Women's Gymnastics Release

GYMNASTICS FACES ELITE COMPETITION ON FRIDAY NIGHT

3/4/2004

• This Week’s Meet

Coming off a rare home loss, the Sacramento State gymnastics team will head to Corvallis, Ore., to participate in the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational on Friday, March 5. The meet, which is being hosted by Oregon State, also features Boise State, BYU, Michigan State and Seattle Pacific.

The Hornets, who had defeated 10-straight teams at home, had their streak snapped on Feb. 27 against San Jose State. The team counted two falls on beam and were edged by the Spartans, 193.475-193.125. The score, however, was good enough to move Sacramento State past Cal State Fullerton in the West Region standings. The Hornets are currently in eighth place in the region with an RQS of 192.885.

Oregon State is ranked 13th in the country and is coming off a season-best 197.175 in a loss to Stanford last week. The Beavers, who are also hosting the NCAA West Regional, currently hold the fourth spot in the region. Against Stanford, Chelsea Plourde scored a 9.950 to win beam and finished third in the all-around with a 39.525. OSU leads the all-time series against the Hornets, 2-0.

Boise State is ranked 37th in the nation and sixth in the West Region. The Broncos scored their second-best score in school history, recording a 196.925-196.325 victory over 22nd-ranked Denver last Sunday, Feb. 29. Freshman Lindsay Ward scored a school-record 39.625 to win the all-around. BSU holds a 5-2 lead in the all-time series against Sacramento State.

Brigham Young is also coming off a record-breaking performance, as the 14th-ranked Cougars scored 197.550 to defeat Air Force and Texas Women’s in Denton, Texas. Kari Lords led BYU with a 39.500 in the all-around. The team also scored a 9.950, 9.975 and 10.000 on vault. BYU has met the Hornets just once, winning in 2000.

Michigan State also topped its school record with a 196.775 against West Virginia and Ohio State. The Spartans are now ranked 23rd in the nation. Sarah Alexander won on both beam and floor. Saturday will mark the first meeting between the Spartans and Sacramento State.

Seattle Pacific is currently 4-7 overall after finishing second at Cal State Fullerton last weekend. The Falcons defeated UC Davis and lost to the host Titans with a season-high score of 192.175. Freshman Debra Huss ranks third in the MPSF in floor. Sacramento State leads the all-time series, 27-14-1.

• 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 188-180-1, 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.

• Dress Rehearsal

One advantage to Friday’s meet is that the Hornets will follow their exact rotation order for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on March 20. In both meets, the team will begin with a bye before moving to floor. Sacramento State will then complete on vault, take their second bye, move to bars and end on beam.

The Hornets have had success in their last two large meets, finishing first at the 2002 and 2003 MPSF Championships which also had six teams.

• Three Out of Four Ain’t Bad

Sacramento State senior Binta Coleman claimed a share of first place on three events in the team’s last meet against San Jose State. Coleman finished alone in first place on vault and tied for first on bars and floor. The Elk Grove, Calif., native lost her chance at a complete sweep when she fell on beam. Despite the fall, Coleman still scored 9.250.

Coleman won the vault with a mark of 9.750. She tied SJSU’s Shirla Choy on bars with a 9.775 and tied teammate Stefanie Aeder on floor with a 9.850.

As a freshman, Coleman won the all-around title at the MPSF Championships and added the MPSF bars title last year. Despite her success, Coleman is still in search of her first berth to the NCAA Regionals. She currently ranks fourth in the league in the all-around with an RQS of 38.445.

• Look Who’s Back

After suffering a knee injury at the West Regional last season, no one knew how long it would take for Kimiye Narasaki to return to the lineup. The sophomore answered the question last week with a 9.650 on bars in her first performance of the season.

Narasaki, who qualified for the regionals on vault last season, was one of the team’s top all-arounders during her freshman campaign. She injured her knee during warm-ups which put the 2004 season in doubt. Narasaki competed in one exhibition before breaking into the lineup last week. She is also continuing her comeback on beam and floor. However, no return date has been set for those events.

Probable Starting Lineup (* indicates all-arounder)

Vault

1. Meloney Greer

2. Rachel Anderson

3. Tiffany Bass

4. Nirvana Zaher*

5. Binta Coleman*

6. Jessica Hoffman

Bars

1. Carrie Kinghorn

2. Kimiye Narasaki

3. Nirvana Zaher*