Following a tough loss at Cal State Fullerton last weekend, the Sacramento State gymnastics team returns to its home floor to host Alaska Anchorage on Sunday, Feb. 15. The meet against the Seawolves will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hornets Nest.

The Hornets come into the contest with a 3-5 overall record. Sacramento State, however, has scored over 192.000 in its last three meets. The team’s average score of 191.875 is currently ranked second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and ninth in the NCAA West Region. In its last meet, the team was nearly even with Cal State Fullerton until the final rotation where Sacramento State counted three falls on beam.

Alaska Anchorage is off to one of its best starts in school history. The Seawolves, who are in their first season at Div. I, have won four of their first six meets and are averaging a school-record 188.175. The team is led by freshman Dominique Ingram. The native of Kent, Wash., won the floor, beam and all-around titles in Alaska Anchorage’s last meet against Seattle Pacific and UC Davis. The Seawolves will face UC Davis for the fourth time this season on Friday, Feb. 13.

• 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 187-179-1, 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.

• Flashback

After two strong showings on beam, the Hornets reverted to their early-season form at Cal State Fullerton last weekend. Sacramento State suffered four falls on the apparatus and was forced to count three in their team score. The only two gymnasts who scored above 9.500 on the beam were freshman Tiffany Bass and junior Nirvana Zaher. Bass finished third with a score of 9.775 while Zaher tied for seventh with a 9.525.

The shaky performance comes one meet after Sacramento State had all seven of its competitors stay on against Seattle Pacific en route to a team score of 48.675 — tied for the fourth-best in school history. The week before at SPU, the Hornets scored 48.575.

• Hitting Her Mark

While the beam has been far from consistent this season, the Hornets have done well on floor. The team has scored above 48.000 in four of the five meets this year, including back-to-back marks of 48.975. Those scores are tied for the eight-highest at Sacramento State.

Last week, the Hornets were aided by Stefanie Aeder. The junior scored a career-high 9.900 at Fullerton to move into a tie for fourth place in the school’s record book. Aeder had previously recorded five scores of 9.875 since her freshman season.

Freshman Courtney Hibler and senior Binta Coleman also assisted the Hornets with marks of 9.825 and 9.800, respectively on floor. Hibler’s previous high during competition was 9.675. She did score 9.775 during an exhibition routine against Seattle Pacific.

• Vaulting Up the Charts

For the fifth time in five meets this season, Sacramento State scored above 48.000. At Cal State Fullerton, the Hornets recorded a season-high score of 48.600. That mark places the team in a three-way tie for fourth in school history.

Against the Titans, Zaher led the way with a season-high 9.825 to place second overall. Junior Jessica Hoffman was third overall with a 9.775 to tie her career high. Sacramento State also counted a 9.700 from Bass and a pair of 9.650 scores from Rachel Anderson and Coleman.

The Fullerton meet marked the second time this season that the Hornets have cracked the school’s top 10 list. In the opening meet of the season at Stanford, Sacramento State scored 48.550 which is tied for eight.

Ironically, although the team is having overall success on vault, no individual has made her way onto the top 10 list. The minimum score needed is a 9.875. The school record on vault is 9.950 set by Rebecca Seebirt during the 1997 season.

• In the Rankings

Sacramento State heads into the week as the top ranked team in the MPSF in vault (48.360) and floor (48.345). The team is also second on bars and overall team score. The Hornets are also represented in the individual lists with Aeder leading the conference on floor and Hoffman atop the vault standings. Aeder is also currently ranked 19th in the west region with an average of 9.810. Hoffman averages 9.737 on vault while Zaher (9.270) and Coleman (9.710) rank second and third in the league, respectively. Junior Meloney Greer is second in the MPSF on bars with an average of 9.730. Bass rounds out the Hornets ranked in the top three of the league with a 9.683 average on beam (third).

Probable Starting Lineup (* indicates all-arounder)

Vault

1. Meloney Greer

2. Rachel Anderson

3. Tiffany Bass

4. Nirvana Zaher*

5. Jessica Hoffman*

6. Binta Coleman*

Bars

1. Julie Hutzenbiler

2. Carrie Kinghorn

3. Jessica Hoffman*

4. Meloney Greer

5. Binta Coleman*

6. Nirvana Zaher*

Beam

1. Carrie Kinghorn

2. Jessica Hoffman*

3. Trista Condren

4. Tiffany Bass

5. Nirvana Zaher*

6. Binta Coleman*

Floor

1. Trista Condren

2. Jessica Hoffman*

3. Courtney Hibler

4. Nirvana Zaher*

5. Stefanie Aeder

6. Binta Coleman*