The Sacramento State gymnastics team will begin its 2004 season this Friday, Jan. 9, at the Stanford Quadrangular. The meet, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will pit the Hornets against Stanford, Central Michigan and San Jose State — three teams which advanced to the NCAA Regionals last year.

Sacramento State enters the year with 12 returners and a talented freshmen class. The team is led by senior Binta Coleman who will return to the all-around lineup for the first time in two years. Last year, the Hornets claimed their fourth-straight league title. The team won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships for the second-consecutive year. Those two titles joined back-to-back Western Independent Championships in 2000 and 2001.

Stanford enters the year ranked sixth in the preseason coaches poll. The Cardinal posted a 20-4-1 overall record in 2002 and finished eighth at the NCAA Championships. This meeting marks the first time that Sacramento State has competed against Stanford since March 4, 1994. The Cardinal lead the all-time series, 4-0.

Central Michigan, who went 30-6-1 last season, is ranked 27th in the preseason poll. The Chippewas advanced to the NCAA Central Regional last season where they tied for second. The team, however, lost the tie-breaker with Auburn which advanced to the NCAA Championships. Sacramento State and CMU have met only one other time — the 2000 NIT. In that meet, Central Michigan placed first while the Hornets took second.

Friday’s meet will mark the first of four meetings between Sacramento State and San Jose State in 2004. The teams will also square off on Feb. 20 in San Jose, Feb. 27 in Sacramento, and on Apr. 12 at the MPSF Championships at SJSU. Last season, the Hornets went 1-2 against the Spartans with the one victory coming at the MPSF Championships. SJSU, however, advanced to the NCAA West Regional. Sacramento State holds a 25-14-1 lead in the all-time series against the Spartans.

• Head Coach Kim Hughes

In his 24th year at the helm of the Hornet gymnastics program, head coach Kim Hughes has built a program from the ground up and has solidified Sacramento State as a contender in the NCAA West Region and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

With a career record of 184-174-1, Hughes has led the Hornets to back-to-back MPSF Championships. He also directed Sacramento State to consecutive Western Independent Championships in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, Sacramento State recorded program highs with consecutive meets above 193 (four), most scores over the 194-plateau (four) and most scores over the 193-mark (eight) in a season. Those statistics helped Hughes earn the MPSF Coach of the Year award.

Among his other accomplishments, Hughes guided Sacramento State to a second-place finish at the National Invitational Tournament in 2000 and gave the program its first regional bid in 1999 while also being named NCAA Region 1 Coach of the Year.

Hughes earned his first Coach of the Year honor in 1984 when the Hornets were a member of the Div. II Northern California Athletic Conference. A graduate of Chico State in 1976, Hughes joined the Sacramento State women’s gymnastics program in 1977 and was named head coach in 1981. During his tenure, Hughes also guided the Hornets to Div. I status in 1992.

• Finishing Strong

Although the team was disappointed it did not advance to the NCAA Regionals, Sacramento State was able to end the season strong, winning its fourth-straight league title. Competing at home, the Hornets scored 194.925 at the 2003 MPSF Championships. That mark not only won the title, it ranked as the second-best score in school history. Sacramento State was also able to take advantage of strong performances on floor, vault and bars. As a team, the Hornets scored 49.300 on floor (the second-best mark in program history), 48.550 on vault (tied for seventh) and 48.975 on bars (eighth).

Individually, Nirvana Zaher and Binta Coleman each tied for the title on vault and bars, respectively. Kimiye Narasaki added a second-place tie on beam and Zaher finished third in the all-around.

• Getting Healthy

Despite the fact that Sacramento State has yet to compete in 2004, the team is already battling injuries. Senior Toni Petersen, who missed the majority of last season, suffered a career-ending broken leg during an intrasquad meet in December. Petersen was the MPSF all-around, vault and floor champion in 2002. She also qualified for the NCAA Regional on bars in 2001 and as an all-arounder in 2002. As a freshman, she won the floor title at the NIT.

Unfortunately, Petersen is not the only gymnast battling injury. Sophomore Kimiye Narasaki will miss at least the first half of the year after recovering from a knee injury suffered during vault warm-ups at the 2003 West Regional. Freshman Alexis Tsurumoto, the team’s top bar recruit, will also miss the beginning of the season while recovering from a knee injury.

• Hornets Get Early Commitment From Local Elite Gymnast

Sacramento State took a big step building for its future with the signing of Melissa Genovese to a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period. Genovese will enroll at the University as a freshman for the 2004-05 year.

An elite-level gymnast the past two years, Genovese won the all-around, beam and bars titles at the 2002 U.S. Challenge. She also placed second in the all-around at the 2003 America Challenge. While competing at level 10, the El Dorado Hills, Calif., native won the beam title and finished fifth in the all-around at the 2002 Junior Olympics. She also was the state champion in the all-around and on bars that same year.

Genovese currently competes for Sierra Gold All-Stars. She is coached by Keith and Natalie Willette.

• Probable Starting Lineup (* indicates all-arounder)

Vault

1. Rachel Anderson

2. Meloney Greer

3. Nirvana Zaher*

4. Trista Condren

5. Jessica Hoffman*

6. Binta Coleman*

Bars

1. Julie Hutzenbiler

2. Nirvana Zaher*

3. Carrie Kinghorn

4. Jessica Hoffman*

5. Meloney Greer

6. Binta Coleman*

Beam

1. Trista Condren

2. Courtney Hibler

3. Jessica Hoffman*

4. Carrie Kinghorn

5. Nirvana Zaher*

6. Binta Coleman*

Floor

1. Stefanie Aeder

2. Courtney Hibler

3. Trista Condren

4. Jessica Hoffman*

5. Nirvana Zaher*

6. Binta Coleman*

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