University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Gymnastics Season Preview
1/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
“We have concluded that we are very pleased with last season, especially after losing Angela Walker and her four routines early in the season,” explained co-head coach Jim Stephenson. “Other gymnasts stepped up, and improved the quality of their performances, and gained valuable experience. Everyone’s dedication and hard work allowed us to move up 11 spots in the season’s final rankings, and moved us back into the top 25.”
Not only did the Gophers move up in the national rankings, they also moved up two places at both the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Regional Championship, finishing second at the conference meet and fourth at the regional meet.
“The sense of accomplishment from last season has sparked the team,” said co-head coach Meg Stephenson. “The team is so motivated, they stayed on campus all summer to get ready for this season. They are very prepared to take another jump this year.”
This year’s squad has a different look than last season, despite losing only one gymnast to graduation. The reason for the different look is that the Gophers have added four freshmen to the mix, making for a team of 16 gymnasts, equaling the largest team that the Stephenson’s have coached at Minnesota.
“We have four spectacular freshmen, and the quality and depth of this year’s team has pushed everybody to get better,” said Meg Stephenson.
“Our athletes are performing beautiful gymnastics, and the difficulty in our routines is comparable to any team in the country,” added Jim Stephenson.
The senior class this season consists of three very seasoned gymnasts in Laura Johnson, Maria Opsahl, and Kelly Stout, and all of them are leaders. “Our seniors are all such strong leaders this season, in and out of the gym,” commented Meg Stephenson. “We haven’t had a senior class like this since we’ve been here.”
Johnson has been an All-Big Ten performer in every year of her career, and qualified to compete in the NCAA Championships as an individual last season. She had the team’s highest average score on bars last year, and was the team’s only all around competitor after losing Angela Walker to injury.
“Laura was absolutely stellar at the NCAA Championship last season,” raved Jim Stephenson. “She had the best meet of her season, she rotated with Georgia, the team that won the national title, and she held her own with them. She was an excellent representative of Minnesota.”
Opsahl will again serve as a team captain, marking the first time in the Stephenson era that there has been a two-year team captain. Opsahl had the team’s highest average floor score last season, and is working all four events with upgraded difficulty in all her routines.
Stout served as a back-up on floor and vault this season, and will fill the same role in 2006 with an upgraded vault. “Kelly provides such great leadership for our team,” said Meg Stephenson. “She is a great example for our underclass athletes.”
Stephanie Funk</ a>, Kelly Ganchan, and Kim Womack make up this year’s junior class. Funk leads this group, as the coaching staff calls her the most consistent performer. She is training on the bars, beam, and floor, and has upgrades to all her routines, including a new floor routine. Ganchan is also training on three events, the beam, vault, and floor, and has increased the difficulty of her vault. Like Funk, Womack has a new floor routine this season, and has upgraded her vault. She was a regular performer on the bars, vault, and floor last season, and is training all three events again this year.
Andy Cornelius</ a> and Ashley Stanton are the team’s redshirt-sophomores. Both sat out the 2004 season to rehabilitate injuries, and competed for the first time last season.
Cornelius was a regular performer on the bars last season, but is now training on all four events. “We are the most excited about Andy’s progress, she is a possible all arounder for us this year,” said Jim Stephenson. “She has worked so hard, we are so proud of her.”
Stanton had the team’s highest average beam score last season, and was a consistent performer on the beam and floor. She has upgraded the tumbling in both routines to compliment her outstanding dance and performance skills. Stanton is also training on the vault, learning a new vault after recovering from her knee injury two years ago.
The rest of the sophomore class consists of Amanda Miles, Ashley Mutchler, Rehana Russell, and Angela Walker. Three of these four are training on all four events.
Amanda Miles was a regular in the beam lineup last season, and is training on all four events this year. The coaches are very pleased with her steady improvement.
Ashley Mutchler won a Big Ten title on the vault in 2005, and competed in three events, the vault, beam, and floor as a freshman. She is now training on the bars as well, and the coaching staff believes there’s a good possibility that Mutchler will compete in the all around.
Russell was a consistent competitor on the bars last year, and is training on the bars and the floor in preparation for the 2006 season. She has upgraded her bars routine.
Walker suffered a knee injury in the competition at Washington last year, and missed most of the season to have her knee repaired and start rehabilitation. She is training on all four events, and has managed to add difficulty to her routines, even while dealing with her injury.
“Angela is back, and she’s capable of competing on all four events,” said Meg Stephenson. “She’s working to get back into the all around, and we are very pleased with her progress, we’re very proud of her.”
The Gophers add four freshmen to the squad this season, and the coaches couldn’t be more pleased with their rookie class. Meg Stephenson is very complimentary of the dance abilities of the newcomers, noting that good dance ability really helps in choreographing floor and beam routines.
Three of the four freshmen are training in all four events. “We had to grow into the position we’re in now, after having to piecemeal a lineup with event specialists for so long. Now we’re attracting strong all around competitors,” said Jim Stephenson.
Jade Beattie is a gymnast who the coaches call an “untapped talent.” She is training on all four events, and the coaches are happy with her rapid improvement in technique and execution. “Jade’s vault and bars routines are excellent,” said Jim Stephenson.
Nouel Cason joined the Gophers this fall while still rehabilitating a back injury she suffered during her junior year of high school. “We want to focus on resolving her injury, along with training gymnastics,” said Jim Stephenson. “Nouel is very capable on all four events, she’s incredibly talented.”
Carmelina Carabajal joins seniors Laura Johnson and Kelly Stout as Albuquerque, N.M., natives on Minnesota’s team. She is also training on all four events, and is strongest on vault and floor, matching the two open lineup spots left by Carolyn Yernberg’s graduation. “Carmelina comes in with abilities that rival Carolyn’s, she is very good on all four events, and has really improved on beam,” Jim Stephenson commented.
Jackie Walkabout</ a> is training on the vault, beam, and floor. “Jackie is a very nice addition to the team,” said Meg Stephenson. “She has untapped potential, and is a strong vaulter.”
Good team chemistry will also work to Minnesota’s advantage in the upcoming season. “The team chemistry is fantastic this season,” explained Meg Stephenson. “The team is never centered on one individual, and that made a huge impact last season. The whole team is good, and all the athletes are happy to have a strong team, they want to do everything they can to help their team.”
Minnesota’s coaches believe that with the personnel on the team, the state-of-the- art training facility in Piek Gym, and a coaching staff that truly loves gymnastics, the best is yet to come for the Golden Gopher women’s gymnastics program. The Golden Gopher women’s gymnastics team has many things to be proud of after the 2005 season, and the gymnasts and coaches have taken the success of last season and transformed it into great motivation to reach even higher in the 2006 season.
“We have concluded that we are very pleased with last season, especially after losing Angela Walker and her four routines early in the season,” explained co-head coach Jim Stephenson. “Other gymnasts stepped up, and improved the quality of their performances, and gained valuable experience. Everyone’s dedication and hard work allowed us to move up 11 spots in the season’s final rankings, and moved us back into the top 25.”
Not only did the Gophers move up in the national rankings, they also moved up two places at both the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Regional Championship, finishing second at the conference meet and fourth at the regional meet.
“The sense of accomplishment from last season has sparked the team,” said co-head coach Meg Stephenson. “The team is so motivated, they stayed on campus all summer to get ready for this season. They are very prepared to take another jump this year.”
This year’s squad has a different look than last season, despite losing only one gymnast to graduation. The reason for the different look is that the Gophers have added four freshmen to the mix, making for a team of 16 gymnasts, equaling the largest team that the Stephenson’s have coached at Minnesota.
“We have four spectacular freshmen, and the quality and depth of this year’s team has pushed everybody to get better,” said Meg Stephenson.
“Our athletes are performing beautiful gymnastics, and the difficulty in our routines is comparable to any team in the country,” added Jim Stephenson.
The senior class this season consists of three very seasoned gymnasts in Laura Johnson, Maria Opsahl, and Kelly Stout, and all of them are leaders. “Our seniors are all such strong leaders this season, in and out of the gym,” commented Meg Stephenson. “We haven’t had a senior class like this since we’ve been here.”
Johnson has been an All-Big Ten performer in every year of her career, and qualified to compete in the NCAA Championships as an individual last season. She had the team’s highest average score on bars last year, and was the team’s only all around competitor after losing Angela Walker to injury.
“Laura was absolutely stellar at the NCAA Championship last season,” raved Jim Stephenson. “She had the best meet of her season, she rotated with Georgia, the team that won the national title, and she held her own with them. She was an excellent representative of Minnesota.”
Opsahl will again serve as a team captain, marking the first time in the Stephenson era that there has been a two-year team captain. Opsahl had the team’s highest average floor score last season, and is working all four events with upgraded difficulty in all her routines.
Stout served as a back-up on floor and vault this season, and will fill the same role in 2006 with an upgraded vault. “Kelly provides such great leadership for our team,” said Meg Stephenson. “She is a great example for our underclass athletes.”
Stephanie Funk</ a>, Kelly Ganchan, and Kim Womack make up this year’s junior class. Funk leads this group, as the coaching staff calls her the most consistent performer. She is training on the bars, beam, and floor, and has upgrades to all her routines, including a new floor routine. Ganchan is also training on three events, the beam, vault, and floor, and has increased the difficulty of her vault. Like Funk, Womack has a new floor routine this season, and has upgraded her vault. She was a regular performer on the bars, vault, and floor last season, and is training all three events again this year.
Andy Cornelius</ a> and Ashley Stanton are the team’s redshirt-sophomores. Both sat out the 2004 season to rehabilitate injuries, and competed for the first time last season.
Cornelius was a regular performer on the bars last season, but is now training on all four events. “We are the most excited about Andy’s progress, she is a possible all arounder for us this year,” said Jim Stephenson. “She has worked so hard, we are so proud of her.”
Stanton had the team’s highest average beam score last season, and was a consistent performer on the beam and floor. She has upgraded the tumbling in both routines to compliment her outstanding dance and performance skills. Stanton is also training on the vault, learning a new vault after recovering from her knee injury two years ago.
The rest of the sophomore class consists of Amanda Miles, Ashley Mutchler, Rehana Russell, and Angela Walker. Three of these four are training on all four events.
Amanda Miles was a regular in the beam lineup last season, and is training on all four events this year. The coaches are very pleased with her steady improvement.
Ashley Mutchler won a Big Ten title on the vault in 2005, and competed in three events, the vault, beam, and floor as a freshman. She is now training on the bars as well, and the coaching staff believes there’s a good possibility that Mutchler will compete in the all around.
Russell was a consistent competitor on the bars last year, and is training on the bars and the floor in preparation for the 2006 season. She has upgraded her bars routine.
Walker suffered a knee injury in the competition at Washington last year, and missed most of the season to have her knee repaired and start rehabilitation. She is training on all four events, and has managed to add difficulty to her routines, even while dealing with her injury.
“Angela is back, and she’s capable of competing on all four events,” said Meg Stephenson. “She’s working to get back into the all around, and we are very pleased with her progress, we’re very proud of her.”
The Gophers add four freshmen to the squad this season, and the coaches couldn’t be more pleased with their rookie class. Meg Stephenson is very complimentary of the dance abilities of the newcomers, noting that good dance ability really helps in choreographing floor and beam routines.
Three of the four freshmen are training in all four events. “We had to grow into the position we’re in now, after having to piecemeal a lineup with event specialists for so long. Now we’re attracting strong all around competitors,” said Jim Stephenson.
Jade Beattie is a gymnast who the coaches call an “untapped talent.” She is training on all four events, and the coaches are happy with her rapid improvement in technique and execution. “Jade’s vault and bars routines are excellent,” said Jim Stephenson.
Nouel Cason joined the Gophers this fall while still rehabilitating a back injury she suffered during her junior year of high school. “We want to focus on resolving her injury, along with training gymnastics,” said Jim Stephenson. “Nouel is very capable on all four events, she’s incredibly talented.”
Carmelina Carabajal joins seniors Laura Johnson and Kelly Stout as Albuquerque, N.M., natives on Minnesota’s team. She is also training on all four events, and is strongest on vault and floor, matching the two open lineup spots left by Carolyn Yernberg’s graduation. “Carmelina comes in with abilities that rival Carolyn’s, she is very good on all four events, and has really improved on beam,” Jim Stephenson commented.
Jackie Walkabout</ a> is training on the vault, beam, and floor. “Jackie is a very nice addition to the team,” said Meg Stephenson. “She has untapped potential, and is a strong vaulter.”
Good team chemistry will also work to Minnesota’s advantage in the upcoming season. “The team chemistry is fantastic this season,” explained Meg Stephenson. “The team is never centered on one individual, and that made a huge impact last season. The whole team is good, and all the athletes are happy to have a strong team, they want to do everything they can to help their team.”
Minnesota’s coaches believe that with the personnel on the team, the state-of-the- art training facility in Piek Gym, and a coaching staff that truly loves gymnastics, the best is yet to come for the Golden Gopher women’s gymnastics program.
