GYMNASTICS EARNS THIRD CONSECUTIVE BID TO NCAA REGIONALS

4/2/2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For the third consecutive year, and the fourth time in school history, the Sacramento State gymnastics team will stretch its season into April. The Hornets were one of 36 teams to qualify for the NCAA postseason and will begin their competition at the West Regional hosted by Oregon State on Saturday, April 12.

Sacramento State will compete against No. 5 Michigan, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 17 Michigan State, No. 31 Washington and No. 32 San Jose State at the regional. The top two teams from each of the six regionals will advance to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. The top two all-arounders from non-advancing teams and any individual who wins an event championship at a regional will also move on to Athens.

The postseason berth is the latest accomplishment for the gymnastics program. The team has established itself as a dominant force over the last three years, joining Utah, Denver, West Virginia and BYU as the only teams not from the Southeastern Conference, Pac-10, Big 12, Big 10 or Atlantic Coast Conference to qualify for regionals each season. The Hornets are the only WAC team to make the postseason every year during that span and joined volleyball and women’s tennis as the only Sacramento State teams to compete in the posteason during those years (men’s track has advanced individuals during each of those year’s as well).

This season, the NCAA switched its postseason qualifications from a regional-based format to taking the top 36 teams in the nation based upon a team’s regional qualifying score. The change paid huge dividends to Sacramento State which ended the year ranked seventh in the West Region — a spot which would have left them on the outside of the postseason field.

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