University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHER GYMNASTS HOME FOR THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS
2/22/2000 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
MINNESOTA RANKED 21ST - Minnesota is ranked No. 21 in the sixth regular-season poll of the season, released Tuesday. The ranking of 193.5036 is based on the average of Minnesota's seven meets this season. Minnesota was ranked fourth after the first week of the season, tying the team's highest national ranking ever (week 1, 1998).
OTHER RANKINGS - Minnesota is ranked the highest on the floor exercise, where the Golden Gophers are listed ninth with an average of 48.9321. The Gophers are also listed in the top 25 for vault (19th, 48.4393) and uneven bars (21st, 48.3321).
Individually, sophomore Megan Beuckens (Brandon, S.D./Brandon Valley) is the only Minnesota athlete ranked in the top 25. She is listed 18th on the floor exercise with a season average of 9.8571.
MINNESOTA RECENTLY -The Golden Gophers had a successful weekend in the state of Arizona, scoring season-high team scores in back-to-back meets on Friday and Sunday. No. 21 Minnesota competed in the four-team Arizona State Uno's Classic on Friday, placing third, just .15 points behind No. 2 Alabama and finishing ahead of No. 4 Utah. The Gophers followed that meet with a season-high 195.800 in defeating Arizona in a dual meet in Tucson, Ariz.
KELLEY BREAKS ALL AROUND RECORD AT ARIZONA - Sophomore MaryAnne Kelley (Barrington, Ill./Fremd) broke Judy Cavazos' three-year-old all around record of 39.30 with a score of 39.325 on Sunday. She also set a career high on the floor exercise with a 9.90 and tied her best vault score at 9.80. Kelley was Minnesota's highest finisher on the balance beam, tying for second place with a score of 9.85.
SEASON-HIGHS AT ARIZONA - The Golden Gophers defeated No. 25 Arizona in a dual meet in Tucson, 195.800- 195.600. Minnesota's team total is the third-best in school history and the best score ever on the road. The Gophers set season high team scores on three events for the second consecutive meet. In addition to the team total, Minnesota recorded the highest score of the season on both vault (49.025) and floor exercise (49.250). With a team score of 49.050 on uneven bars, it was the first meet of the season that Minnesota scored above 49.0 on three events.
SECOND-PLACE LEADS THE WAY FOR THE GOPHERS -Minnesota won the meet at Arizona without winning any of the four individual events. Newcomer Leigh Dixon (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./The Bishop's School) placed second on the vault, MaryAnne Kelley tied for second on the balance beam and sophomore Megan Beuckens placed second on the floor exercise for Minnesota's highest finishes.
HIGH-SCORING VAULT - Leigh Dixon's score of 9.85 on the vault Sunday is a personal best and ties the fourth-best in school history. She was one of four Minnesota athletes to set or tie a career best on the vault. MaryAnne Kelley and senior Kristi Selinger (Aurora, Colo./Gateway) each tied her career high with a 9.80 to tie for second. Junior Shanyn Lancaster (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser) matched that score, which is her best of the season. Megan Beuckens recorded a 9.775, her best score ever on vault. The Gophers scored 49.025, the third-best in school history.
FLOOR SCORES BIG TOO - On the floor exercise at Arizona, Minnesota set the fourth-best team score ever with a total of 49.250. Megan Beuckens tied her career best with a 9.925 in placing second. MaryAnne Kelley tied for third with a personal-best 9.90. Kristi Selinger notched a career high with a 9.825, tying for seventh. Minnesota's five counting scores were at least 9.80, with senior Judy Cavazos (Monterrey, Mexico/Mexicana del Noreste) and sophomore Catie Christensen (Columbus, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) each scoring 9.80.
HIGH BARS - Minnesota's highest finishers on uneven bars at Arizona were Judy Cavazos, senior Melissa Chang (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) and junior Megan Skokut (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), who tied for fourth on the uneven bars with a score of 9.85.
AT THE ARIZONA STATE MEET -Minnesota scored what was then a season-high score of 195.150 as the Golden Gophers placed third at the Arizona State Uno's Classic. No. 17 Arizona State won the meet with a score of 195.85 and No. 2 Alabama just edged the Golden Gophers by .15 points, placing second at 195.30. No. 4 Utah was fourth at 194.675.
BALANCE BEAM IS SEASON HIGH - At Arizona State, the Golden Gophers tied the seventh-highest team balance beam score in Minnesota history with a score of 48.75. Newcomer Kelly Watson (Brampton, Ontario/Brampton Centennial) tied for eighth place with a score of 9.775, while MaryAnne Kelley tied for 11th at 9.75. Judy Cavazos tied for 14th at 9.725, and Kristi Selinger was 16th at 9.70.
ALSO AT THE UNO'S CLASSIC - Minnesota's highest score of the meet was on uneven bars, where the Gophers scored 48.85. Judy Cavazos led the way with an eighth-place finish at 9.875, tying her highest score of the season. Minnesota set what was then a season-high on vault with a 48.775 score, led by Leigh Dixon, who tied her then career high with a 9.825 in placing third. MaryAnne Kelley was Minnesota's highest finisher on the floor exercise, tying for seventh at 9.80. Megan Beuckens was third in the all around with a total of 38.95, while Kelley was fourth at 38.925.
DIXON STARS ON VAULT - First-year gymnast Leigh Dixon tied her career best on the vault on Friday by placing third at 9.825, then followed that with a career-best 9.85 on Sunday. That score ties the fourth-best vault mark in Minnesota history. It was her fourth score of at least 9.80. Dixon won the vault in her first career competition, at home against Auburn, with a 9.825, which was then the seventh-best score in team history. She leads the team with a 9.761 average on the vault in 2000.
2000 INDIVIDUAL EVENT LEADERS - By Season High Vault Leigh Dixon 9.85 2/20 Uneven Bars Catie Christensen 9.90 1/8 Balance Beam MaryAnne Kelley 9.875 2/6 Kristi Selinger 9.875 2/6 Floor Exercise Megan Beuckens 9.925 2/20 All Around MaryAnne Kelley 39.325 2/20 By Season Average Vault Leigh Dixon 9.761 Uneven Bars Judy Cavazos 9.822 Balance Beam Kristi Selinger 9.742 Floor Exercise Megan Beuckens 9.850 All Around Megan Beuckens 38.971 TWO SOPHOMORES EARN BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS - Sophomores Megan Beuckens and MaryAnne Kelley have each earned Big Ten women's gymnastics athlete of the week honors this season.
Kelley received her honor after winning the all around Feb. 6 at Iowa with a score of 39.175, the second-highest score in Minnesota history. In that meet, she also tied for first place on the vault and balance beam. Her score of 9.875 on the beam tied the third-best score in team history and improved her previous career- best mark of 9.775 and her 9.80 on the vault matched her career best.
Beuckens earned her honor following Minnesota's season-opening victory over Auburn. Her all around mark of 39.075 was then the second-best all-around score in school history and was the fourth-best score in the nation. It was just the second all-around competition of her career. Beuckens also won the floor exercise (9.90) and balance beam (career-high 9.85) and set a personal best on the uneven bars (9.65).
ABOUT IOWA - The Hawkeyes are coming off a 194.375- 193.575 loss at home to Illinois on Saturday but set a school record on uneven bars at 49.050. Junior Giselle Boniforti, the 1998 Big Ten newcomer of the year, won the uneven bars (9.90) and first-year gymnast Stephanie Benson won the floor exercise (career-high 9.85).
Last time against Iowa: Minnesota athletes won or tied for first in all four individual events in defeating the Hawkeyes, 195.125-193.550. MaryAnne Kelley recorded what was then the second-highest all around score in school history in winning with a 39.175. She also tied for first on the vault and balance beam. In addition to Kelley, three other Minnesota athletes set personal bests on the balance beam. Kristi Selinger tied Kelley for first with a 9.875, while Megan Beuckens tied her previous best mark (9.85) in placing third and junior Megan Skokut shattered her previous best of 9.575 with a 9.825. Beuckens won the floor exercise at 9.875,while Leigh Dixon tied Kelley for first on the vault at 9.80. Judy Cavazos tied Iowa's Giselle Boniforti for first on the uneven bars with a score of 9.85.
UP NEXT - Minnesota hosts the second of three straight home meets to close out the regular season. The Golden Gophers host Boise State on March 4 and Iowa State on March 11. The Big Ten Championships will be held March 18 at Penn State.
