Women's Gymnastics Release

GYMNASTICS ENDS REGULAR SEASON AGAINST TITANS AND AGGIES

3/11/2004

• This Week’s Meet

Following its greatest meet in school history, the Sacramento State gymnastics team will look to keep its postseason hopes alive against Cal State Fullerton and UC Davis on Friday, March 12. The meet, which is the final home contest for the team this season, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Hornets Nest.

Sacramento State comes into the contest ranked 50th in Div. I and eighth in the NCAA West Region. The top five teams in the region automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament. However, in a twist only found in gymnastics, the top 18 teams in the country will be equally distributed throughout the six regions. As of this week, UCLA, Stanford, Washington and Oregon State are all ranked in the top 18 which will allow more than six West Region team to qualify. Last season, the region placed seven teams into the tournament. Sacramento State has an RQS of 193.245 and is .710 behind San Jose State for the seventh spot in the region.

Last week, the Hornets scored a school-record 195.875 while tying for third at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational at Oregon State. Sacramento State finished behind 14th-ranked Oregon State and 15th-ranked BYU, tied 24th-ranked Michigan State and defeated Boise State and Seattle Pacific. The Hornets were awarded third place in the meet based upon their sixth score on each event.

UC Davis is 5-9 overall following a home loss against San Jose State last week. Friday night marks the third of four meetings between Sacramento State and the Aggies this season. The Hornets won the first two meets and now hold a 26-18 advantage in the all-time series. The final matchup will come at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships at San Jose State on March 20.

Cal State Fullerton is coming off its best score of the season with a 195.700 in a loss at Utah State. The Titans are now 5-6 overall and have defeated four of their last five opponents. This is the second meeting this season between the two squads, as Fullerton claimed a 194.050-192.375 victory over the Hornets on Feb. 8 in Titan Gym. The Titans lead the all-time series, 11-5.

• 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 190-182-1, 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.

• Final Performance

Senior Binta Coleman is the lone Hornet senior who will competing in her final home meet on Friday. Following the meet, Sacramento State will honor Coleman, injured senior Toni Petersen and team manager Amy Langkamp for their contributions.

A four-year starter, Coleman won the Western Independent all-around title as a freshman with a mark of 39.175. Last season, she won the MPSF bars championship with a career-high 9.900. The Elk Grove, Calif., native currently holds four of the top 10 all-around scores in school history. She is also listed three times on both bars and beam.

Petersen made an immediate impact with the Hornets, winning floor at the NIT and the all-around at the Western Independent Championships as a freshman in 2000. As a sophomore, she qualified for the NCAA Regionals on bars. In 2002, she returned to the Regionals as an all-arounder and won the MPSF championship in the all-around, on vault and floor. She redshirted in 2003 and planned to return in 2004 but a preseason leg injury ended her career.

Langkamp competed for one season with Sacramento State before a car accident ended her career. For the past three seasons, she has assisted the coaching staff with the day-to-day activities of the office as well as serving as meet director for the past two seasons.

• Bass Named Gymnast of the Week

Freshman Tiffany Bass was named co-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Female Gymnast of the Week, it was announced on March 8. Bass helped the Hornets to a school-record score of 195.875 at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational. Seattle Pacific’s Kari Kelly also shared the award.

The Stratford, Calif., native scored a career-high 9.900 to tie for second on beam out of 36 competitors. The score not only surpassed her previous career-high of 9.850, it tied for the second-best mark in school history. Bass also competed on the floor exercise where she scored a career-high 9.825.

• Additional Notes

Sacramento State also set the school record on vault (49.050) and tied the top mark on beam (48.800) at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational...sophomore Kimiye Narasaki scored 9.850 on bars in just her second meet of the season...junior Meloney Greer recorded a season-best 9.825 on bars and a career-best 9.750 on vault...Coleman set a career-best mark with a 9.850 on vault...junior Jessica Hoffman set career-highs on vault (9.850) and beam (9.725)...the Hornets lead the conference on vault and floor.

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. Carrie Kinghorn

2. Kimiye Narasaki

3. Nirvana Zaher*