University of Minnesota Athletics
WGM: Minnesota heads to Washington for Quad Meet
1/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
This Week
Minnesota heads to Washington to face the host Huskies as well as the Arizona Wildcats and the Seattle Pacific Falcons. The meet is schedule for Friday, January 28, and will begin at 9 p.m. (central).
National Rankings
Minnesota dropped one spot to No. 24 in this week's GymInfo National Ranking. In the event-by-event rankings, Minnesota is ranked No. 11 on the vault, and No. 16 in the floor exercise.
Washington is also listed among the nation's top 25 this week, and sits at No. 22. Minnesota's opther opponents this weekend, Arizona and Seattle Pacific, are not listed among the top 25.
Five Big Ten teams are included in this week's national ranking: Michigan (No. 3), Michigan State (No. 15), Penn State (No. 19), Ohio State (No. 21), and Minnesota (No. 24).
At this point in the season, the national rankings are calculated by average scores.
Walker in the All Around
Freshman Angela Walker competed in the all around last weekend against Iowa State, marking her second appearance in the all around so far this season. Walker hit all four of her routines, scoring 9.750 on the vault and bars, a 9.600 on the beam, and a 9.725 on the floor for an all around score of 38.825.
Yernberg Wins Again
Senior Carolyn Yernberg has won a share of first place on the vault at every meet this season. Against Iowa State last weekend, she tallied a 9.825, and shared top honors in the event with the Cyclones' Janet Anson. In the previous meet, Yernberg scored a 9.875 to tie with teammate Laura Johnson for first place. In the season opener against Arkansas, she earned a 9.800 and tied with teammate Angela Walker for first in the event.
Improvement on Bars
While the team's score on the uneven bars last weekend was below expectations, three gymnasts earned season-best scored in the event. Freshman Angela Walker had the team's highest score in the event, and bettered her previous score by a half point with a 9.750. Also setting season-high marks were junior Maria Opsahl, who earned a 9.725, and sophomore Kim Womack, who tallied a 9.625.
Stanton Carries Gophers on Beam
Freshman Ashley Stanton was the Gophers' highest scorer on the balance beam last weekend against Iowa State. She tied her best score of the season with a 9.750. Stanton leads the team with an average score of 9.725 on the beam through the first three meets of the season.
About The Opponent - Washington
Washington is currently ranked No. 22 in the GymInfo National Rankings, and is coming off a win over Stanford. Last weekend the Huskies defeated the Cardinal 192.825-192.425 in Seattle, Wash., for their second straight win.
Washington was led by Kelly McDonald, who won the vault title with a 9.850, and Tacia LaBatte, who won on the floor with a 9.850.
Washington's top all around gymnast did not compete against Stanford last week due to an injury. Carly Dockendorf was the top finisher in three of four events and the all around for the Huskies the previous week.
The Huskies were also missing their most consistent beam performer last week as Molly Seaman sat out with an injury.
The Last Meeting with Washington
Minnesota last faced Washington in the NCAA North Central Regional Championship in 2004. Washington finished fifth with a team score of 194.225, while Minnesota came in sixth with a 192.225.
Minnesota's last meeting with Washington during the regular season was in a quad meet at Arizona in the 2002 season. Minnesota won the meet with a 196.850, while Arizona came in second (196.125) and Washington finished third (194.425).
About the Opponent - Arizona
Arizona is listed at No. 20 in this week's national ranking. The Wildcats have been at home the last two weeks, and have won both competitions. Last weekend, Arizona upset its in- state rivel, Arizona State 192.825-192.425.
Arizona gymnasts placed first in every event against Arizona State. Katie Johnson won the vault and floor titles with scores of 9.825 and 9.875, respectively. Jamie Schell took first on the bars with a 9.825, while Monica Bisordi finished first on the beam with a 9.875.
The Last Meeting with Arizona
Minnesota last competed against Arizona during the 2002 season. The Gophers traveled to Tuscon, Ariz., to compete against Arizona, Washington, and Northern Illinois on March 14, 2002. Minnesota won the meet with a score of 196.850, a score that tied the then- school record. Arizona took second with a 196.125, while Washington came in third with a 194.425 and Northern Illinois finished fourth with a 189.900.
About the Opponent - Seattle Pacific
Seattle Pacific is a member of NCAA Division II, and competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. SPU is coming off a 190.500-190.850 home loss to Jan Jose. The Falcons also lost their first meet of the season at Sacramento State and has a 0-2 record.
Three Seattle Pacific gymnasts were event winners in the meet against San Jose. Kari Kelly won the vault with a 9.675, while Jaynie Reynolds took first on the bars with a 9.725, and Debra Huss placed first in the floor exercise with a 9.850.
The Last Meeting with Seattle Pacific
Minnesota last competed with Seattle Pacific during the 1996 season. Both teams competed in a six-team meet at Oregon State on March 1, 1996. Minnesota placed second in the meet with a 192.450, while SPU finished sixth with a 185.575.
Conference Honors
Gopher senior Carolyn Yernberg was honored as the Co-Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the week of Jan. 10. Yernberg won both events in which she competed in the meet against Arkansas. She shared first place with teammate Angela Walker on the vault with a 9.80, and won the floor exercise with a school-record score of 9.975. She is currently ranked second nationally in the floor exercise. The Big Ten honor was the first of Yernberg's career.
The Freshman Class
With four newcomers and two redshirt freshmen, Minnesota's freshman class of six athletes makes up nearly half of the squad.
Changing the Record Book Already
Senior Carolyn Yernberg tied the school record in the floor exercise in the season opener against Arkansas. The judges awarded her scores of 10.0 and 9.95 to bring her average to 9.975 in the event. The school record was first set by MaryAnne Kelley in a meet versus North Carolina in the 2002 season. Yernberg's scored earned her a No. 2 ranking in this week's GymInfo National Ranking.
Yernberg also owns a share of the school record on the vault, scoring a 10.0 at UCLA in 2002.
The One and Only
Not only is Carolyn Yernberg is the only senior on the 2005 Golden Gopher women's gymnastics squad, she is the only team member to have competed at an NCAA National Championship. Yernberg was a freshmen when Minnesota last advanced to the national championship in 2002. Yernberg is also the only current Gopher to have scored a perfect 10.0 in her career, doing so on the vault in a meet at UCLA in 2002.
Tough Schedule
The coaches have not paved an easy road for their charges during the regular season, scheduling some of the nations' top women's gymnastics teams this season. In every dual meet this season, Minnesota will face an opponent that finished the 2004 season ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Next on the Docket
Following this week's meet at Washington, the Gophers return home to host Utah. The meet against Utah is scheduled for Saturday, February 5, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion.
Review: Last Week's Meet Against Iowa State
Minnesota lost to Iowa State, 192.450-196.850. The Gophers were outscored on every event in the loss and tallied their lowest team score of the season.
On the vault, Minnesota tallied a 48.550, while the Cyclones scored a 48.675 in the most closely-contested event of the evening. For the third straight week, Gopher senior Carolyn Yernberg won a share of the vault title, scoring a 9.825. Iowa State's Janet Anson also scored a 9.825 to tie Yernberg for first place. Minnesota's Angela Walker and Laura Johnson each scored a 9.750 to tie for third place on the vault.
On the uneven bars, Minnesota was forced to record a fall, and only managed to score a 48.025. Iowa State scored a 49.025 on the bars, led by Jade Kvach, who won the event with a 9.850. Minnensota's top performer was Laura Johnson, who tallied a 9.775 to place fifth.
Minnesota struggled on the balance beam, and had to record two falls. Iowa State outscored Minnesota by two full points on the event, 47.150-49.150. Cyclone Laura-Kay Powell was the event winner with a 9.875. The top score for the Gophers was a 9.750 by freshman Ashley Stanton, who placed sixth.
The floor exercise was the top-scoring event for the Gophers, who scored 48.725. Iowa State scored 49.000, led by event winner Janet Anson, who scored a 9.850. Ashley Stanton came through for Minnesota once again, and tied teammate Maria Opsahl for the team's best score with a 9.775, good for fifth place.
Coaching the Gophers
Jim and Meg Stephenson are in their 13th season at the helm of the Golden Gopher program. Jim served as the head coach while Meg was an assistant until 1998, when Meg joined Jim as a co-head coach. Minnesota's coaches have earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors four times during their tenure, and were honored with the Regional Coach of the Year award in 2002.
The duo has a 111-88-1 record as co-head coaches, while Jim has a 170-159-1 record in his tenure with the Gophers.
Assistant coach Doug Day is in his eighth season with the program.
