GYMNASTICS SIGNS JASMINE LIPKA AND ALYCIA CHAN TO NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT

4/20/2007

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State gymnastics team signed Jasmine Lipka and Alycia Chan to National Letters of Intent, it was announced today. The pair will both enroll at the University in the fall as freshmen.

Lipka is currently a senior at South Anchorage High School in Alaska. A member of Arctic Gymnastics since 2002, she has qualified for Level 10 nationals five times during her career. In 2006, Lipka placed 10th nationally on beam. She was also second on the event at the Region 2 championships and finished first on floor at the Gym Express Invitational.

At the 2005 nationals, she was sixth on floor. That same season, Lipka competed at the Japan Hyogo State Championships and finished fifth in the all-around.

Originally from Bozeman, Mont., Lipka began her gymnastics career in Wyoming before moving to Alaska. She competed for the Anchorage Gymnastics Association from 1997-99 and the Arete Gymnastics Academy from 1999-2002.

“Jasmine is a powerful gymnast whose strengths are on floor, beam and bars,” Sacramento State head coach Kim Hughes said. “She is very consistent and will have a chance to come in and compete in the all-around.”

A native of Langley, British Columbia, Chan is the first international gymnast to compete for the Hornets since Nirvana Zaher (Egypt). As a member of the Abottsford Twisters Gymnastics Club, Chan has spent the last 12 years with the club and the past three under the instruction of Horia Iliesu. Most recently, she placed third in the all-around at the 2007 Canada Winter Games. In that meet, she was first on floor and third on vault.

At the 2006 Artistic Canadian Gymnastics Championships, she was seventh in the all-around and third on vault. She placed third on floor at the national championships in 2005 and won the national floor title in 2004.

Chan has also built an impressive resume in national competition. She has been named to the British Columbia provincial team every year since 2002. She recently was invited to compete at Elite Canada in the winter of 2007, which is a national team and Olympic Trials screening event.

“Alycia is very good on vault, beam and floor,” Hughes said. “Like Jasmine, she is also powerful. She will give us a 10.0 vault which is something that we lacked this year. She also has rock-solid tumbling on floor.”

Sacramento State recently completed its 2007 season. The Hornets captured their second consecutive Western Athletic Conference title and advanced to the NCAA West Regional for the third time in school history.