BOISE, Idaho — The Sacramento State gymnastics team found itself in an unusual position Saturday night at the Western Athletic Conference Championships hosted by Boise State. Despite a solid score of 194.275, the Hornets finished fourth at the meet, ending a run of three straight conference titles and seven in the last eight years.
Host Boise State finished atop the closely batched field with a team score of 194.925. San Jose State was second at 194.725 and was followed by Southern Utah (194.575) and Sacramento State. Utah Sate (194.150) and Cal State Fullerton (192.650) rounded out the standings.
While the Hornets’ goal of winning another WAC title was not completed, the team’s season will continue at the NCAA Regional for the third straight year and the fourth time in program history. Sacramento State should end the regular season ranked 35th nationally and will be one of the 36 teams to qualify for NCAA postseason play.
At the WAC meet, Sacramento State began the competition on beam and scored 48.475. The team did not count a fall but had several checks which lowered its overall score. Senior Melissa Genovese led the way with a 9.850 which placed second overall and earned her first team all-WAC honors. Junior Marina Borisova ranked second on the squad with a 9.700 and the team also counted a 9.675 from Traci Takeda, a 9.650 from Lizzy Norvell and a 9.600 from Eryn Stubblefield.
Following a bye, the team moved to floor and scored 48.900. Amber Basgall opened the rotation with a 9.825. Stubblefield later added a 9.675 and freshman Alycia Chan scored a team best 9.850. The final two scores came from Genovese (9.825) and Borisova (9.725).
On vault, the Hornets totaled 48.500. Chan tied for fourth overall with a 9.825 to earn second team all-league honors. Borisova was second on the team with a 9.725 and Sacramento State also counted a 9.675 from Stubblefield, a 9.650 from Takeda and a 9.625 from senior Nicole Giao.
The Hornets ended the meet on bars but struggled to receive high scores despite not counting a fall. Four gymnasts (Borisova, Genovese, Alexis Tsurumoto and Lauren Dyson) each scored 9.700s to lead the team. Basgall provided the fifth mark with a 9.600.
Genovese was third in the all-around at 38.975. The senior trailed Boise State’s Hannah Redmon (39.225) and Southern Utah’s Jenna Vogt (39.000). Redmon was named the WAC’s Freshman of the Year and Gymnast of the Year following the meet.
BOISE, Idaho —
