University of Minnesota Athletics
#9 MINNESOTA SET TAKE ON #2 UTAH THIS SATURDAY
1/22/1999 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
SATURDAY'S MATCH ON MSC - Saturday's match against Utah will be broadcast tape-delayed by Midwest Sports Channel on Sunday at noon. Minnesota welcomes back former Golden Gopher gymnast Kim Sveum, who competed for Minnesota from 1995-98 and holds the vault record at 9.925. She will be joined by MSC commentator Ryan Lefebvre.
MINNESOTA RECENTLY - In the Gophers' first road meet of the season, No. 7 Minnesota defeated No. 5 Michigan, 193.550-193.050, on Friday, Jan. 15, in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Senior Cathy Keyser, the 1998 Big Ten balance beam champion, won the beam with a 9.80. Junior Judy Cavazos and newcomer Catie Christensen tied for the floor exercise title with a 9.80. Cavazos also won the all around with a score of 38.900.
Minnesota fell behind early, with Michigan taking a 98.225-96.625 lead after the first two rotations. The Wolverines recorded the top five vault scores and six of the top seven uneven bars marks, led by a pair of 9.95 scores. But the Wolverines had a total of five falls from the beam, leading to a meet-low event total of 47.025. Michigan athletes recorded three of the top four balance beam scores but had to include an 8.55 score for their team total.
since the 1997 season, Minnesota has athletes competing in the all-around. Junior Judy Cavazos won the all- around competition Saturday at Michigan, recording a 38.90 after scoring 38.40 at the Best of Minnesota Meet. Newcomer MaryAnne Kelley has scored a 38.450 in both of Minnesota's meets so far this season. Cavazos broke the school record in the all-around in 1997, her first season, with a mark of 39.30.
MAZZONE FINISHES CAREER - Senior Jenny Mazzone had knee surgery Dec. 14 and will not return to the Golden Gopher lineup.
GOLDEN GOPHER CO-HEAD COACHES JIM AND MEG STEPHENSON - Co-head coaches Jim and Meg Stephenson enter their second season as co-head coaches at Minnesota. The duo earned 1998 Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after leading the Golden Gophers to their first conference title since 1991. The duo has a 22-7 record as co-head coaches.
Jim Stephenson is in his seventh season as head coach of the Golden Gophers. He earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and 1995. As Minnesota's head coach, Stephenson had a record of 73-83. Jim Stephenson came to Minnesota after a four-year stint as assistant coach at Utah. While there, he coached nine All- Americans on the uneven bars.
Meg Stephenson enters her second season as co-head coach of the Golden Gophers. She was an assistant coach at Minnesota for five seasons. Prior to coming to Minnesota, Meg Stephenson was a consultant for four years at the University of Utah, where she assisted in both balance beam and floor exercise.
ABOUT UTAH - No. 2 Utah, ranked No. 4 in the preseason coaches poll, has competed once in 1999, a 196.050- 192.575 victory over Stanford. Utah athletes won all four individual events and the all-around competition.
Utah returns five All-Americans, losing only one. Senior Angie Leonard is a three-time first-team All- American, earning two awards on the uneven bars and one on the vault during her career. Sophomore Shannon Bowles earned All-America status in only her first year of competition. She tied for fourth place on both the uneven bars and balance beam and placed eighth in the all around.
Utah placed fourth as a team at the 1998 championships. Utah hosts the NCAA Championships April 22-24 for the first time since winning the title in 1994.
Head coach Greg Marsden is in his 24th year as the only coach in school history. Utah has won nine NCAA titles and has competed at the national championships all 23 years Marsden has coached, finishing at least 10th every year. Marsden has won seven National Coach of the Year awards. He has a regular season record of 335-43-1.
LAST YEAR AGAINST UTAH - No. 2 Utah defeated the Gophers, 194.950-192.175, in Salt Lake City on Feb. 13. Utah swept the top three places in all four individual events. The only Golden Gopher to place in the top three was Judy Cavazos, who scored a 9.725 on the floor exercise to take a share of third place.
UTAH CONNECTION - Prior to coming to Minnesota in 1993, Golden Gophers co-head coaches Jim and Meg Stephenson worked with Utah coach Greg Marsden for four years. Jim Stephenson was an assistant coach, while Meg Stephenson was a consultant.
GOPHERS RANKED NO. 9 - Minnesota is ranked ninth after the second week of competition with a best score of 193.550, recorded at Michigan a week ago. Preseason coaches poll No. 1 Georgia has the best score, at 196.450. Tonight's opponent, Utah, is second with a mark of 196.050 scored against Stanford. Penn State is the highest Big Ten Conference school, ranked No. 4 at 195.075, with Ohio State at No. 6 and Michigan at No. 12.
The poll: 1.Georgia 196.450 2.Utah 196.050 3.Alabama 195.725 4.Penn State 195.075 5.LSU 194.150 6.Ohio State 193.975 7.Nebraska 193.725 8.Florida 193.600 9.Minnesota 193.559 10.UCLA 193.525 11.Illinois-Chicago 193.450 12.Michigan 193.300 13.Arizona State 193.150 14.Ball State 192.800 15.SE Missouri 192.750 16.Stanford 192.575 17.Maryland 192.375 18.Arizona 192.275 19.Washington 192.250 20.Oklahoma 192.150 21.Bowling Green 191.950 22.Auburn 191.750 23.Missouri 191.650 24.Central Michigan 191.425 25.New Hampshire 191.125 UP NEXT - The Golden Gophers travel to Alabama on Jan. 30. Minnesota returns home for meets Feb. 6 against Iowa State and Feb. 13 against Iowa.
