisler Center. The Wolverines and the Bulldogs will square off at 7 p.m. with the meet set to be streamed live on B1G+ with Ashley and Brittany Buhler on the call.

Wolverine Bites

• For the first time in program history, the Wolverines are ranked No. 1 in the WCGA Preseason Poll. Michigan received 37 first-place votes.

• The Wolverines also were the unanimous pick to win the Big Ten Conference in the 2022 season, with Minnesota second and Iowa third.

• Michigan returns 10 letterwinners for the 2021 team and has added three freshmen to its roster for the 2022 campaign.

• Head coach Bev Plocki enters her 33rd season at the helm of the program and is the reigning WCGA Coach of the Year after leading U-M to its first-ever national title. Along with Plocki, Scott Sherman returns for his 26th year and Maile’ana Kanewa-Hermelyn will enter her third season as an assistant coach. Also coming back for the 2022 season is volunteer assistant coach Lexi Funk.

• Seniors Abby Brenner and Abby Heiskell, along with junior Sierra Brooks, were named captains for the 2022 season. Brenner will be a captain for the second year, while Heiskell and Brooks will enter their first seasons as a team captain.

• The Wolverines are poised to defend their national championship, returning their entire vault, uneven bars and floor exercise lineups, while losing only one routine on balance beam.

• Michigan finished the 2021 season as the top team in the nation on vault, ranked third on uneven bars, fourth on the balance beam and 12th on floor exercise. U-M also set program-record scores on bars (49.725) and beam (49.600), while posting the second-highest vault (49.800) and floor totals (49.650) in program history.

Opponent Preview

Georgia

Michigan trails the all-time series 41-11

Despite Georgia holding the all-time series record over Michigan, the Wolverines have won four of the last five meetings against the Bulldogs, taking four straight — two wins in 2015 , a win at home in 2016, and a victory in the NCAA Semifinal in 2017. U-M and Georgia will meet for the first time since the 2018 campaign, when Michigan lost to the Bulldogs in the NCAA Regional.

Georgia comes to Ann Arbor ranked No. 15 in the WCGA Preseason Poll after finishing third in the 2021 regional behind Minnesota and Denver. The Bulldogs return an experienced class for the 2022 season which posted consistent scores of 9.900 or better all last season, while returning four juniors and three sophomores to the lineup from a year ago.

Up Next

Saturday, Jan. 15 — vs. Arizona State (Crisler Center), 4 p.m.