GYMNASTICS HOSTS CAL, SEATTLE PACIFIC AND UC DAVIS ON SENIOR NIGHT

3/12/2009

Coming off its best showing of the year, the Sacramento State gymnastics team will close out the regular season on Friday, March 13, when the team hosts a four-team meet at the Hornets Nest. The Hornets will face California, Seattle Pacific and UC Davis beginning at 7 p.m. The action can be heard on KSSU.com with Michael Smith and former Hornet gymnast Ashlei Baker providing the call.

Last Sunday, Sacramento State scored a season high 194.625 en route to capturing the team title at UC Davis in a meet which also featured New Hampshire and Bowling Green. The Hornets set season highs on vault and bars and won at least a share of three of the four event titles.

Following this week’s action, the team will honor seniors Marina Borisova and Amber Basgall who will be competing in their final regular season meet at the Hornets Nest. Both gymnasts have been key contributors to the team’s recent success (for more details on each, see page 2).

California is 0-13 on the year and most recently competed in meets at Western Michigan and Michigan State last week. The Hornets and Golden Bears met in the season-opening meet for both teams on Jan. 10, in which Sacramento State was victorious with a score of 191.975.

Seattle Pacific enters with a 1-13 record. The Falcons are coming off a third place finish in a three-team meet hosted by Oregon State on March 6 in which they scored 187.975. The Hornets lead the all-time series against SPU, 30-17.

Like Sacramento State, UC Davis also posted a season high in the quad meet on Sunday. The Aggies scored 192.950 to finish second in the meet behind the Hornets. Junior Lida Gehlen led the team by placing second on bars with a 9.850. The Hornets are 43-18 overall against UC Davis and have won the past 20 meetings.

Hornets to Host WAC Championships
For the first time since joining the Western Athletic Conference in 2006, Sacramento State will host the WAC Championships on March 21 at the Hornets Nest. The meet will be the first conference championship hosted by the Hornets since the team won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title in 2003.

Sacramento State won the WAC title in 2006 and 2007 before finishing fourth last year. The team was picked sixth in a preseason poll of the league’s coaches while defending champion Boise State earned the top spot.

A limited number of tickets are available for purchase to the meet. Fans can call the Sacramento State Ticket Office at (916) 278-2222 to purchase seats. It is highly recommended that tickets are purchased prior to the day of the event.

Two More Chances
In what has become an all to familiar routine, Sacramento State has its back against the wall as it searches for another postseason berth. The Hornets are currently ranked 40th nationally with an RQS of 193.370. The team needs to finish among the top 36 to qualify for the NCAA regionals. The 36th spot is currently is held by Southeast Missouri with an RQS of 194.345.

A team’s RQS is calculated by taking its top six scores, dropping the high, and then averaging the next five. Of those six scores, only three can be from home meets meaning that a team’s top six scores may not always be counted. Sacramento State can improve its RQS by scoring higher than 192.800 on Friday.

In the event that the team does not qualify, there is still postseason hope for a few gymnasts. Marina Borisova would be the top all-arounder to receive one of the five at-large berths to the regional. Borisova has an RQS of 39.075. Junior Eryn Stubblefield is currently fourth with an RQS os 38.385.

On beam, Traci Takeda is in position to earn the lone at-large bid from the region. Takeda has an RQS of 9.770.

End of an Era
Sacramento State will pay tribute to Marina Borisova and Amber Basgall following the meet on Saturday. Basgall joined the team in 2005 and helped lead the team to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title as a freshman. She added a second team title the following year when the team moved to the WAC. The Turlock, Calif., native was forced to redshirt in 2007 after having back surgery but made a successful recovery as a junior where she competed on bars in every meet.

Borisova made an instant impact in 2006 when she was named the WAC Freshman of the Year and was the conference champion on floor. She defended her floor title the following year and also earned all-WAC honors on beam and in the all-around. As a junior, she posted the highest score on the team on bars, floor and in the all-around. This season, Borisova has been named WAC Gymnast of the Week three times.