Win a national championship.

That's what is on the mind of University of Michigan women's gymnastics coach Beverly Fry Plocki, and it should be.

It's about all she has left to do in the sport.

The 1982 Butler graduate has been head coach at Michigan for 16 years. Her teams have won 90 percent of their Big Ten meets and 80 percent of their meets overall during her tenure.

Big Ten titles and NCAA regional titles have been numerous. Her teams finished second in the nation in 1995 and 1999.

But a national title has yet to grace her resume.

"We've had six individual national champions, two team runner-ups, but no team title as of yet," Plocki said. "Are we striving for it? Is it a goal? You better believe it.

"I've got 15 years left before I retire. As long as I enjoy what I'm doing, I'll be doing it right here. Maybe I'll become another Linda Burdette."

Burdette has won 524 meets in 31 years of coaching women's gymnastics at West Virginia University. She coached Plocki there and she is still coaching there.

Plocki won WPIAL and PIAA titles while competing in gymnastics at Butler, but learned the sport under the tutelage of Danny Warbutton at the Gym Dandy club in Washington, Pa.

"As soon as school let out, I traveled an hour and a half each day to practice," Plocki said. "But it was worth it. I learned the bio-mechanics of gymnastics there."

Once she graduated from Butler, Plocki headed for the University of Alabama, a national power in the sport, and earned All-American status as a freshman.

But she was miserable there.

"I was 17, I wanted to go far from home, go where it's sunny and have a good time," Plocki said. "It was a bad decision. I was burning out on gymnastics. It was way too intense for me.

"Had I stayed there, I'd have left the sport hating it."

Rather than leave the sport, she left Alabama. After staying out of school for a semester, Plocki was contacted by Burdette at WVU.

Shortly thereafter, she became a Mountaineer.

"I knew I wanted to finish school and Coach Burdette showed so much interest in me," Plocki said. "She had recruited me out of high school. I thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth in terms of gymnastics once I left Alabama, but she found me."

During Plocki's three years at WVU, the Mountaineers never reached the NCAA team championships and Plocki never became an All-American again.

She did become a graduate assistant coach under Burdette for two years while earning her master's degree.

"I got my master's in sports administration and figured I'd get a job in sports marketing or working for a professional team," Plocki said. "I was looking forward to that.

"Making a career of coaching wasn't what I planned to do. It just happened."

It happened when Plocki scanned the NCAA women's gymnastics job openings and saw three listings for an assistant and two for a head coach. She applied for all three.

Michigan came calling. Plocki accepted and the rest is history.

"It was a chance to continue in a sport that's been such a big part of my life since I was 8 years old," she said.

Plocki inherited a program that had not finished better than fifth in the Big Ten for seven straight years and advanced to one NCAA championship meet in the previous eight seasons.

Michigan finished 7-15 overall, 2-10 in the Big Ten, during Plocki's first year in 1990. Since 1992, the Wolverines have failed to win the league only once, finishing second in 1998.

"Up until that point (1990), the women's (athletic) program at Michigan was not supported or funded very well," Plocki said. "Michigan was known as a football and basketball school. When I came on board, they were trying to change that.

"(Legendary football coach) Bo Schembechler was the athletic director at the time and wanted to promote Michigan pride. His feeling was that if we were going to have these women's programs, let's not let them be an embarrassment to us."

The budget was increased, the gymnastics facility was renovated and Plocki went to work building a program.

Now she recruits nationally with gymnastic powers UCLA, Georgia, Stanford and Alabama.

"Most gymnasts are very good students and Michigan offers an Ivy League-caliber education coupled with a chance to win a national championship," Plocki said. "That's a pretty good recruiting tool."

Plocki's husband, James, is strength and conditioning coach at Michigan and an assistant coach for the Wolverines football team.

"I've learned a lot from him and from each coach I competed under," Plocki said. "I learned the mechanics at Gym Dandys, the intensity at Alabama, how to treat and care about athletes at West Virginia. I incorporate all of that into what I do."

Winning her first Big Ten title in 1992 and beating former Atlantic 10 power Penn State during her first year at Michigan are among her fonder memories.

She hopes her fondest memory is yet to come.

"We haven't hit the top of the mountain yet," Plocki said. "Until we do, we're still climbing."

Here is a look at 1982 Butler graduate and 1992 Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame inductee Beverly Fry Plocki's women's gymnastics coaching career at the University of Michigan:- Guided the Wolverines to a 306-86 overall record in 16 seasons- Compiled a 152-24 record in the Big Ten and eight unbeaten conference seasons, including 13-0 this year- Made Michigan one of five programs in the country to make 13 consecutive NCAA Championships appearances- Won 13 Big Ten championships in the past 14 years- Named Big Ten Coach of the Year eight times, NCAA Regional Coach of the Year four times and NCAA National Coach of the Year in 1994- Led Michigan to six NCAA regional titles and has guided the Wolverines to No. 2 in the nation twice- Led Michigan to a record seven consecutive conference titles and five of the last seven NCAA Regional titles- Produced 113 NCAA All-Americans and six individual national champions