University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers To Open 2009 Season Against Arizona
1/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
The Gophers begin the regular season with a home meet against Arizona on Saturday, January 10. The meet will start at 6 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion. Both single-meet at season tickets are available through the Gopher athletics ticket office at 1-800-U-GOPHER or www.gophersports.com
Coming up Next Week: Denver
The Gophers will compete in their first away meet of the 2009 season on Saturday, Jan. 17 when they travel to Denver. The meet will begin at 7 p.m. central (6 p.m. mountain). A live webcast will be available courtesy of Denver and can be viewed in the Gold Zone at Gophersports.com.
Gopher Gymnastics on the Internet
Four of Minnesota’s regular-season home meets will have live scoring available on the Gophers’ website at www.gophersports.com. Audio and video coverage of three regular season home meets (Arizona, Iowa State, Northern Illinois) will also be on the athletics website with audio commentary by Gopher gymnastics alum Carrie Hortsch and Josh Linde. Video will also be available for the away meet at Denver.
Click on the Gold Zone to find all the live events carried on www.gophersports.com.
Minnesota on the Big Ten Network
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.
Preseason Rankings
Minnesota is ranked No. 22 in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Gophers finished the 2008 season with a No. 16 national ranking. The Gophers are one of six Big Ten teams listed in the top 25 in the preseason ranking, with Michigan coming in at No. 8, Penn State listed at No. 13, Illinois at No. 16, Michigan State at No. 17, and Ohio State at No. 21.
Minnesota has a tough road ahead in 2009, as the Gophers have competitions scheduled against 11 of the teams listed among the top 25 in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Last Meet Recap: Intrasquad Meet
The University of Minnesota held its annual intrasquad meet tonight at the Sports Pavilion, a warm up for the regular season. As a team, Minnesota tallied a score of 193.50. Senior captain Carmelina Carabajal led the way for the Gophers, winning three events and the all around.
Eight Gopher gymnasts competed on vault, with Carmelina Carabajal earning the top score, a 9.80. Freshman Lucy Ennis earned a 9.65 to place second in her collegiate debut. Senior Jade Beattie finished in third place with a mark of 9.625. As a team, Minnesota tallied a 48.075 on vault.
Nine gymnasts competed on uneven bars, with sophomore Kristin Furukawa coming out on top, earning a 9.825, the highest individual score of the night. Junior Alexis Russell was the runner up with a score of 9.75, while newcomer Lucy Ennis was third with a 9.725. Minnesota’s team score on bars was 48.70, the top event score for the team tonight.
The balance beam had the most competitors, with 10 gymnasts performing on beam. Carabajal won the event title with a mark of 9.80. Sophomore Kendra Elm, new to the beam line up in 2009, finished second with a 9.75. Jamie Bullock, also a sophomore, came in third with a 9.725. The team score for the Gophers on beam was 48.550.
There were eight competitors on floor. Carmelina Carabajal took the event title with a 9.775, while Kendra Elm was second with a 9.725. Jade Beattie (9.70), Yuri Nagai (9.575), and freshman Briana Jones (9.40) were also in the top five. As a team, the Gophers tallied a 48.175 on floor.
Five gymnasts were all around competitors tonight. Carabajal was the all around champion, earning a 39.025.
Last time vs. Arizona The last meeting between Minnesota and Arizona was at the 2008 NCAA Regional Championship at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota placed third with a score of 195.275, while Arizona was fourth with a 194.275
Team Captain
Senior Carmelina Carabajal has been elected team captain for the 2008 season. Carabajal was a top performer for the Gophers in 2008, earning the team’s top average scores on every event. She earned a trip to the NCAA Championships as an individual all around competitor, and is a two-time All-Big Ten honoree.
Community Outreach
During the fall training season, the Gophers were busy bringing their sport into the community, hosting two gymnastics clinics at Peik Gym, their training facility. The first clinic, with athletes from Special Olympics, was held on Nov. 15. On Dec. 6, the Gophers hosted Girl Scouts in their second clinic. Members of the gymnastics team led participants through six stations: vault, bars, beam, floor, dance and trampoline.
Coaching the Gophers
Jim and Meg Stephenson are entering their 17th 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 161-132-1 record as co-head coaches. The Stephensons are assisted by Jenny Hansen and volunteer assistant coach Amanda Miles.
Players Mentioned
