After a tough loss at Seattle Pacific last Saturday, the Sacramento State gymnastics team returns home for the remainder of the regular season. The Hornets begin the two-meet homestand on Sunday, March 13, against UC Davis at 2 p.m. in the Hornets Nest. This will be the third time that the two schools have met in 2005 as Sacramento State has won the first two meetings.

Last week, the Hornets travelled to Seattle Pacific and suffered a 192.375-191.950 loss to the Falcons. In the meet, Sacramento State was led by Meloney Greer and Melissa Genovese who each recorded a first-place finish. Greer scored 9.800 for her first victory on bars this season while Genovese recorded a 9.775 on beam for her second win in as many weeks.

Sacramento State is currently 8-8 on the season and is clinging to the sixth position in the West Region. The Hornets have a Regional Qualifying Score of 192.175 which is .045 better than San Jose State. The top six teams in the region will likely qualify for the NCAA West Regional in April.

UC Davis is 7-11 following four losses at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational hosted by Oregon State. The Aggies recorded a season-high road score of 190.700 but were well behind the host Beavers who finished first with 195.525. Ninth-ranked Iowa State was second at 195.100 and Washington was third with 194.500.

Including two wins this season, Sacramento State leads the all-time series against the Aggies, 30-18. The Hornets have not lost to UC Davis since March 15, 2002, and have won the past nine meetings.

• Head Coach Kim Hughes

In his 25th 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 206-192-2, Hughes led the Hornets to back-to-back MPSF Championships in 2002 and 2003 before finishing second last season. 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.

In 2004, Hughes led the team to its two best scores in school history. The top mark of 195.875 came at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational at Oregon State. The team also set program records on the vault, beam and floor last season.

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.

• Leaderboard

One quick glance at the MPSF stats will find the Hornets near the top of nearly every category. Sacramento State currently leads the conference in team RQS with a score of 192.175. The Hornets also own the third-highest meet score this season with at 193.200 against San Jose State. The team also has the top RQS on three events (vault 48.160; bars 48.300; floor 48.510). Sacramento State is also ranked 42nd nationally and sixth in the West Region. The top six teams in the west will likely advance to the NCAA Regional on April 9.

Individually, the Hornets are also atop numerous rankings. Freshman Alexis Tsurumoto is the league leader on bars and is fifth in the West Region with an RQS of 9.835. That score is .135 better than Alaska Anchorage’s Dominique Ingram who is second. Fellow freshman Melissa Genovese leads on beam with a 9.765 RQS and Aeder is the top ranked gymnast on floor at 9.870. The only event a Hornet does not lead is vault where senior Nirvana Zaher is second with a 9.735 RQS. Ingram leads with a 9.780.

• Another Round at the Bars

Sacramento State claimed its seventh individual bars title this season when Greer finished first at Seattle Pacific. The senior, who has been the most consistent member of the team on bars over the last three years, scored 9.800 and finished one tenth ahead of SPU’s Sarah Sullivan. This season, Greer is averaging 9.569 on bars and has a pair of 9.800s and a 9.825 against UC Davis on Feb. 11.

Saturday’s meet at SPU marked the first time that Greer had performed since Feb. 18. Earlier this season, she fell off the bar during warm-ups at the UCLA Quad meet but returned to competition the next week. Last season, the Couer d’Alene, Idaho, native qualified for the NCAA West Regional as a specialist on bars.

Greer is not the only Hornet to have success on the event this season. Redshirt freshman Alexis Tsurumoto has won six times this season and is averaging 9.655 in 10 routines.

• Back on the Beam

Freshman Melissa Genovese is living up to all of her preseason hype. Last spring when the Hornets signed Genovese to a National Letter of Intent, head coach Kim Hughes praised her as the most talented recruit in school history. With high expectations, Genovese has delivered during her first collegiate season. The El Dorado Hills, Calif., native earned another victory this past week on beam with a 9.775. That score raised her season average to 9.635 and pushed her RQS to 9.765 — tied for eighth in the West Region. Over the past six meets, Genovese’s lowest score was a 9.550. During that span, she has four marks above a 9.775.

• Injury Update

Freshman Hava McCarter-Ribakoff, sophomore Courtney Hibler and junior Rachel Anderson remain out of the lineup. McCarter-Ribakoff suffered a knee injury during practice on Feb. 16 and will likely miss the rest of the season. Hibler broke bones in her foot prior to the season and will redshirt this season. Anderson was thought to be done for the season with severe shin splints but has been cleared to practice and is working with the team on vault.

• News and Notes

Sacramento State is 5-0 at home this season…one week after a rare fall on beam, junior Kimiye Narasaki scored 9.750 to finish tied for second…even with judges claiming Aeder stepped out of bounds on floor and enforcing a .10 neutral deduction, the senior scored a 9.775 on the event to tie for second…freshman Amber Basgall scored 9.700 on her exhibition bar routine at SPU, the second-best score for the Hornets that night.

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