The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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women's gymnastics profile Austin Sheppard Is Poised For A Breakout Season Michigan women's gymnastics head coach Bev Plocki and sophomore gymnast Austin Sheppard both used one word to describe Sheppard's freshman campaign: frustrating. After finishing 11th on vault at the 2011 WOGA World Championships in Tokyo, Sheppard came to Ann Arbor with the hopes of jumping into all-around competition from day one. Unfortunately, the summer before her freshman season, Sheppard tore her bicep muscle, which caused her to sit out from training for an extended period of time. "She was trying to catch back up," Plocki said. "A lot of times what happens is, when these ladies are in high school, their bodies are one way, and then they have an injury, and it's the first time they've ever really had a lengthy break from the sport. It takes a lot of work to get back to where you were before the injury." Sheppard was limited to just competing on vault in 2012, but she never cracked the team's lineup in floor, uneven bars or balance beam. "It was definitely a big transition," Sheppard said. "Getting back in shape was very difficult for me. Last year, I did not get into the best shape, and it was very tough. It was really frustrating. I really wanted to contribute on more events than just vault." Instead of falling under the pressure of a tough freshman season, Sheppard used the experience as motivation. "I went home for the summer, and I In the first regular-season meet of the year, a tri-meet at Iowa State Jan. 10, Sheppard registered a 9.900 on the vault and won the event title. photo courtesy Michigan Athletic Media Relations