University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHER GYMNASTS TRAVEL TO PENN STATE FOR BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
3/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
MINNESOTA RANKED 17TH NATIONALLY - Minnesota is ranked No. 17 in the ninth regular-season poll of the season, released Tuesday. The ranking of 194.810 is based on the regional qualifying score from Minnesota's 11 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 TEAM RANKINGS - Minnesota is ranked the highest on the floor exercise, where the Golden Gophers are listed ninth with a regional qualifying score of 49.075. The Gophers are also listed in the top 25 for vault (15th, 48.695) and uneven bars (14th, 48.915).
BEUCKENS RANKED ON FLOOR EXERCISE - Megan Beuckens is the only Minnesota individual in the national top 25 lists. She is tied for 18th place on the floor exercise with a regional qualifying score of 9.885. Beuckens was also ranked in the top 25 in the all around for the first six weeks of the season.
BIG TEN RANKINGS (March 7, by regional qualifying score) Team Score 1.Michigan 197.050 2.Penn State 194.840 3.Minnesota 194.810 4.Michigan St. 194.070 5.Ohio State 193.460 6.Illinois 193.295 7.Iowa 192.370 MINNESOTA VS. THE BIG TEN IN 2000 - Minnesota has a 2-1 record against Big Ten opponents this season. The Gophers fell to Michigan at home on Jan. 15, 195.175- 193.200. Minnesota competed against Iowa twice this season, winning both meets. The Gophers defeated the Hawkeyes on Feb. 6 in Iowa City, 195.125-193.550. Minnesota defeated Iowa on Feb. 26 at the Sports Pavilion, 193.450-191.400.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS -
Illinois: Illinois is ranked No. 18 on the balance beam with an RQS of 48.565. The team has a high score this season of 194.475. Junior Gina Wiechmann tied for first on the balance beam at last year's Big Ten Championships with a score of 9.875. Illinois has won one conference championship, in 1990.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes have a season-high team score of 193.575 and are coming off a loss at Nebraska on Sunday. In that meet, junior Giselle Boniforti and first-year athlete Heather DeAtley each scored 9.80 on the vault. Boniforti was the 1998 Big Ten Newcomer of the Year.
Michigan: The nation's top-ranked team, Michigan has won the most titles in conference history (eight) and is looking for its second straight. The Wolverines are also ranked No. 1 on vault and balance beam while ranked No. 2 on floor exercise and No. 3 on uneven bars. Michigan has four scores of at least 197.0 points this season, with a high of 197.50. Senior Sarah Cain is the returning floor exercise champion and won the all around in 1997. She is ranked second in the nation in the all around with an RQS of 39.525. Five other Michigan gymnasts are ranked in the top 25 individual event lists. Junior Chrissy Michaud tied for the vault title in 1999 and is ranked No. 6 in the nation this week.
Michigan State: The Spartans set a season-high with a total of 195.550 Saturday at North Carolina State. Junior Melissa Green, who is tied for 17th on the uneven bars at 9.885, tied the school record on the event with a 9.975. Senior Polly Kiker scored 9.975 on the floor exercise.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes are ranked No. 18 on the floor exercise and No. 25 on vault. Ohio State is coming off a season-high score of 195.35 on Saturday, the team's only score above 195.0 this season. Junior Lindsey Vagedes tied for first on vault at last year's championships, her second straight vault title, and tied for first on balance beam. Ohio State won five straight Big Ten titles from 1983-87.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 16 with an RQS of 194.840 and are ranked among the top 25 on all four events, with a high of No. 12 on balance beam. Penn State's high score of the season was 196.10 set at home. Katie Rowland is tied for 22nd on the vault with an RQS of 9.845.
LAST YEAR'S CHAMPIONSHIPS - Michigan recaptured the team title with a total of 196.300 after the Gophers won in 1998. Penn State was second at 195.550, with Ohio State third (194.625) and Minnesota fourth (194.150). Illinois was fifth (193.800), Michigan State sixth (191.600) and Iowa seventh (136.825).
Megan Beuckens tied for second on the floor exercise and tied for fifth on the balance beam, earning All-Big Ten honors on both events. Judy Cavazos and Catie Christensen tied for fifth place on uneven bars to earn All-Big Ten honors.
MINNESOTA'S BIG TEN HISTORY - Minnesota has won four titles in team history. The Gophers won back-to-back titles in 1988 and 1989 and also won the team championship in 1991 and 1998. The Gophers set a school record of 196.350 at the conference meet in 1997 at the Sports Pavilion, finishing second to Michigan's conference meet record of 197.150. Minnesota has finished either first or second in eight of the 18 conference championships.
MINNESOTA RECENTLY -Sophomore Megan Beuckens broke the school record in the all around as No. 17 Minnesota was edged by No. 10 Iowa State, 196.225-196.125, Saturday at the Sports Pavilion. The team total is a season-high and ties the second-best score in team history.
BEUCKENS BREAKS ALL AROUND RECORD - Megan Beuckens set or tied career highs on all four events in scoring a total of 39.450, surpassing the previous record of 39.325 set by sophomore teammate MaryAnne Kelley (Barrington, Ill./Fremd) on Feb. 20. Beuckens tied for second on both the floor exercise (9.925) and balance beam (9.850). She tied for fifth on uneven bars with a personal-best 9.875 and on vault with a career-high 9.80.
KELLEY TIES FLOOR RECORD - MaryAnne Kelley tied the school record on the floor exercise against Iowa State by winning the event with a 9.95. It is the highest score on the floor exercise for Minnesota since Judy Cavazos and former Gopher Kristin Vandersall each recorded a 9.95 against Iowa State in 1997.
GOPHERS SET FLOOR EXERCISE MARK - Minnesota set a school record on the floor exercise against Iowa State with a total of 49.50. MaryAnne Kelley won the event with a personal-best score of 9.95, which ties the school record. Megan Beuckens was second at 9.925. Senior Judy Cavazos (Monterrey, Mexico/Mexicana del Noreste) and newcomer Jenny Alf (Ripon, Wis./Ripon) each scored 9.90. Alf's mark of 9.90 ties the sixth-best score in team history (Cavazos shares the school record with a 9.95 set in 1997). Senior Melissa Chang (Blue Springs, Mo./ Blue Springs) scored 9.825.
CHANG, KELLEY ARE #2 ON BARS - Melissa Chang and MaryAnne Kelley tied for second on the uneven bars Saturday with identical scores of 9.925, the second- highest score in school history. Junior Megan Skokut (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) tied her personal best with a 9.90. The Golden Gophers scored 49.0 on bars.
DIXON RECORDS SECOND-BEST VAULT SCORE - Newcomer Leigh Dixon (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./The Bishop's School) tied the second-best vault score in team history in winning the event with a personal-best 9.90.
BEAM BLUES - The balance beam has been a tough event for the Golden Gophers this season, with only five team scores above 48.0 in Minnesota's 12 meets. The Gophers scored 48.750 on Saturday, tying a season high, but Minnesota averages 47.948 on beam, the only event below a 48.0 average.
DIXON STARS ON VAULT - First-year gymnast Leigh Dixon has been Minnesota's top vaulter in 2000. She set a career-best 9.90 against Iowa State on Saturday, tying the second-best score in team history. Dixon has scored at least 9.80 seven times this season, including five straight. 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 9.790 average on the vault.
2000 INDIVIDUAL EVENT LEADERS - By Season High: Vault Leigh Dixon 9.90 3/11 Uneven Bars MaryAnne Kelley 9.925 3/11 Melissa Chang 9.925 3/11 Balance Beam MaryAnne Kelley 9.875 2/6 Kristi Selinger 9.875 2/6 Floor Exercise MaryAnne Kelley 9.95* 3/11 All Around Megan Beuckens 39.450* 3/11 * School record By Season Average: Vault Leigh Dixon 9.790 Uneven Bars Judy Cavazos 9.796 Balance Beam Kristi Selinger 9.742 Floor Exercise Megan Beuckens 9.865 All Around Megan Beuckens 38.936 MINNESOTA TO HOST NCAA REGIONAL ACTION - The Sports Pavilion will be the site of the 2000 NCAA Regional Gymnastics Championships. The meet will take place on Saturday, April 1, at 6 p.m.
REGION 2 WATCH - The regional championships will feature six teams, five all-around competitors and one individual specialist per event, based on regional qualifying scores.
The nation's top 12 teams will be seeded and then paired into the six regions; the remaining four regional teams will be taken from within the region based on RQS.
REGION 2 RANKINGS - March 7 (By Regional Qualifying Score) Team Score 1.Utah 195.880 2.Iowa State 195.150 3.BYU 195.140 4.Minnesota 194.810 5.Denver 194.765 6.Utah State 194.285 7.Southern Utah 192.835 8.Iowa 192.370 9.Air Force 190.640 10.Winona State 178.590 11.Wis.-Stout 163.940 UP NEXT - Minnesota hosts the Region 2 Championships at the Sports Pavilion on Saturday, April 1 at 6 p.m.
