University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Travel to California for Two Meets
2/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Minnesota is on the road for two meets this weekend. On Friday, the Gophers will compete at Cal State Fullerton, followed by a tri-meet with UCLA and Denver at UCLA on Sunday afternoon. Live scoring for Friday’s meet will be on fullertontitans.com. Live video and audio, as well as live scoring, for Sunday’s competition will be available on uclabruins.com.
National Rankings
Minnesota moved to No. 21 in this week’s edition of the GymInfo National Rankings. Minnesota’s RQS is 194.775. In the event rankings, Minnesota is listed No. 16 on bars, No. 13 on beam and No. 21 on floor.
Two of this weekend’s opponents are also ranked among the top 25 this week. UCLA, the defending national champion, is currently ranked No. 9 with an RQS of 195.355, while Denver sits at No. 12 with an RQS of 195.245.
Explaining the RQS
National rankings are based on Regional Qualifying Scores, beginning this week. A Regional Qualifying Score (or RQS) is calculated by taking a team’s six best scores of the season, of which at least three scores must be from away meets. The highest score is dropped, and the remaining five scores are averaged. The result is an RQS.
Freshman Sensation
It’s early in her career, but Gopher freshman Kayla Slechta has certainly made her mark on the Minnesota women’s gymnastics program. She has been the top scorer for the Gophers on vault at six of seven competitions this season, and has won vault at five meets. She has scored 9.80 or better in every competition.
Slechta is currently ranked No. 18 in the nation on vault. Her 9.925 from the Best of Minnesota (Feb. 12) ties for the 11th-best vault score in the nation so far this season. With her 9.925, she is now tied for No. 4 on Minnesota’s all-time top scores list on vault. She’s the second-highest scoring freshman on vault (Carolyn Yernberg earned a 10.0 on vault as a freshman in 2002).
Slechta has also been a top performer on floor in the four meets she’s been in the line up. She averages 9.794 on floor, and has scored 9.80 or better three times. Against Iowa State, Slechta won floor with a career-best 9.875.
Golich Tops on Floor
Sophomore Shannon Golich has been Minnesota’s top scorer on floor at three meets this season, and won her second floor title Feb. 12 with a 9.85 at the Best of Minnesota Meet. Golich owns the team’s top average score on floor, averaging 9.811 this year.
Ennis Strong on Vault and Bars
Junior Lucy Ennis earned a personal-best 9.875 on vault at the Best of Minnesota on Feb. 12, a nearly-perfect score on her handspring front pike, which has a start value of 9.90. She averages 9.754 in six performances on this season.
Ennis has competed on bars at the last three meets after missing the first month of the season recovering from a preseason elbow injury. Ennis has earned marks of 9.875, 9.85 and 9.85 in her three appearances on the unevens for an average of 9.858. She has won or tied for first place in every competition in which she’s performed on bars.
Hammerschmidt on the Mend
Junior Amber Hammerschmidt has been hampered by a back injury early this season, but has had strong meets the last two weeks. She earned a personal-best beam score (9.775) at the Best of Minnesota Meet on Feb. 12 and matched that score with another 9.775 against Iowa State last Sunday. Against the Cyclones, she was inserted into the floor line up for Lucy Ennis and earned a 9.65 in her first floor performance this season.
Career Bests for Campbell
Sophomore Janell Campbell had one of the best meets of her career at the Best of Minnesota on Feb. 12. Campbell earned personal-best marks on vault (9.80) and bars (9.825) and scored 9.825 to place second on floor. In her three events, she averaged 9.817 in the competition.
Russell to Return?
Freshman Dusti Russell was a top performer for the Gophers in the first two meets this season, but has missed the five weeks of competition while recovering from an elbow injury. Last weekend, Russell did an exhibition beam routine and scored an impressive 9.80. The coaches are hopeful she can return to the line up this weekend.
Cherwink Sees Action
Gopher fans got their first chance to see freshman Justine Cherwink at last weekend’s meet against Iowa State. Cherwink suffered an achilles tendon injury in the preseason and has been rehabilitating since having surgery in early November. Last weekend, she performed an exhibition bars routine. The coaches expect Cherwink to make significant contributions to the team once healthy.
A Familiar Face at Fullerton
Gopher fans will recognize Jasmine Brown on the Cal State Fullerton roster. Brown, a native of Murrieta, Calif., spent her freshman season with the Gophers before transferring to Fullerton to be closer to home. Brown has competed on vault and bars for the Titans this season.
It’s Been Awhile
Minnesota surpassed the 196 mark at the Best of Minnesota meet Feb. 12, marking the first time since 2009 the Gophers had accomplished the feat. The last time Minnesota broke the 196 barrier was at the 2009 Big Ten Championships, where Minnesota earned an even 196.00. The Gophers surpassed 196 twice in the 2009 season, earning a 196.750 in the regular season finale, a dual meet against Iowa in addition to the 196.0 at the Big Ten meet.
One for the Record Book
Minnesota vault score at the Best of Minnesota meet (49.175) ties the fifth-best vault score in program history. The Gophers also scored a 49.175 in the 2001 season in a dual meet against Arizona. The two scores of 49.175 rank as the top vault scores at a home meet as the top four vault scores in team history were all achieved on the road. Minnesota’s vault mark from last weekend is the best since the Gophers scored 49.30 on vault at Arizona State in the 2004 season.
Last Meet Recap
Starting on vault, the Gophers earned a 48.775 in the opening rotation. For the sixth time in 2011, freshman Kayla Slechta was the top scorer for Minnesota. Slechta tallied a 9.875 to win her fifth vault title this year. Yuri Nagai was the second-highest scorer, tying her season high with a 9.775. Nagai’s mark placed her in a tie for third place overall. Kendra Elm rounded out the top three for the Gophers, earning a 9.725.
The Gophers tallied a 48.875 on the uneven bars in the second rotation. Lucy Ennis was the top scorer for Minnesota, earning a 9.85 to win the event. Janell Campbell and Kendra Elm each earned marks of 9.775 to tie for fourth place.
The Gophers posted a 48.90 on balance beam in the third rotation. Shannon Golich was the top performer for Minnesota, earning a personal best 9.85. Kendra Elm scored 9.80 for the team’s second-highest score. Amber Hammerschmidt rounded out the top three scorers for the Gophers, tying her personal best with a 9.775.
The Gophers had their best score of the afternoon on floor, compiling a 49.050. Kayla Slechta had a personal-best 9.875 to tie for first place. Shannon Golich scored 9.85 to tie for third place. Kendra Elm completed the top three scorers for the Gophers, earning a 9.80. Iowa State earned a 48.625 on beam in the final rotation, bringing the final tally to 195.60-194.95 in favor of the Gophers.
Kendra Elm won her fourth all around title in 2011 with a 39.10.
Coaching the Gophers
Head coach Meg Stephenson is in her 19th season as a coach with the Golden Gopher program and her 14th as a head coach. Stephenson was a co-head coach with husband Jim from 1998-2009 before taking the helm of the Minnesota program on her own last season.
Stephenson is assisted by Jenny (Alf) Hansen and Louie Johnson. Both Hansen and Johnson are Minnesota alums.
Coming up Next
The Gophers will be on the road for the second straight week as they will travel to compete at Iowa State on Friday, March 4. The trip to Ames will be the final road trip of the regular season as the Gophers finish up with a dual against NC State on March 12.
The Big Ten Championship
The Gophers will play host to the 2011 Big Ten Championship. The competition will feaure all seven teams from the league and will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. Tickets are available and range in price from $5-$8. Call 1-800-U-GOPHER or visit gophersports.com for more information.
Gopher Gymnastics on the Internet
All of Minnesota’s regular-season home meets will have a live webcast on the Gophers’ website at www.gophersports.com. Audio and video coverage of each regular-season home meet will be available to Gold Zone subscribers. For the final home meet this season, audio commentary will be provided by alums Andy Cornelius and Ashley (Stanton) Grover. Live scoring and a live blog for all home meets will also be available on www.gophersports.com, free of charge.
Players Mentioned
