University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Take on Michigan on Saturday Afternoon
1/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
The Gophers have their first competition against a conference opponent when they host the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, Jan. 24. The meet will begin at 1 p.m. instead of the usual evening start time.
Minnesota on the Big Ten Network
Saturday's meet will be telecast on the Big Ten Network. Play-by-play will be handled by Jim Kelly, while Eddie Umphrey will be the color commentator.
Two of Minnesota’s home meets will be telecast on the Big Ten Network this season. Minnesota's home meets on Jan. 24 against Michigan and on March 14 against Iowa will be televised on a tape-delay basis. The Jan. 24 competition will be aired on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. central), while the March 14 meet against Iowa will be aired on Wednesday, March 18 at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. central).
In addition to the Michigan and Iowa home meets, the Big Ten Championship will also be carried live on the Big Ten Network.
On the National Scene
Minnesota slipped to No. 20 in the national rankings this week after scoring 193.525 at Denver last weekend. In the event rankings, the Gophers are currently listed at No. 32 on vault, No. 9 on bars, are tied for No. 27 on beam, and No. 26 on floor.
Carabajal in the National Rankings
Senior Carmelina Carabajal is listed among the nation’s top 25 in the all around. She is tied for No. 17 this week, with an average all around score of 39.137. Jenifer Simbhudas of Iowa is also tied for No. 17 in the all around, making them the highest-ranked all around performers in the Big Ten Conference.
Bars Team Strong Again
For the second week in a row, Minnesota scored highest on bars. Yuri Nagai and Alexis Russell had the top scores for Minnesota in the meet at Denver, each tying their personal-beset bars scores with marks of 9.825. Overall, Nagai and Russell tied for third place. Kristin Furukawa matched her best bars score of the season with a 9.775. All of Minnesota’s counting scores on bars were a 9.725 or higher.
Both Good and Bad on Beam
Minnesota’s performance on beam at Denver definitely had good parts, but also had some bad parts.
On the good side were the performances of Ana Balboa, Jamie Bullock and Carmelina Carabajal. Balboa, a sophomore, placed second and set a personal-best mark with a 9.825. Balboa’s beam score is the best by a Gopher gymnast this season. Bullock, also a sophomore, earned a personal-best beam score as well, tallying a 9.800 to tie for third place. Carabajal tied with Buoolck for third place, also scoreing a 9.800, a season-best for Carabajal.
On the bad side were the three falls on the scoresheet for Minnesota. The Gopher’s had to count two falls in the team score on beam, which left Minnesota with a 47.825 on the event.
Last Meet Recap: Intrasquad Meet
The No. 15 University of Minnesota women’s gymnastics team lost to No. 17 Denver, 193.525-194.70. Senior captain Carmelina Carabajal led the way for the Gophers, winning the all around title with a mark of 39.150.
Minnesota competed on the uneven bars in the first rotation, and for the second week in a row, the Gophers had their best score of the competition on bars. As a team, the Gophers’ compiled a score of 48.90. Minnesota had two Gophers, Yuri Nagai and Alexis Russell tie for third place with scores of 9.825. The marks tied personal-best scores for both Nagai and Russell. Sophomore Kristin Furukawa placed sixth with a score of 9.775.
On the vault, the Carabajal and junior Alexis Russell were the top scorers, tying for third place with marks of 9.80. The scores are the best individual vault scores for the team this season. As a team, the Gophers tallied a 48.625 on vault.
In the third rotation, Minnesota competed on floor exercise, where Carabajal placed second with a 9.80. The Gophers’ team score on floor was 48.125.
Sophomore Ana Balboa was the Gophers’ top performer on beam, placing second with a career-best score of 9.825. The mark is the best for a Minnesota gymnast on beam this season. Sophomore Jamie Bullock and Carabajal tied for third with scores of 9.80. As a team, Minnesota struggled on beam counting two falls in the team score of 47.875.
In the all around competition, Carabajal was the champion, tallying her a score of 39.150. The all around win is the second for Carabajal this season.
About Michigan
The No. 19 Michigan Wolverines are 6-2 on the season, and are coming off a win over North Carolina State and Kent State last weekend. Michigan’s best score of the season is a 194.850.
Last time vs. Michigan
The last meeting between Minnesota and Michigan was at the 2008 Big Ten Championship, which was hosted in Ann Arbor, Mich. Michigan won it’s second-straight Big Ten crown with a score of 196.750, while Minnesota placed sixth with a mark of 194.425. In their last dual-meet competition, Minnesota traveled to Michigan on Feb. 16, 2008. Michigan won the meet by a 196.825-192.860 margin.
Coming Up Next Week: Oklahoma
The Gophers hit the road to compete at Oklahoma on Friday, Jan. 30. The meet will begin at 7 p.m.
While the Gophers have competed against Oklahoma several times in the Stephenson era, they have not faced the Sooners on their home floor in the 17 years the Stephensons have been coaching at Minnesota. The last time Minnesota competed in Norman, Okla., was on March 8, 1992.
Players Mentioned
