GYMNASTICS TRAVELS TO UC DAVIS ON FRIDAY NIGHT; WILL ALSO FACE No. 9 OREGON STATE
2/9/2012
OPENING PASS
• The red-hot Sacramento State gymnastics team will put its winning streak on the line when it makes the short trip across the Causeway to face No. 9 Oregon State and host UC Davis on Friday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m.
• The Hornets enter with a 3-4 overall record but have won their last two meets against ranked opponents. Sacramento State scored a season high 194.750 to defeat 26th-ranked San Jose State on Jan. 27 before topping No. 27 Southern Utah on Feb. 3 (193.725-192.800).
• The last two week’s performances have lifted the Hornets’ season average to 192.330. That mark ranks fifth in the highly-competitive Western Athletic Conference but moved the team into 44th place nationally. The top 36 teams at the end of the season will advance to NCAA postseason competition. Currently, North Carolina and UIC are tied for 36th with averages of 193.067.
• Oregon State is led by junior Makayla Stambaugh. The Sacramento native trained at Byers Gymnastics before making her way to Corvallis. As a freshman, she was an All-American on floor. Last season, she was the Pac-10 co-champion on bars and a first team All-American on bars and floor.
• The Beavers are 4-0 on the year with wins over Oklahoma, Arizona, Stanford and Washington — all teams ranked in the top 20.
• Oregon State holds an 8-0 lead in the all-time series against Sacramento State but the teams have not faced each other since 2008.
• UC Davis dropped to 2-6 following a loss at Cal on Sunday. The Aggies have been led throughout the year by junior all-arounder Katie Yamamura who is averaging 38.305.
• This will be the second of four meetings between the teams this season with each contest counting as 1.25 points toward the Causeway Cup. Sacramento State leads the all-time series, 46-22, including a win earlier this season at Stanford.
THE LAST TIME OUT
Sacramento State posted its second highest score of the season en route to earning a 193.725-192.800 victory over Southern Utah on Friday, Feb. 3, at the Hornets Nest. The team received individual event victories from Kalliah McCartney (vault, floor) and Nicole Meiller (bars) to help defeat the Thunderbirds for the first time since 2009.
Meiller finished first on bars for the second time this season behind a career high 9.850. The junior was near-flawless in her execution, including sticking her triple twisting flyaway, resulting in a 9.90 from judge one and a 9.80 from judge two.
TIME FOR A NEW GOAL
Kalliah McCartney entered the season with high expectations and the freshman might have already eclipsed those just halfway through her first season. McCartney captured her first all-around title against Southern Utah, scoring 39.200. That score was the highest recorded by a Hornet since Marina Borisova in 2009 and broke the school freshman record which had been held by Binta Coleman who scored 39.175 in 2001.
Against the T-birds, the Vancouver, Wash., native tied for first on vault with a 9.775, was third on bars with a career high 9.750, tied for second on beam with a 9.775 and won floor with a career-high 9.900.
With the freshman record in her grasp, McCartney will now look to move up the all-time list at Sacramento State. Her most recent score is tied for the ninth best in program history. Borisova (twice) and Coleman hold the top spot at 39.350.
ENCORE PERFORMANCE
A week after scoring 49.125 on floor against San Jose State, Sacramento State broke the 49-point plateau against SUU with a 49.050. While there have only been 15 49-plus scores on floor in school history, they seem to come in bunches. In 2004, the Hornets surpassed 49 in three straight meets, including setting the school record of 49.375. The team also did it in consecutive meets in 2003.
