No. 21 Gophers Will Open 2007 Season Against Iowa State

Gophers Ranked No. 21
Minnesota is listed at No. 21 in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Gophers are one of four Big Ten teams listed among the nation’s top 25. Joining Minnesota in the ranking is No. 6 Michigan, No. 14 Penn State, and Michigan State, tied at No. 22. Defending National Champion Georgia is listed at No. 1 in the preseason poll.

Up Against the Best
The Gopher coaches have historically scheduled competitions against some of the top teams in the nation, and the 2007 season is no exception. During this season, Minnesota will face six teams ranked in the top 25 in dual meets - No. 2 Utah, No. 13, Iowa State, No. 14 Penn State, No. 16 Arizona, No. 19 North Carolina, and No. 24 West Virginia. When you add in the Big Ten Championship, the Gophers will face an additional two teams listed among the top 25 in No. 6 Michigan and No. 22 Michigan State. Minnesota’s only NCAA Division I opponents that are not listed in the top 25 - Iowa, Washington and Utah State - did receive votes in the preseason poll.

Review: Intrasquad Exhibition
The University of Minnesota women’s gymnastics team held its annual intrasquad meet last weekend, and tallied a team score of 189.425. Sophomore Carmelina Carabajal led the way for the Gophers, winning the all around competition with a mark of 37.850. Carabajal was among the team’s top four performers in all four individual events.

On the vault, senior Kelly Ganchan and sophomore Jade Beattie tied for first place with scores of 9.575. Newcomer Jamie Bullock placed third with a mark of 9.550. Carabajal was fourth with a 9.525. Junior Ashley Stanton joined the vault line up for the first time in her Gopher career, and earned a mark of 9.400. As a team, the Gophers tallied a 47.725.

There was a two-way tie for first place on the uneven bars, with junior Andy Cornelius and freshman Jamie Bullock each earning a 9.400. Junior Angela Walker rounded out the top three with a score of 9.375. Carmelina Carabajal performed on the bars for the first time in her Minnesota career, and placed fourth with a 9.350. The team score on bars was 46.825.

Ashley Stanton was the top performer on the beam, and earned the highest individual score of the evening with a 9.675. Angela Walker placed second with a 9.625, and was followed by Carmelina Carabajal, who came in third with a 9.575. As a team, the Gophers earned a mark of 47.900, their highest event score of the competition.

Junior captain Amanda Miles was the highest scorer on the floor, with a 9.475. Andy Cornelius performed on the floor for the first time in her Gopher career, and finished second with a score of 9.425. Carmelina Carabajal finished in third place with a 9.400. The Gopher team score on the floor was 46.975.

Five gymnasts competed in the all around, with Carmelina Carabajal placing first with a mark of 37.850. Jamie Bullock was second, earning a 37.775 in her Gopher debut. Jade Beattie came in third with a mark of 37.750. Angela Walker, in her first all around performance in nearly two years, finished fourth with a 37.350. Newcomer Alexis Russell was fifth in the all around, earning a 37.075.

Team Captain
Junior Amanda Miles has been elected team captain for the 2007 season. Miles takes over the captain role after the graduation of two-year captain Maria Opsahl.

New Faces in the All around
Neither of Minnesota’s all around competitors from last season will appear in the all around competition this year. Laura Johnson graduated, while Ashley Mutchler is working back from offseason shoulder surgery, and will not compete in all four events this season.

Minnesota’s coaches anticipate having as many as four all around competitors in the all around in 2007. Sophomore Carmelina Carabajal, who competed on the vault, beam, and floor in her freshman season, will likely compete on the bars as well this year. Junior Angela Walker competed in the all around in the first two meets of her freshman season in 2005, but sustained a knee injury an missed the majority of that season. As a sophomore in 2006, she was a regular competitor on bars and beam while working back from injury. Walker is back to training on all four events. In addition to Carabajal and Walker, freshmen Jamie Bullock and Alexis Russell are also candidates for all around competition.

This Week’s Opponent - Iowa State
Iowa State had a highly successful season in 2006, finishing in sixth place at the NCAA Championships. The Cyclones won the 2006 Big 12 Championship. Iowa State returns five letterwinners, including All-American Janet Anson.

The Cyclones are under new leadership in 2007. Jay Ronayne is in his first season with Iowa State, and is in his first season as a head coach. Assistant coaches TeShawn Jackson and Jay Santos are also in their first seasons at ISU.

Iowa State bettered Minnesota in three competitions last season. In the teams’ last meeting, Iowa State finished second at the NCAA North Central Region Championship, where the Gophers came in fifth place. In dual meets last season, Iowa State won 196.650-195.175 in Ames on March 3, and won 196.075-194.750 on Feb. 25 at the Sports Pavilion.

Coaching the Gophers
Jim and Meg Stephenson are entering their 15th 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 130-106-1 record as co-head coaches, while Jim has a 189-175-1 record in his tenure with the Golden Gophers.

Alf Returns to Minnesota
Jenny Alf, a Gopher gymnast from 2000-2003, and a former volunteer assistant coach, has returned to Minnesota for a full-time coaching position with the Gopher women’s gymnastics program. Alf, who spent the 2006 season as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois, is involved in virtually every aspect of the program.

In 2005, Alf helped coach the Golden Gophers to a third-place showing at the Big Ten Championships, which was the team’s highest finish at the conference championships since 2002. As a student assistant coach in 2004, she helped lead Minnesota to record-breaking performances, including the program’s best team score, a 197.700, and the best uneven bars and balance beam scores in team history.

As a gymnast, Alf competed as a Golden Gopher from 2000-2003. In 2003, she finished fifth in the vault at the NCAA Regional Championships with a career-best score of 9.850. Alf finished her career ranked third on Minnesota's all-time top performers list on the balance beam (9.925), tied for seventh on the floor exercise list (9.925), and tied for ninth all-time on the vault (9.850).

Alf served as a team captain in her senior season with the Maroon and Gold. She was a four-year letterwinner and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Alf completed her bachelor's degree in kinesiology in at the University of Minnesota in May of 2004.

Looking to continue Where they Left Off
Many of the Gophers’ top performers at the 2006 NCAA Regional Championship, the final team competition of the season, are returning for the 2007 campaign.

Minnesota’s top scorer on the vault at regionals was Carmelina Carabajal, who earned a 9.850 to tie for fourth place. Ashley Mutchler scored a 9.825 on the vault to tie for 10th place. Both Carabajal, who shared the top Gopher vault score in 2006 with a 9.900, and Mutchler, the 2005 Big Ten Vault Co-Champion, are back for the Maroon and Gold this year.

On the bars, Stephanie Funk scored a 9.800 to lead the Gophers at regionals. Funk was one of the most consistent bars performers last season, and returns for her senior campaign in 2007.

Beam performers Ashley Stanton and Angela Walker, led Minnesota on the beam at the regional championship, each with scores of 9.800 to tie for 11th place. Both Stanton and Walker are juniors this year.

Carmelina Carabajal tied for the team’s best floor exercise score at regionals, with a mark of 9.850 to tie for sixth place. Carabajal is a sophomore in 2007.

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