University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Head to Arizona to Take On Wildcats
3/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
The No. 24 Golden Gophers will travel to compete at No. 19 Arizona on Friday, March 12. Live coverage of the meet will be available online at www.arizonawildcats.com.
Last Time vs. Arizona
The last meeting between Minnesota and Arizona was a dual meet at the Sports Pavilion in 2009. The Gophers won the meet 194.375-192.575.
National Rankings
Minnesota moved to No. 24 in the GymInfo National Rankings this week. In the event rankings, the Gophers are listed among the top 25 on the uneven bars (No. 14) and balance beam (No. 20).
Russell Earns Top Score on Floor
Alexis Russell’s score of 9.925 on floor exercise is the team’s top individual score on any event this season. It is the highest individual score for a Gopher gymnast since Russell and Carmelina Carabajal earned scores of 9.95 on floor against Iowa in the final home meet of the 2009 seaosn.
Ennis and Russell Score high on Vault
In last Saturday’s meet against Arkansas, Alexis Russell earned her best vault score of the season with a 9.875. She is now tied with Kendra Elm for the team’s best vault score in 2010.
Lucy Ennis matched her personal-best vault score with a 9.825 against Arkansas.
Third 9.90 on Beam for Furukawa
Captain Kristin Furukawa has earned a 9.90 on beam in each of her last three appearances. Her scores are the best highest among Gopher gymnasts this season.
Furukawa also has a 9.90 to her credit on the uneven bars this season, and owns the team’s best bars score.
Bars Success
Minnesota’s highest national ranking is on uneven bars, where the Gophers are ranked No. 14 this week. The Gophers have tallied bars scores of 49 or better at four meets this season. The last time Minnesota had that many bars scores of 49-plus was in 2004, when it compiled six scores above 49.
Recap of Last Weekend: vs. Arkansas
The University of Minnesota women’s gymnastics team lost to Arkansas 194.85-196.925 at the Sports Pavilion.
The Gophers started the meet on vault, and earned a 48.475. Alexis Russell was the top scorer for the team, earning a season-best 9.875 to place third. Russell’s score ties Kendra Elm’s 9.875 at Iowa State for the best vault score by a Gopher this season. Lucy Ennis finished in fourth place with a 9.825, tying her personal-best vault score.
In the second rotation, Minnesota earned a 48.90 on the uneven bars. Kristin Furukawa and Alexis Russell were the team’s top scorers, each earning a 9.825 to tie for third place.
Kristin Furukawa was the team leader on balance beam, earning a 9.90 to tie for first place. The score is Furukawa’s third 9.90 of the 2010 season. Ana Balboa tied for fourth place with a 9.80. As a team, the Gophers tallied a 48.375 on beam.
Minnesota saved the best for last, earning its top event score of the night with a 49.10 on floor. The score is the first floor score over 49 for the Gophers this season. Alexis Russell was the team leader, earning a 9.925 to tie for second place. Russell’s score is the best by a Gopher gymnast on any event this season. Kendra Elm was fifth with a 9.825 to tie her personal-best score.
In the all around, Alexis Russell finished in third place with a 39.350, her best all around score of the season. Kendra Elm was fourth with a 38.925.
Minnesota on the Big Ten Network
Minnesota will appear on the Big Ten Network three times this season. The home meet against Michigan State on Jan. 23 and the meet at Penn State on Jan. 30 were telecast on a tape-delay basis. The Big Ten Championship will once again be televised live, the competition will take place on March 27.
Attendance Soars
Fans have been attending Minnesota gymnastics meets in droves this season. The average home attendance through the first five home meets in the 2010 season is 1,826. The average attendance at the same point in the 2009 season was 1,487, meaning the attendance average is up nearly 23% this season.
A crowd of 3,472 attended the Best of Minnesota meet on Feb. 6, a mark that ranks third on Minnesota’s all-time top attendance list. The meet was the highest-attended regular season meet in program history, as the top two attendance marks were set at NCAA Regional Championships.
Players Mentioned
