University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Travels to Utah State
3/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Minnesota heads to Utah State to take on the Aggies on Saturday, March 17. The meet will begin at 7:30 p.m. central time. Utah State will provide live video streaming of the meet. Fans can access the meet at http://wac.tv for a fee of $3.95.
Senior Night Coming up on March 24
Minnesota will honor its four senior gymnasts, Stephanie Funk, Kelly Ganchan, and Kim Womack, at the team’s final home meet on March 24. The competition against West Virginia will begin at 6 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion, with the senior recognition following the final rotation.
Gophers Crack the Top 25
Minnesota moved up one spot this week to No. 25 in the GymInfo National Rankings with an RQS of 194.335. This week’s opponent, Utah State, is ranked No. 31 with an RQS of 194.005.
Carabajal Earns Big Ten Award
Sophomore Carmelina Carabajal was named the Big Ten Women’s Gymnast of the Week for the week of March 13. Carabajal claims Gymnast of the Week accolades as the Golden Gophers defeated Washington last weekend 194.375-194.075.
She won her fourth floor title of the year, tying her career-best score of 9.900. With Carabajal leading the squad, Minnesota closed out the night registering its highest event score of the meet on floor with a score of 48.975.
The Big Ten weekly award is the first of Carabajal’s career, and she is the first Golden Gopher to be named Gymnast of the Week this season.
Tight Race in the Big Ten
All seven women’s gymnastics teams in the Big Ten Conference are ranked in the nation’s top 30 this week. The seven programs are listed between No. 11 and No. 30, setting up a tight race for first place at the Big Ten Championships. Minnesota will defend its conference title on March 31 at Penn State.
Minnesota Adds to the Win Column
On March 4, the Gophers earned their first victories over NCAA Division I opponents when they upset No. 10 Iowa State and No. 24 Iowa in Iowa City. Last weekend, Minnesota added another win with a 194.375-194.075 defeat of Washington. Minnesota holds a 6-6 record on the season.
Gophers Tough on Floor Again
Minnesota earned its best event score of the meet against Washington on floor, making the floor the Gophers’ best event for four consecutive meets. Carmelina Caranajal tied her career-best mark with a 9.900 to win on floor. Andy Cornelius was third with a 9.825.
Stanton wins on Beam
Ashley Stanton won her fourth beam title of the season with a 9.825 to take first against Washington. Stanton also won beam titles against Iowa State (Jan. 14), Arizona (Feb. 2) and at the Best of Minnesota Meet (Feb. 12).
Alexis Russell Sets High Score on Vault
Freshman Alexis Russell tallied her best vault score with a 9.900 to take second place against Washington last weekend. Russell’s score if the best by a Gopher gymnast this season. She owns three off the team’s top five scores on vault this year.
This Week’s Opponent - Utah State
Utah State is ranked No. 28 in the latest national rankings. In their last competition, the Aggies lost to BYU and Oregon State, but earned their best road score of the season with a 194.625.
Washington’s season-best score is a 195.675, scored at a home against Alaska-Anchorage on March 2.
Joe Corn is the head coach of the Utah State program, and is in his 29th season with the Huskies. He is assisted by Ernestine Russell, and Ben Nilson.
Last Week: vs. Washington
The Gophers tallied their second-best home score of the season to defeat Washington 194.375-194.075. Minnesota gymnasts took first place on three events, with Angela Walker winning on bars (9.850), Ashley Stanton winning on beam (9.825), and Carmelina Carabajal winning on floor (9.900).
The Gophers compiled a 48.525 on vault, and were led by freshman Alexis Russell. Russell earned a career-high 9.900 to finish in second place. Carmelina Carabajal was the second-highest scorer for the Gophers, and placed fifth with a 9.800. Washington was on bars in the first rotation, and scored a 48.475.
On bars, the Gophers tallied a 48.725. The top Gopher finisher was junior Angela Walker, who won the bars title with a 9.850 to tie her career-high score. Walker’s bars score ties for the best by a Minnesota gymnast this season. Junior Andy Cornelius tied her season-best mark with a 9.775 to tie for third place. Rehana Russell earned a 9.725, her best bars score of the season. Carmelina Carabajal tied her personal best bars score with a 9.625. Washington compiled a 49.125 on vault, its best event score of the competition. The Huskies went into the third rotation with a 97.600-97.250 lead.
Minnesota earned a 48.150 on beam. Junior Ashley Stanton was the top scorer for the Gophers, winning with a 9.825. Junior Amanda Miles tied for third place with a 9.750. Carmelina Carabajal finished in fifth place with a 9.700. Washington tallied a 48.850 on floor to increase its lead to 146.450-145.000 going into the final event.
The Gophers had their highest event score of the night on floor, earning a 48.975. Sophomore Carmelina Carabajal tied her personal-best score on floor with a 9.900 to take first place. Andy Cornelius earned a 9.825 to place third, while Angela Walker earned a 9.775 to tie for fourth place. Minnesota was able to more than make up for their 1.05 score deficit in the final event, as Washington struggled on beam, earning a 47.625. The final team scores were 194.375-194.075 in favor of the Gophers.
Carmelina Carabajal was Minnesota’s only all around performer, and finished second with a 39.025, her second-highest all around score of the season.
Players Mentioned
