Junior Toni Petersen (above) Sophomore Binta Coleman (Middle) Senior Lori Gillette (Below) |
BERKELEY, Calif. – Sacramento State recorded its third-highest score in program history with a 194.350 as the Hornet gymnastics team defeated West Region rivals Boise State (194.275), San Jose State (193.775) and Cal (191.975) on March 15 in Haas Pavilion. The Hornets (11-6) have now recorded a score of 193 or higher in five of their last six meets.Sacramento State broke the 194-plateau for the third time this season after recording a program-record 48.850 on vault and a season high 49.050 on bars.
On vault, sophomore Binta Coleman (9.825), freshmen Nirvana Zaher (9.8) and junior Toni Petersen (9.775) each contributed a career high for the event. Junior Brooke Crowell (9.725) and senior Lara Goold (9.725) also contributed to the team’s mark.
Coleman (second) and Zaher (third) placed in the top three for the meet while Petersen (fourth), Crowell (tied for seventh) and Goold (tied for seventh) cracked the top ten.
On bars, senior Lori Gillette and freshman Meloney Greer each recorded a 9.85 to tie for third in the meet. Petersen (9.825), junior Wendy Baisdon (9.8) and Coleman (9.725) also contributed on the apparatus. Greer, a native of Couer d’Alene, Idaho, tied a personal best for the event with her mark.
On beam, Petersen tied for first on the event with a carrer-high score of 9.825. Junior Jenny Diamond (9.775, tied for fifth) and Coleman (9.7, tied for ninth) rounded out the Hornets in the top ten.
On floor, Coleman placed third with a personal-best 9.85 and Zaher placed tied for seventh with a mark of 9.8.
Coleman also tied for second all-around with a season-high score of 39.100. For Coleman, a native of Elk Grove, Calif., it was the fourth time this season in which she led the squad in all-around competition. The sophomore returned to the Hornets’ lineup after sitting out the team’s previous contest due to a hyperextended knee. Petersen placed sixth with a score of 38.825.
In the West Region rankings, the Hornets and Boise State are tied for the sixth and final regional spot with a Regional Qualifying Score of 193.810. The top six schools earn a trip to Corvallis, Ore., for the 2002 NCAA regionals.
The Hornets will next travel to The US Air Force Academy for the inaugural Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on March 23 at 7 p.m. in Cadet Stadium West Gym. Sacramento State leads the conference with an RQS of 193.810. Air Force (193.745), San Jose State (192.700), UC Davis (191.355) and UC Santa Barbara (183.705) round out the rest of the field. Before joining the MPSF, the Hornets won two-consecutive Western Independent Championships in 2000 & ‘01.
