University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDEN GOPHER GYMNASTS TO COMPETE AT NCAA REGIONALS
4/9/1999 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Minnesota qualified with a regional qualifying score of 195.000. The other teams set to compete at the Region 2 meet are top-ranked Georgia, No. 10 Florida, No. 13 Denver, No. 16 Iowa State and No. 17 Utah State.
The invitation marks the fourth consecutive year Minnesota has qualified for the regional meet. The top two team finishers and the all around winner at the regional meet advance to the NCAA Championships, to be held April 22-24 in Salt Lake City.
CAVAZOS INJURED, OUT FOR REGIONALS - Junior Judy Cavazos (Monterrey, Mexico/Mexicana del Noreste) dislocated a joint in her right foot and will not compete for the Golden Gophers at the NCAA Region 2 Championships. Cavazos, a 1997 All-American on the uneven bars, earned All-Big Ten honors by placing fifth on the uneven bars. She is currently ranked No. 18 in the nation on the uneven bars.
MINNESOTA RANKED NO. 19 - The Golden Gophers are ranked No. 19 nationally with a regional qualifying score of 195.0000. The RQS is based on a team's six best regular- season meet scores, of which two must be home and two away. The high score and the low score are eliminated and the remaining four scores are averaged.
KEYSER RANKED - Senior Cathy Keyser (Plymouth, Minn./ Lake Fininndero, Australia) is tied for No. 23 in the nation on the balance beam with a regional qualifying score of 9.8750. Keyser averages 9.712 on the balance beam.
BIG TEN RECAP - Frosh Megan Beuckens (Brandon, S.D./ Brandon Valley) tied for second on the floor exercise and tied for fifth on the balance beam to lead Minnesota to fourth place at the Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan, which had won six consecutive titles before placing second to Minnesota a year ago, recaptured the team title, scoring 196.300 points. Penn State was second at 195.550, with Ohio State third (194.625) and the Golden Gophers fourth (194.150).
THREE EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS - Megan Beuckens finished in a five-way tie for second place on the floor exercise with a score of 9.90, earning All-Big Ten honors. Beuckens also earned honors on the balance beam, where she scored a career-high 9.825 to tie for fifth place. Judy Cavazos and frosh Catie Christensen (Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) tied for fifth place on the uneven bars with a 9.85, earning All-Big Ten honors.
ABOUT THE REGION 2 TEAMS -
Georgia - Georgia, the defending NCAA champion, is the top-ranked team in the nation, with a regional qualifying score of 197.4437. The Bulldogs won the SEC championships for the fourth straight year, setting a meet record with a 197.475. Karin Lichey was named the SEC Athlete of the Year after winning the all around with a 39.675, including winning the floor exercise and tying for first on the vault, both with 9.95 scores. She is ranked No. 1 in the nation on all the individual events except balance beam, where she is tied for third. The Bulldogs have recorded higher than 197.0 six times this season, including a season-high 198.375 against North Carolina State and George Washington on March 20.
Florida - The Gators, ranked No. 10 in the nation, placed third at the SEC Championships behind Georgia and No. 2 Alabama with a score of 195.875. Florida recorded a season-high 196.225 on March 13 against Maryland, Rhode Island and George Washington.
Denver - Denver is ranked No. 13 with a regional qualifying score of 195.4187. The Pioneers set a season- high 196.1 twice, at the Burnsley Invitational on March 5 and against Air Force on March 27. Minnesota defeated Denver 196.125-194.7, on March 21 at the Sports Pavilion.
Iowa State - The Cyclones are ranked No. 16 with a RQS of 195.1875. Iowa State placed second at the Big 12 Championships, winning two individual events. Junior Kelli More won the balance beam (9.925) for the second consecutive year, while frosh Sissy Huey won the balance beam. Minnesota and Iowa State split in meets this season, with the Gophers winning Feb. 6, 193.375- 191.075, at the Sports Pavilion, and Iowa State winning 195.775-195.575 on March 7 in Ames.
Utah State - The Aggies are ranked No. 16 with an RQS of 195.1875. Utah State placed second at the Big West Championships, winning four of the five individual titles. Junior Christy Denson won the all around (39.400) and balance beam (9.875) and was named the Big West Athlete of the Year. Senior Amber Jamison set a school record while winning the uneven bars at 9.975, while sophomore Jessenia Abrego won the vault at 9.775.
POURSHOUSHTARI AND MAZZONE OUT FOR SEASON - Frosh Mariam Pourshoushtari (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) tore her left ACL on her beam dismount at Iowa State. She had surgery March 18 and will not return this season.
Senior Jenny Mazzone (Sparks, Nev./McQueen) 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 are in 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 31-15 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. Stephenson has a career record of 104-98, with a record of 73-83 in his first five years at Minnesota. 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 is in 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, Stephenson was a consultant for four years at the University of Utah, where she assisted in both balance beam and floor exercise.
NATIONAL RANKING (March 29) - 1.Georgia 197.4437 2.Alabama 197.0875 3.Utah 196.8000 4.Michigan 196.7000 5.LSU 196.1562 6.Penn State 196.0375 7.Stanford 195.8687 8.Arizona State 195.7437 9.Nebraska 195.6812 10.Florida 195.6375 11.Ohio State 195.6125 12.Oregon State 195.5312 13.Denver 195.4187 14.Maryland 195.3187 15.UCLA 195.2937 16.Iowa State 195.1875 17.Utah State 195.1312 18.Boise State 195.0750 19.Minnesota 195.0000 20.West Virginia 194.9125 21.Oklahoma 184.8125 22.North Carolina State 194.7250 23.Brigham Young 194.6375 24.Kentucky 194.5937 25.Illinois-Chicago 194.5625 OTHER TEAM RANKINGS (March 29) - Event Rank RQS Vault 21 48.6562 Uneven Bars 15 48.9750 Balance Beam NR Floor Exercise t10 49.1125 INDIVIDUALS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS - Uneven Bars t18 Judy Cavazos 9.9000 Balance Beam t23 Cathy Keyser 9.8750 UP NEXT - The top two team finishers and the all around winner at the regional meet advance to the NCAA Championships, to be held April 22-24 in Salt Lake City.
