• Following a third-place finish at the inaugural NorCal Quad Meet, the Sacramento State gymnastics team will travel to Boise State to face the Broncos on Friday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m.
• Boise State will provide free live stats for the competition via its website (www.broncosports.com). There will also be a video option available for a fee.
• Sacramento State (1-3) significantly improved its score in the second meet of the season. The Hornets scored 191.575 at the NorCal Quad Meet which was hosted by Stanford and improved its team score in three of the four events.
• Friday night’s meet will serve as a Beauty and Beast meet as the BSU wrestling team will host North Dakota State simultaneously. Boise State was the first school to host a Beauty and the Beast in 2003.
• The Broncos are 1-0 following a 194.40-193.425 then-No. 16 Washington. The team was helped by a 49.075 on bars which included a 9.90 from Ciera Perkins. Boise State’s score allows them to be ranked 17th in this week’s national rankings.
• The all-time series between the two schools favors BSU, 16-7. The Broncos have won the last 10 meetings against the Hornets. Last season, Boise State scored 197.050 to win at The Nest on senior night before winning the WAC Championships a week later.
• Until this year, this had been a Western Athletic Conference meet for both teams. However, the Broncos left the WAC after the 2011 season and now are independent for gymnastics. The majority of the other BSU sports are currently in the Mountain West Conference.
THE LAST TIME OUT
Sacramento State finished third in the inaugural NorCal Quad Meet at Stanford on Sunday, Jan. 15. The meet was won by Stanford which scored 194.900. San Jose State was second at 194.300 while UC Davis finished fourth at 190.775.
The Hornets opened the meet strong, not counting a fall in their first three rotations. However, the team had some trouble on beam and was forced to count a pair of falls.
STEPPING IN
Sacramento State was dealt a big blow last week when junior Nicole Meiller was not cleared to compete for medical reasons on vault and bars. The bar lineup took another hit when junior Cayla Beutler had to be pulled due to a shoulder injury.
Without the two veterans, the team turned to sophomore Ashley Wooff who posted a career high of 9.750 to tie for fourth place in the meet. As a freshman, Wooff was in the lineup for one meet and also had three exhibitions. Her previous career high was 9.500.
TWICE AS NICE
Freshman Kalliah McCartney opened the year with a solid debut against Cal, finishing first on beam and second in the all-around. The Vancouver, Wash., native improved her performance at the NorCal meet, leading the Hornets on three events as well as the all-around.
McCartney began with a floor score of 9.750. She then posted an identical score on vault to place fifth before receiving a 9.625 on bars. On beam, McCartney tied for third place overall with a 9.725. Her four-event total of 38.850 was the highest by a Hornet since Eryn Stubblefield scored 38.875 against Utah State on March 19, 2010.
The highest all-around score recorded by a Hornet freshman came in 2001 when Binta Coleman scored 39.175 at the Western Independent Conference Championships.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
Sacramento State showcased its youth on Sunday at Stanford as the team had at least five freshmen or sophomores on vault, bars and floor. The five counting scores on floor all came from underclassmen which included Dallas Smith who was making her debut in the lineup.
On vault, Tina Necas was in the lineup for the first time and contributed toward the team total. Sophomores Wooff and Katie Osaki each cracked bars for the first time this year.
