University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Women's Gymnastics Season in Review
5/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Minnesota wrapped up the 2007 season with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA North Central Region Championships on April 14. Minnesota’s score of 192.900 at the regional meet earned the Gophers a final national rank of No. 31.
Minnesota at the NCAA North Central Region Championships
The Golden Gophers finished the 2007 season with a score of 192.900 to finish fifth at the NCAA North Central Region Championships, hosted by the University of Denver. Angela Walker was Minnesota’s top scorer in all three events in which she competed, earning marks of 9.8 on bars and beam, and scoring a 9.725 on floor. Walker placed in the top 10 on both bars and beam.
Georgia, the defending national champion, ran away with the meet, finishing in the top spot with a mark of 197.275. Host Denver finished in second place with a mark of 195.825. Both Georgia and Denver earned trips to the NCAA Championships. Penn State finished in third with a score of 195.775, and BYU was fourth with a 193.3. Minnesota came in fifth with a 192.9, and Utah State finished sixth with a 192.525.
Minnesota’s first event of the evening was the floor exercise, where the Gophers tallied a 48.5. Juniors Ashley Stanton and Angela Walker were the highest scorers for the team, each earning a 9.725 to tie for 17th place.
The Gophers moved to vault in the second rotation, and were led by freshman Alexis Russell. Russell earned a 9.825 to lead Minnesota to a team score of 48.675, the Gophers’ highest event score of the competition. Russell’s score was good enough to tie for eighth place on vault.
The Gophers tallied a 47.85 on bars, led by Angela Walker, who earned a 9.8 to tie for ninth place. Walker has led the Gophers on bars at six meets this season.
Minnesota finished the meet on beam, where the Gophers earned a 47.875. In similar fashion to the Big Ten Championship, the Gophers recorded three falls on beam. Minnesota’s top performer was Angela Walker, who earned a 9.8 to tie for 10th place.
Minnesota had two all around competitors, Alexis Russell and Carmelina Carabajal. Russell earned a 38.1, while Carabajal scored a 37.675 in the all around.
Minnesota at the Big Ten Championships
The Golden Gophers placed fifth at the 2007 Big Ten Women’s Gymnastics Championships, earning a team score of 193.225. Carmelina Carabajal was Minnesota’s top performer in two events, earning a 9.775 on vault to tie for 15th place and scoring a 9.825 on floor to tie for sixth place.
Minnesota had a bye in the first rotation, and was up on vault in the second rotation. Carabajal earned the team’s best vault score with a 9.775 to tie for 15th place. As a team, Minnesota earned a 48.575.
The Gophers moved to bars in the third rotation, and earned a team score of 48.6. Angela Walker was Minnesota’s final bars performer, and earned the team’s best score in the event with a 9.85. Walker’s score tied her second-best of the season, and tied for eighth place in the event.
Minnesota had a bye in the fourth rotation, and competed on beam in the fifth rotation. The Gophers struggled on beam, counting two falls in the season-low team score of 47.3. Alexis Russell scored a personal-best mark of 9.8, bettering her pervious career high of 9.675. Russell’s score placed her in a tie for eighth place on beam.
After another bye, the Gophers were up on floor in the seventh and final rotation. Carmelina Carabajal was the final competitor for Minnesota on floor, and earned a team-best 9.825 to tie for sixth place. Minnesota’s team score on floor was a 48.75, the Gophers’ best event score of the night.
Carmelina Carabajal tied for eighth place in the all around with a tally of 38.775. Alexis Russell also competed in the all around, earning a 38.025.
Carabajal Named to All-Big Ten Team
Sophomore Carmelina Carabajal was named to the All-Big Ten second team, announced at the 2007 Big Ten Championship awards banquet on March 30. Carabajal, an all around competitor, led the team in average scoring on vault, floor, and in the all around. She owned the team’s highest scores of the season on floor (9.9) and in the all around (39.175). Carabajal was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the week of March 12.
Miles Earns Sportsmanship Award
At the Big Ten Championship awards banquet, the conference office announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Minnesota’s Sportsmanship Award winner was junior captain Amanda Miles.
Breakdown by Event
Vault - Freshman Alexis Russell owns three of the Gophers’ top five vault scores of the season, including the team best of 9.9, which she earned against Washington (3/10). Russell won or tied for first on vault twice this season, and was the top Gopher scorer on vault five times during the year. Carmelina Carabajal is also a top vaulter for Minnesota. Carabajal has competed on vault seven times this season, scoring at least a 9.8 six times. Her best score of 9.85 was scored twice, against Washington (3/10) and at Utah State (3/17). Carabajal was the team leader on vault four times, including the Big Ten Championships, and had the team’s best average vault score for the year. Senior Kelly Ganchan and sophomore Jade Beattie were each Minnesota’s top vault scorer at two meets. Ganchan had the team’s second-highest average on vault with a 9.710.
Bars - Junior Angela Walker owns the top five bars scores for the Gophers for the season, with her best score of 9.875 coming at Utah State (3/17). Walker was the top Gopher performer on bars at six meets, and won two event titles on bars. She was the team’s top performer at the Big Ten meet, earning a 9.85 to tie for eighth place on bars, and was the top Gopher scorer at the NCAA Regional with a 9.8. Walker earned the team’s highest bars average with a 9.758. Junior Andy Cornelius was a team leader on bars three times this season. Cornelius had the team’s second-highest average bars score with a 9.623. Alexis Russell was a top scorer for Minnesota at two meets, and won the bars title at the Best of Minnesota Meet (2/10). Junior Rehana Russell, a bars specialist, tied for the top Gopher score against West Virginia (3/24) with a 9.75. Senior Stephanie Funk was the top Gopher performer on bars in two meets early in the season before retiring from gymnastics due to injury.
Beam - Junior Ashley Stanton led the team on the beam seven times during the season, winning four beam titles. She owns three of the team’s top five scores in the event, including the team high of 9.875, scored at Arizona (2/2). Stanton had the team’s second-highest beam average with a 9.713. Angela Walker was a team leader on beam at five meets, and tied for first place on beam at Utah State with a 9.85. Walker was Minnesota’s top performer at the NCAA regional meet with a mark of 9.8. Junior Ashley Mutchler led the Gophers on beam at two meets, and tied with Walker for the team lead and the event title with a 9.85 in the meet at Utah State. Carmelina Carabajal led the team in average score with a 9.700. At the Big Ten Championship, Alexis Russell had the team’s highest score with a 9.8 to tie for eighth place.
Floor - Sophomore Carmelina Carabajal won five titles on the floor in 2007, and owns four of the team’s top five scores in the event. She set a career-high with a 9.9 in the season opener against Iowa State (1/13), and matched that score two more times during the year. Carabajal was a team leader on floor seven times, and owns the team’s highest average floor score with a 9.819. Andy Cornelius owns the team’s second-best floor score, a 9.875, and has had the team’s best score in three meets. Cornelius won her first floor title against West Virginia (3/24). Cornelius has the team’s second-best average floor score with a 9.727.
All Around - Minnesota had two regular all around performers in 2007, Carmelina Carabajal and Alexis Russell. Carabajal has four of the team’s top five all around scores for the year, including a team-best 39.175, earned at Utah State (3/17). Russell also earned her best all around score at Utah State, tallying a 39.125 to mark the team’s second-best all around score of the year. Carabajal and Russell each have one all around title this year, with Carabajal winning at Utah State and Russell winning at the Best of Minnesota Meet (2/10). Russell was an all around competitor at 10 meets, while Carabajal was in the all around eight times.
Success on the Road
Minnesota’s top three scores of the season were achieved at away meets. Minnesota’s top score of 195.800 was earned at Utah State (3/17). Minnesota second-highest score (195.350) was scored at Iowa (3/4), and the third-best score of 195.125 was earned at Arizona (2/2).
Event Winners During the Season
Of the 10 active gymnasts on the Minnesota roster, eight won event titles during the season. Carmelina Carabajal led the way with seven event titles, five on floor, one on vault, and one in the all around. Ashley Stanton won five titles, four on beam and one on floor. Alexis Russell took four titles, two on vault, one on bars, and one all around title. Angela Walker won three event titles, two on bars and one on beam. Amanda Miles and Andy Cornelius each won one floor title. Jade Beattie won a vault title, while Ashley Mutchler won a beam title.
Minnesota had the most event titles on floor, with eight. The Gophers won five beam titles, four vault titles, two bars titles, and two all around titles.
Balanced Team
Minnesota had four different gymnasts as the scoring leaders in the four events. Alexis Russell had the team’s top vault score with a 9.9 (Mar. 10). Angela Walker owns the top Gopher bars score with a 9.875 (Mar. 17). Ashley Stanton scored the team’s top beam score, a 9.875 (Feb. 2), and Carmelina Carabajal had the top floor score with a 9.9, which she scored three times during the season.
Gophers Win in all Four Events at Utah State
Minnesota gymnasts won or tied for first place on every event at Utah State on March 17. It was the only time during the season that Minnesota has claimed the top spot on all four events. On vault, Alexis Russell and Carmelina Carabajal tied for first (9.850). On bars, Angela Walker won with a 9.875. Walker and Ashley Mutchler tied for the top spot on beam with scores of 9.850. Carabajal was the floor winner with a 9.900. Carabajal also won the all around with a 39.175, a career-best.
Carabajal Earns Weekly 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 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 was the first of Carabajal’s career, and she was the only Golden Gopher to be named Gymnast of the Week during the 2007 season.
Gophers Suffer Injuries
Three Minnesota gymnasts missed the majority of the season due to injuries: seniors Stephanie Funk and Kim Womack, and freshman Jamie Bullock. Because Bullock only competed in the first two meets of the season, she is eligible to apply for a medical redshirt.
Strong Start
Minnesota’s team score of 194.400 against Iowa State on Jan. 13 was the highest score in a season opener since the Gophers earned a 194.675 in the 2004 season opener. In 2004, Minnesota’s first competition was a quad meet at Arkansas. The last time the Gophers scored higher than a 194.400 in a season opener at home in the Sports Pavilion was in 2003, when the Gophers earned a 195.525 against Arizona in the first meet of the season.
Coaching the Gophers
Jim and Meg Stephenson completed 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 139-121-1 record as co-head coaches, while Jim has a 198-190-1 record in his tenure with the Golden Gophers.
The Future of Gopher Gymnastics
University of Minnesota women’s gymnastics co-head coaches Jim and Meg Stephenson have announced that six gymnasts will join the Golden Gopher program for the 2007-08 season. Kristin Furukawa, Julie Kinal, and Yuri Nagai have signed National Letters of Intent, while Gina Clementi and Kendra Elm have signed Acceptance of Admission forms. Ana Balboa has accepted a scholarship offer. All six will begin arrive on campus in the fall of 2007.
Players Mentioned
