University of Minnesota Athletics
MINNESOTA TRAVELS TO STANFORD FOR GYMNASTICS MEET
1/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Minnesota travels to Palo Alto, Calif., to take on Stanford in a dual meet on Friday, Feb. 2. Minnesota is listed No. 13 in the latest national rankings, while Stanford is No. 7.
The National Ranking
Minnesota is ranked No. 13 in the Jan. 29 edition of the GymInfo national ranking, based on season average.
Minnesota is one of four Big Ten Conference schools listed among the nation's top 25 teams. Defending conference champion Michigan is the only school in the top 10, ranked eighth with an average of 195.281. Minnesota is No. 13 (194.406), Penn State is No. 15 (194.219) and Ohio State is No. 16 (194.169).
Defending NCAA champion UCLA is ranked No. 1 with a season average of 196.825.
Kelley Ranked In Two Individual Lists
Junior MaryAnne Kelley (Barrington, Ill./Fremd) is listed among the top 25 individuals nationally in two lists this week. She is 17th in the all around with a season average of 39.108. Kelley is also tied for 19th on floor exercise with an average of 9.875.
Gopher Floor Exercise Ranked Seventh
Minnesota is ranked seventh for floor exercise, with an average of 49.081. The Gophers are also listed among the top 25 for balance beam (No. 18, 48.294), vault (No. 19, 48.469) and uneven bars (No. 25, 48.562).
The Last Meet
No. 15-ranked Minnesota defeated No. 22 Iowa, 194.825-193.125, Saturday at the Sports Pavilion, a week after Iowa defeated the Gophers in a triangular meet at Michigan. Minnesota trailed Iowa after the first three rotations, but the Gophers tied their season-high on floor exercise with a 49.175, while Iowa had to count two falls on balance beam and scored 47.225.
Alf Sets Beam Mark
Sophomore Jenny Alf (Ripon, Wis./Ripon) set a career high in winning the balance beam with a score of 9.90, the third-best beam score in team history. It is Minnesota's highest balance beam score this season and the team's highest since former Golden Gopher Mindy Knaeble set the school record with a 9.95 at the Big Ten Championships in 1997.
Kelley Wins All Around
MaryAnne Kelley won the all around against Iowa with a total of 39.100. She placed first on floor exercise with her second consecutive floor score of 9.90. She recorded her third straight 9.80 score on uneven bars and was Minnesota's highest finisher on the vault, placing second with a season-high 9.80. Kelley has won or tied for first place in the all around two times this season (first time was against Utah) and has won or tied for first on floor exercise in all three home meets this season.
Beuckens Returns
Junior Megan Beuckens (Brandon, S.D./Brandon Valley) tied for second on the balance beam with a score of 9.80 in her first competition of the season. She also recorded a 9.70 on uneven bars and a 9.675 on vault. Beuckens competed on floor exercise as an exhibition performer and may compete on floor this weekend.
Beuckens had surgery Dec. 19 to remove a benign cyst and did not compete in the Golden Gophers' first two meets.
Floor Exercise Ties Season High
All six of Minnesota's scores on floor exercise were at least 9.775, leading to a team score of 49.125, which ties the season high first set Jan. 6. MaryAnne Kelley placed first with her second consecutive floor score of 9.90. Jenny Alf set a season high with a 9.875, just off her personal best of 9.90. Sophomore Catie Christensen (Columbus, Ohio/The Buckeye School) (9.825) and newcomer Alicia Opsahl (Forest Lake, Minn./ Forest Lake) (9.80) each tied their high scores of the season. Junior Courtney Norman (Minneapolis, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) scored 9.775 in her first career floor exercise competition, and Annie Laatsch (Lakeville, Minn./Burnsville) equaled that mark.
Norman Makes First Appearance On Floor Exercise
Junior Courtney Norman made the first floor exercise appearance of her career Saturday against Iowa and recorded a 9.775. On vault, Norman tied her career high with a 9.70. It was her second 9.70 of the season and the fifth of her career.
Other Team Scores
The Gophers set a season-high on vault with a total of 48.675 and just missed a season-high on balance beam with a 48.600. Minnesota had to count a fall on uneven bars and recorded a 48.375.
Mary Skokut Misses Meet
Newcomer Mary Skokut (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) did not compete in Saturday's meet because of a sprained right ankle. She will be evaluated this week and may return to competition against Stanford. Skokut competed on vault, uneven bars and balance beam the first three meets for the Gophers.
About Stanford
Stanford is listed No. 7 in the latest rankings, with a season average of 195.342. The team holds the top spot for vaulting average, with a 49.025 mark. Stanford is also listed in the top five for uneven bars (fourth, 49.142) and balance beam (fifth, 48.833).
The Cardinal is coming off a win at the Fox Sports Northwest Challenge in Seattle, featuring Stanford, Washington and Seattle Pacific. The team set a season high with a score of 196.050.
Stanford swept the top six spots on vault, including a 9.90 from first-year gymnast Robin Phelps. She is tied for 14th in the national rankings with a 9.842 vault average. Newcomer Lindsay Wing won the all around with a total of 39.375 and the beam with a mark of 9.875.
Stanford coach Mark Cook is in his fourth season. During his tenure, Stanford won its first Pacific-10 team championship and made the school's first appearance at the NCAA Championships. He coached Stanford's first-ever national champion and seven All-Americans.
Series Notes
Minnesota and Stanford last competed on Feb. 25, 1994, in the Stanford Invitational. Stanford placed second at 189.650, while Minnesota finished third at 187.525. The two teams last met in a dual meet on Dec. 8, 1984, with the Gophers winning 175.85-168.25.
Up Next
Minnesota returns home to host the Best of Minnesota Meet, featuring Minnesota, Gustavus Adolphus, Hamline and Winona State, on Saturday, Feb. 10.
