Jan. 4, 2006

Champaign, Ill. - When head coach Bob Starkell is asked about the expectations he has for his 2006 Fighting Illini, he is unable to respond with a definite answer. It's not that he is unsure of the talent his girls bring to the gym or if his squad can improve on their previous successes. It is that the new season brings forth an unfamiliar obstacle for the Orange and Blue. Instead of a solid class of seniors leading the way, Starkell's squad must look to fresh faces to step up and fill holes that have been created from recent losses.

"Our outlook this season is much different because many of our major competitors from last year graduated," said Starkell. "We have a freshman class of seven gymnasts, so half of our team coming into this season has no experience at the college level."

While others may view the Illini's 2006 season as a rebuilding year, Starkell refuses to see it as anything but an opportunity to improve on past seasons.

"With so many incoming freshmen, my expectations aren't completely clear yet," said Starkell. "We'll see where the freshmen stand after the first few months of practice and how they compete in the first couple meets, but our team goals have not changed. We are still striving to be at the top of the Big Ten and to be the first Illinois team to make it to the national championships."

With this mindset going into 2006, there is no doubt that the Fighting Illini will be a force to reckon with in the Big Ten and are on their way to a third-straight regional championship appearance.

Seniors
Illinois heads into the 2006 season with two experienced seniors who will be significant pieces to the Illini puzzle. Taking the place of last year's large senior class, Emily Earle and Katie Wild are a much smaller class but bring just as much leadership to the table.

Earle comes off a 2005 season where she competed and scored on uneven bars in three meets for the Orange and Blue. She tied her career high on uneven bars at Missouri with a score of 9.750.

"Emily has strong character and tends to be a leader with her voice," said Starkell. "She'll be able to guide the young athletes in the direction we want to go."

While Earle is very vocal, according to Starkell, Wild leads in a different way.

"Emily and Katie's personalities are on totally different ends of the spectrum," said Starkell."Katie's leadership comes from demonstration rather than verbally. She is a lead-by-example type of athlete."

Wild's lead-by-example mentality was awarded this preseason as she was named a 2006 team captain along with junior standout, Cara Pomeroy. Naming Wild this season's co-captain was a way of showing appreciation for her calm demeanor both in and outside the gym.

"Katie has been one of our main competitors during each of her first three years as an Illini, and she continuously has had strong showings on floor exercise and balance beam," said Starkell. "Gymnastically, Katie is going to be a strong influence. She is a leader by her work ethic and her ability to achieve goals and is a major influence as to where our team is heading this season."

Juniors
Described as the "catalyst" for Illinois' success in recent years, the junior class, made up of Pomeroy, Danye Botterman and Melissa Singer, will continue to play a major role in everything the Illini accomplish.

"The three juniors are a big reason why we have done so well the last two years," said Starkell. "A lot of it has to do with their personality and how they carry themselves inside and outside the gym. They definitely have a love for the sport and are proud to be athletes at Illinois. How well they do will indicate how we do as a whole this year."

Voted as the team's Most Outstanding Gymnast two years straight, Pomeroy is determined to build on the success she has had since becoming an Illini. Named to the All-Big Ten First Team, Pomeroy captured 11 titles and placed third on uneven bars at the NCAA regionals in 2005. The Ottawa, Ontario native looks to be the perfect fit as a co-captain for the Illini in 2006.

"Cara is a very controlled gymnast and exhibits great finesse," commented Starkell. "She really demonstrates what a good gymnast is supposed to look like."

Botterman exemplifies power and energy and therefore, complements Pomeroy. She is coming off a season where she hit 37 of 39 routines and captured two individual titles on vault. Described by Starkell as "energetic, explosive and high impact," Botterman will be the Illini's key performer on floor and will be a big factor in how the squad scores in the event.

Wrapping up Illinois' talented junior class is Singer. The Buffalo Grove, Ill. native hit 12 of 13 vaults last season and counted towards the team score in 10 meets. She recorded a personal best in the vault at Illinois State with a score of 9.750. With the graduation of last year's floor competitors, Singer will have an opportunity to display her talent on floor this season.

Sophomores
The 2006 season will be a defining year for the sophomore class. As they come off an impressive freshman campaign, Krystal Melcarek and Michelle McGrady are expected to take a lead role on the team. Starkell is confident that both Melcarek and McGrady are up to the task.

"Krystal and Michelle are the closest resource for our freshmen," according to Starkell. "They are just coming off their freshman year, so it's still fresh in their head. I don't think they look at the picture, like we've lost six quality people here. Their mindset is to train hard and to see what happens."

Both Melcarek and McGrady demonstrated great work ethic last season as a very experienced senior class led them.

"Last year was extremely beneficial to Krystal and Michelle because they were able to observe what the seniors were doing," said Starkell of his sophomores. "Both Krystal and Michelle have worked very hard this summer. They know their capabilities and what they are able to provide the team this year."

Selected as the Most Improved Gymnast by her teammates in 2005, Melcarek competed on vault, bars and floor for the Illini last season. Her 12 bar routines all counted toward the team score including her best bar score of 9.875 at Texas Women's.

"Krystal was a blessing last year on uneven bars," said Starkell. "She competed almost every single meet for us and never missed a routine, which is pretty difficult to do. Krystal will continue to be an important factor for us on the uneven bars."

McGrady competed on vault eight times last season and counted towards the team score in seven meets. She contributed to the team's school record vault score of 49.10 set at the Texas Women's Quad with a personal-best vault of 9.800. Starkell believes McGrady will be an individual they rely heavily on this upcoming season due to her ability to perform strong in all four events.

Freshmen
According to Starkell, the addition of the new freshmen should help the squad pick up right where they left off in 2005.

"Legitimately, they can be called our strongest recruiting class since I've been here," Starkell commented on his newcomers. "Possibly even stronger than the class that just graduated, which I felt was the best recruiting class we've had here in 13 years."

The class of 2009 is made up of seven freshmen: Marijka Botterman, Julie Crall, Jessica Jenne, Katie King, Kim Kruk, Ursula Orozco, and Lindsey Smith.

Marijka Botterman from New Lenox, Ill. joins her older sister Danye this year in Champaign-Urbana. A three-time Junior Olympic National qualifier, Botterman finished 18th in the all-around and seventh on vault at the 2005 Junior Olympics.

"Marijka is a tremendous athlete," Starkell said. "She has shown great improvement over the last few years and she still has plenty of room to develop into an even stronger gymnast. Her quick, explosive style will impress judges."

Julie Crall comes from Cincinnati, Ohio and is a two-time Junior Olympic National Qualifier and five-time Level 10 Regional Qualifier. She is Ohio's 2005 runner up in all-around, bars, and beam.

"Julie has the poise and elegance to be an extremely good NCAA gymnast," said Starkell. "Her presence will lend to strong floor and beam routines, but she will also excel on bars and vault. Julie exemplifies the characteristics of a true student-athlete."

Katie King, a native of Boulder, Colorado, is a three-time state champion. In 2003, King placed seventh in the all-around, fourth on floor and fifth on beam at the Region III Level 10 meet.

"With only being on campus one time in her life, I believe Katie has orange and blue blood running through her veins," said Starkell. "She excels both inside and outside the gym with academics being a very high priority." Kim Kruk comes to the University of Illinois from Carol Stream, Ill. as an 11th place all-around finisher at the 2005 Junior Olympic National Championships. In 2004, she was a member of the Junior Olympic National Team and the Region V all-star team that traveled to Beijing, China.

"Being from one of the top gymnastics clubs in the country, Kim is well coached and trained to be one of the best gymnasts in the Midwest," said Starkell. "Potentially, she could come in as a freshman and be an immediate contender in the Big Ten."

Lindsey Smith hails from Collinsville, Ill. and was a four-time Regional Qualifier. In 2005, she finished third on vault and fourth on floor at the Regional meet.

"With her family originally from the surrounding area, I truly believe that Lindsey was meant to be an Illini," Starkell said. "Her love for the sport and her will to succeed will give her plenty of success."

Jessica Jenne comes from Palatine, Ill. where she finished seventh in all-around, fourth on beam and fifth on bars at the 2005 state championship.

"Jess comes from a very prestigious gym in the Chicago suburbs," said Starkell. "With a group of top-notch coaches, she was always a strong competitor in high school. "

Ursula Orozco was an all-conference gymnast all four years at Maine East in Des Plaines, Ill. She was named All-American her senior year.

"Ursula will have the opportunity to make line-up on vault, beam and floor," Starkell said. "She is a tremendous young lady with the potential to become an excellent gymnast."

Starkell's Event Breakdown
Vault: "Notoriously, vault has been our weakest event. However, last year we made a big improvement. We were able to break the school record, and I feel that even though we lost our seniors, we have the capabilities to build off of last season and be stronger in this event. With the talent of this incoming class, we should have the opportunity to score higher as soon as our first meet of the year."

Uneven Bars: "Ashley Williams was a key factor in how the team did in this event the past four years. I don't know if any of the incoming freshmen can replace her, but hopefully three of them can cover the points that we lose with her departure. When you have Cara Pomeroy on the team, your look at bars becomes stronger right away. She is a regional bar champion, a Big Ten finalist, and has made it to the NCAA Championships in this event. With her leading the way, uneven bars should continue to be one of our stronger events."

Beam: "Beam tends to be more mental; it becomes stressful and very nerve wrecking. It can really define an individual. Cara Pomeroy and Katie Wild will definitely be our top performers and three or four of the freshmen have the characteristics to make an immediate impact. Our goal is to give each class a representative for this event."

Floor: "Some of our key performers on floor were lost due to graduation. It's almost impossible to replace them right away with freshmen, but hopefully the incoming class can fill the void left behind. I see this as an advantage because it gives us opportunities for others to rise. Michelle McGrady and Melissa Singer haven't had the chance to compete but now they will. Danye Botterman will be our key performer and lead the floor squad."