University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host No. 21 Iowa State on Saturday
1/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Minnesota, 2-2 on the season, will host Iowa State on Jan. 26 at the Sports Pavilion. The meet will start at 6 p.m., and is the first of two dual meets against the Cyclones in the 2008 season. On March 2, Minnesota will compete at Iowa State. Iowa State is the only team Minnesota will face twice in the regular season. Gopher fans can watch the meet live in the Gold Zone.
Catch the Doubleheader
The Gopher men’s gymnastics team also competes at home in the Sports Pavilion this Saturday. The men take on the University of Calgary at 1 p.m., followed by the women’s meet against Iowa State at 6 p.m.
Coming up Next Week: Utah
Minnesota will travel to compete at the University of Utah on Friday, Feb. 1. The competition is slated to begin at 8 p.m. central time (7 p.m. local to site).
National Rankings
Minnesota fell out of the top 25, but is listed at No. 30 in the Jan. 21 edition of the GymInfo National Rankings. At this point in the season, teams are ranked by total average score. This week’s opponent, Iowa State, is ranked No. 21 in the GymInfo Rankings this week.
Winning the Home Opener
With the victory over New Hampshire in the 2008 home opener, co-head coaches Meg and Jim Stephenson are now 11-5 in home openers in their tenure at Minnesota.
Carabajal Strikes Again
Junior Carmelina Carabajal won three event titles against New Hampshire last weekend. She took first on vault with a 9.825, the top Gopher vault score this season. On beam, Carabajal placed first with a 9.725. She was also the all around champion with a total score of 38.850.
Nagai Steps Up
Against New Hampshire, freshman Yuri Nagai was inserted into the line up on bars and floor in place of the injured Alexis Russell. Nagai had the team’s best bars score, placing second overall with a 9.650. On floor, she scored a 9.375. Her scores counted toward the team score in both events.
Bullock is Back
Redshirt freshman Jamie Bullock competed in her first meet in nearly a year when she competed on vault and beam against New Hampshire on Jan 19. She scored a 9.550 on vault, and a 9.600 on beam.
Before her performance against the Wildcats last week, Bullock’s last competition was at Penn State on Jan. 20, 2007. She missed the remainder of the 2007 season after having foot surgery.
Miles Earns Top Score
Senior captain Amanda Miles was moved into the sixth spot in the floor line up, and earned the team’s top individual score of the season with a 9.850 in the event. Her floor score matches her career-best, first set in the 2007 season. Miles has now earned a floor score of 9.850 three times in her career.
Walker Returns to All Around
Junior Angela Walker competed in the all around last Saturday, marking her first all around performance since the 2005 season. After suffering a knee injury early in the 2005 season, Walker competed on just beam and bars in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. During the 2007 season, she returned to training all four events, but did not compete on vault until this year.
Russell Out With Injury
Sophomore Alexis Russell injured her right knee competing on vault in the meet against New Hampshire. She will be evaluated by doctors this week and will likely miss three to six weeks of competition.
The Opponent: Iowa State
The No. 21 Cyclones are 0-2 on the season, having lost meets to Nebraska and Missouri.
In the team’s meet against Missouri last weekend, Katie Sweetin tied her career-best with a 9.25 on vault to place second overall. Sweetin also led Iowa State on the floor with a 9.775 to place third. Jasmine Thompson was the Cyclones’ top bars performer, placing second with a 9.800. On beam, Ceilia Maccani led Iowa State with a 9.750 to tie for second.
Jay Ronayne is in his second season as the Iowa State head coach.
Series Notes
Iowa State leads the series 33-26. The Gophers and Cyclones split last season. Iowa State won in the Sports Pavilon on Jan. 13 by a score of 194.525-194.400. The Gophers defeated Iowa State in the second meeting, a tri-meet at Iowa on March 4. Minnesota narrowly won with a 195.350 while Iowa State was second with a 195.325.
Against Their Alma Mater
Both of Minnesota’s co-head coaches are graduates of Iowa State University, where they both competed in gymnastics. Jim was a member of ISU’s national championship teams in 1971 and 1973, and received his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1973. Meg was a four-time regional qualifier, and a two-year team captain in 1980 and 1981. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Iowa State in 1981.
Last Week: Recap of the Meet Against New Hampshire
The Golden Gopher women’s gymnastics team won against New Hampshire in the team’s 2008 home opener. The Gophers scored 191.650 to New Hampshire’s 189.300. Carmelina Carabajal was a three-time winner, taking first place on vault, beam, and the all around. Amanda Miles was also an event champion, winning floor with a score of 9.850.
The Gophers tallied a team score of 47.650 on vault, led by junior Carmelina Carabajal, who earned a score of 9.825. Her score is the best vault score for the team this season. Jamie Bullock returned to the vault line up after redshirting last season. Bullock earned a mar of 9.550 to tie for fifth place. Alexis Russell was injured on her vault landing, and did not compete on bars and floor.
The Gophers earned a score of 47.500 on the uneven bars. Yuri Nagai, inserted into the line up for the injured Russell, had the team’s highest score with a 9.650. Nagai placed second overall. Jade Beattie was the second-highest scorer for the Gophers with a 9.600.
Minnesota score 48.250 on beam to tie for the best team score of the competition. Five Gopher gymnasts placed in the top four, with two gymnasts tying for fourth place. Carmelina Carabajal was the event winner with a 9.725, and was followed by Ashley Stanton who tallied a 9.675. Angela Walker was third with a 9.650. Jamie Bullock and Ashley Mutchler tied for fourth place with scores of 9.600.
The Gophers tied their best team score of the night with a 48.250 on floor. Minnesota gymnasts swept the top three spots, with Amanda Miles taking first place. Miles earned a score of 9.850, the best individual score by a Minnesota gymnast this season. Carmelina Carabajal was second with a 9.775, followed by Angela Walker who was third with a 9.750.
Carmelina Carabajal was the all around champion, with a total score of 38.850. Angela Walker competed in the all around for the first time since the 2005 season, and earned a total of 38.225.
Players Mentioned
