Michigan Wins 2023 Big Ten Women’s Gymnastics Championship

CORALVILLE, Iowa — For the 27th time in program history and eighth time in nine years, the University of Michigan captured the Big Ten women’s gymnastics title, taking the crown on Saturday night at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The Wolverines posted a team score of 198.000 to return to the top of the podium for the second straight year and give head coach Bev Plocki her 26th conference title, extending her record for the most championships by any Big Ten coach in any sport.
 
Michigan State finished second this year with 197.550 points, (the Spartans’ highest team score at the Big Ten Championships), with Minnesota coming out of the afternoon session to place third with 197.250 points. Ohio State finished in fourth (196.975), Illinois took fifth (196.800), and Nebraska captured sixth place with a score of 196.275. Penn State was seventh (196.200), Big Ten Championships host Iowa was eighth (196.125), while Maryland (195.900) and Rutgers (195.125) rounding out the field at ninth and 10th, respectively.
 
Michigan’s Abby Heiskell earned the 2023 Big Ten all-around title with 39.700, becoming just the third Wolverine gymnast to repeat as an all-around champion and the first since 2004-05. Heiskell also recorded the lone perfect score of the day with a 10.0 on beam to finish at the top of the podium. It marks the first 10.0 on beam at the Big Ten Championships since Penn State's Nikki Smith in 2000.
 
Heiskell added a 9.950 on bars to share the title with Illinois’ Mia Takekawa, Michigan teammates Carly Bauman, Sierra Brooks and Natalie Wojcik, and Michigan State’s Delanie Harkness, marking the third consecutive year and 17th time in Big Ten Championships history an individual has won three event titles in a single meet.
 
Michigan’s Gabby Wilson, Michigan State’s Sage Kellerman and Minnesota’s Mya Hooten shared the Big Ten title on vault with a total of 9.925, while Iowa’s JerQuavia Henderson and Gophers’ Hooten shared the conference title on the floor with a score of 9.950.
 
A total of 14 gymnasts earned a place on the Big Ten All-Championships Team by virtue of their performances at Saturday’s meet, including five from Michigan, four from Michigan State, two each from Illinois and Iowa, and one from Illinois.
 
Following Saturday’s meet, the Big Ten also presented its individual awards, as voted upon by the conference’s 10 head coaches. Brooks, a senior from Plainfield, Ill., was selected as the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, marking the 14th time a Wolverine has earned that award and first Michigan gymnast to take home the honor in back-to-back years since Beth Wymer (1994-95).
 
Michigan State’s Nikki Smith earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades, the fourth Spartan to garner that award and the second in as many years. Spartan head coach Mike Rowe received Big Ten Coach of the Year plaudits from his conference colleagues, securing his second straight award.
 
The 2023 Big Ten women’s gymnastics individual award recipients and the All-Championships Team can be found below.
 
2023 BIG TEN WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS HONORS
 
Big Ten Gymnast of the Year: Sierra Brooks, Michigan
Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Nikki Smith, Michigan State
Big Ten Coach of the Year: Mike Rowe, Michigan State

ALL-CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Mia Takekawa, Illinois
JerQuavia Henderson, Iowa
Adeline Kenlin, Iowa
Carly Bauman, Michigan
Sierra Brooks, Michigan
Abby Heiskell, Michigan
Gabby Wilson, Michigan
Natalie Wojcik, Michigan
Baleigh Garcia, Michigan State
Delanie Harkness, Michigan State
Sage Kellerman, Michigan State
Skyla Schulte, Michigan State
Mya Hooten, Minnesota
Gianna Gerdes, Minnesota
 
SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Julia Waight, Illinois
Aubrey Nick, Iowa
Austynn Lacasse, Maryland
Ashley Lane, Michigan
Skyla Schulte, Michigan State
Mallory LeNeave, Minnesota
Kathryn Thaler, Nebraska
Raina Malas, Ohio State
Grace Harrell, Penn State
Kaitlyn Bertola, Rutgers