Transiency is one of the unique experiences college athletes face. Unlike in professional sports, athletes have just a few years to leave their mark on their team, their program and their university.
It’s a dynamic that magnifies the importance of each season. Each athlete wants to leave their mark before the hourglass chimes and their time is up.
For graduates Sierra Brooks and Gabby Wilson, the sand is running out.
The NCAA’s decision to extend eligibility for players affected by the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season bought extra time for both gymnasts. As seniors last year in 2023, they were already honored on Senior Day, held their flowers and cried their tears.
But that somber disposition didn’t last long. They both decided to come back for a fifth year, eager to build on their already-impressive Michigan legacies. But now, the curtain call is nearing.
And with all of their success, Brooks and Wilson are ready to take a bow.
“They are both just absolutely everything,” Plocki said March 16. “They’re the entire package: young women with unbelievable character and integrity.”
Brooks’ list of accolades is lengthy. In her first year alone, she was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Michigan Rookie of the Year for academic and athletic excellence and won Team MVP. She has been first team All-Big Ten every year of her career and has earned WCGA First Team All-America honors seven times.
Most importantly, last year Brooks was the AAI Award winner, college gymnastics’ equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
Wilson’s career reads similarly — her resume contains a laundry list of accomplishments. Along with five perfect 10s on floor, she is a five-time All-Big Ten honoree, a four-time WCGA All-American, and a three-time WCGA Regular Season All-American.
This year, she is a nominee for the same Heisman-esque award.
And yet all of those individual accomplishments fade in the face of what they’ve accomplished with this team in the last five years. The ultimate goal isn’t individual accolades — it’s winning a national title. In 2021, Michigan became just the seventh school to win a national championship in the sport. To go along with it, they won two Big Ten Championships in 2022 and 2023.
So, with their Wolverine legacies firmly cemented, they came back not only to build on their own legacies, but to add to Michigan’s as a program as well.
“It’s really about this team,” Wilson said. “The relationships that I have been building throughout my journey here are ones that I wanted to continue to build upon. And just continue to pour into all my teammates … show them what it means to be a Michigan gymnast, what it means to be leaders and best. Really have that be the legacy that I carry forward and have everyone that is here right now really buy into that mentality.”
For Brooks and Wilson, their accomplishments mean nothing if they can’t pass the torch to their younger teammates. They want to instill the same confidence and focus they’ve cultivated in the gymnasts who will carry this program forward. This year’s team is senior-laden. Fewer underclassmen means it’s even more important to pass those lessons down to the ones who are there, so the wisdom doesn’t dissipate with this year’s senior class.
The experience of that 2021 national championship is especially valuable. Brooks and Wilson were key competitors on that team, and both certainly hope that the Wolverines add more titles after they’re gone.
And in Brooks and Wilson’s farewell campaign, their leadership and confidence has been critical. Plocki gushes over the maturity and consistency they have brought to the team.
“I don’t know where we would be this year without those two,” Plocki said. “They are phenomenal in the gym and in their competitive consistency.”
Heading into the postseason, the leadership, skill and experience Brooks and Wilson bring is invaluable. Michigan needs consistency more than ever. If they’ve proven anything over the past five seasons, Brooks and Wilson can deliver.
And when all is said and done, Brooks and Wilson will look to pass down the intangibles that ensured their legacy, helping future teams build their own.