University of Minnesota Athletics
Carmelina Carabajal Earns All-Big Ten Honors
3/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Junior gymnast Carmelina Carabajal was named to the All-Big Ten first team, announced tonight at the 2008 Big Ten Championship awards banquet. Carabajal is an all around competitor, and leads the team in average scoring in all four events as well as the all around. She owns the team’s highest scores this season on beam (9.925), floor (9.875) and the all around (39.300), and is tied for the team’s best bars score (9.875).
Carabajal’s score of 9.925 on beam against Illinois-Chicago on Feb. 23 was the best individual event score by a Gopher gymnast in over three years. She has earned her personal-best all around score (39.300) twice this season. The score places her in a tie for fifth place on Minnesota’s all-time top performers list in the all around.
With 19 event titles to her name this season, Carabajal has more event titles than any other Gopher gymnast. She has won six times on beam, four times on vault, three times on bars, twice on floor, and has earned four all around titles in 2008.
Carabajal has been a top performer for the Gophers all season, leading the team to two scores of 49.225 on beam, the highest beam scores since 2004. Minnesota has also earned three scores of 49.0 or higher on bars this season with Carabajal as one of the consistently high scorers on that event.
Carabajal has been named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week twice in her career, and was an All-Big Ten second-team honoree in 2007.
The conference office also 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. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Minnesota’s Sportsmanship Award winner is senior captain Amanda Miles.
Minnesota will compete in the Big Ten Championship tomorrow. The meet will take place at the University of Michigan’s Crisler Arena, and will begin at 1 p.m. (central).
Players Mentioned
