Feb. 28, 2006

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#30 Utah State at #27 Southern Utah Cedar City, Utah The Centrum Friday, March 3, 2006 7 p.m. MST

THIS WEEK - No. 30 Utah State (5-10, 0-5) will travel to 27th-ranked Southern Utah (4-5, 1-1) this Friday, March 3. The meet is set to begin at 7 p.m. in Cedar City.

NEXT WEEK - Utah State will host Boise State (9-3, 1-1) on Friday, March 10 in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at 6:35 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT - Utah State's gymnastics team recorded a season-high 48.600 on vault against Sacramento State, but couldn't overcome four falls throughout the night, finishing second, 193.750-192.175.

Jessica Parenti led Utah State, scoring a season-high 39.275 in the all-around after finishing first on the bars (9.850), second on the vault (9.800), tied for second on the balance beam (9.850), and tied for fourth on the floor (9.775).

Meagan Lewis scored or tied season-high scores in every event, recording a 9.775 on the vault (fourth), 9.775 on bars (third), 9.825 on beam (fourth) and a 9.800 on floor (tied for second) to compile a season-high 39.175 all-around score (second).

The Aggies started strong on vault, but had to count a fall on the bars as two gymnasts struggled to complete their routines. The Aggies did claim the one, two and three spots with Parenti (9.850), Alex Martin (9.800) and Lewis (9.775) having strong nights, but it wasn't enough as the Hornets took the lead 97.075-95.975.

On beam, Utah State continued to struggle as two more gymnasts took falls and the team scored a 47.675, while Sacramento State recorded a 48.550.

The Aggies came back on floor and finished four gymnasts in the top six, but it wasn't enough to overcome Sacramento State's lead. Alex Martin recorded a season-high 9.800 to finish tied for second, while freshman Brittany Price recorded a career-high scoring a 9.675 to finish sixth.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH - Southern Utah led its gymnastics meet with Michigan after two events as the No. 8 Wolverines opened with their lowest bars score of the season, but the lead didn't hold up as the 22nd-ranked Thunderbirds fell to Michigan, 195.150-194.125.

Southern Utah University opened with a 48.70 on vault, the team's second-highest mark of the year on the apparatus with Rachel Tanner recording a 9.875 vault for the second straight meet to lead the way for the Thunderbirds and win the event.

Southern Utah then went to bars and scored 48.650, with Erin Morgan (9.80) and Jess Langley (9.825) both posting career bests and Ashley Sharpe scoring a 9.850 to finish as meet champion.

Southern Utah struggled on beam for the second straight meet, however. Langley was first up but she suffered a fall, then Leah Sakhitab, who came into the meet ranked 20th in the nation on beam, suffered just her second fall on the apparatus in her three years as a Thunderbird. Sheena Shaw and Tanner were the top two Thunderbirds on beam, and tied in fourth at 9.725, while Kellie Dangerfield, competing for the first time, turned in a 9.675, and Sharpe had a career-high 9.675 as well.

SUU hoped to make up ground on floor but Michigan was solid on beam, hitting on five of six events for a 48.950, and while the Thunderbirds were solid on floor they finished with a mark of 48.69. Shaw finished tied with Michigan's Carol McNamara in second place on floor, at 9.80.

THE SERIES - Against Southern Utah the Aggies are 34-14 overall and 10-6 on the road. Utah State and Southern Utah met in Salt Lake City earlier this year, where the Thunderbirds beat the Aggies, 193.175-192.675.

TEAM RANKINGS - Utah State fell six spots in the national rankings this week, from No. 24 to No. 30 as their RQS remained unchanged at 192.720.

In team event rankings, the Aggies are ranked 27th on bars (48.330), 31st on beam (47.885), tied for 31st on vault (48.425), and 34th on floor (48.290).

In individual rankings, senior Jessica Parenti is ranked 32nd in the all-around with an RQS score of 38.865.

The Aggies are currently the third-ranked team in the WAC. Other league teams in the listings include 27th-ranked Southern Utah, 29th-ranked San Jose State, 34th-ranked Sacramento State, followed by Boise State and Cal State Fullerton, ranked 35th and 44th respectively.

DECODING THE RQS - The RQS is determined by taking a team's top six scores, at least three of which of which must be away scores. The top score is dropped and the remaining five scores are averaged. The Aggies RQS is currently 192.720, and with every meet the Aggies have the opportunity to improve that score.

Following the Western Athletic Conference championships, the top 18 teams in the nation by RQS rank will automatically make it to regionals. The final 18 spots will come as three teams from each of the six regions who are not in the top-18 will make the field. Currently, USU is sixth in the North Central Region, but three NCR teams currently rank in the top-18, including Utah (No. 3), Iowa State (No. 7), and Denver (No. 16).

2006 TEAM CAPTAINS - Juniors Rachael Mandy and Alex Martin and sophomore Kelly Patterson are serving as the captains for the 2006 squad. This is Mandy and Patterson's first year as captains and Martin's second.

2006 SEASON OUTLOOK - The Aggies are entering their 29th season of Division I competition and their 29th season under head coach Ray Corn. After finishing first at the WGC in 2005, the Aggies begin the 2006 in the WAC with a preseason second place ranking. They return 12 letterwinners, and bring in four freshmen. This year the Aggies return three seniors in Ashley Barr, Liesel Kohler and Jessica Parenti. Barr, however, will redshirt this season after tearing her ACL this fall. Jessica Parenti is expected to lead the team in the all-around competition. Last year she recorded a personal best 39.425. She will be joined by teammate Megan Tschida, who led the Aggies in the beginning of last year as Parenti was out sick. They will be joined by Alex Martin, Katie Omann and Rachael Mandy. The Aggies will be returning a veteran vault squad, with the exception of freshman Devin Markle. Jackie Fogli, Rachael Mandy, Megan Lewis and Katie Omann will all be strong competitors for the Aggies. The balance beam is one place to look for the freshmen in action. As for the returners, Liesel Kohler, Meagan Lewis and Alex Martin are all expected to be strong contributors. All three gymnasts currently rank on the Aggies top-10 all time list. On floor Megan Tschida and Jessica Parenti are expected to shine. Liesel Kohler and Alex Martin will also continue to compete as solidly as they have in the past.

HEAD COACH RAY CORN - Utah State's Ray Corn (Northern Colorado `71) is in his 29th year as the Aggies' head coach. Corn's teams own an overall record of 423-407-2. In 20 of the past 22 years, USU has qualified for the NCAA regional competition. Utah State first participated in the Big West Conference gymnastics championship in 1992, winning the title. The Aggies claimed the Big West championship three times -- in 1996, 1998 and 2001. USU joined the Western Gymnastics Conference in 2002, winning the conference title in 2005. The Aggies joined the Western Athletic Conference this year. Corn was named the Midwest Regional Coach of the Year in 1991, earned Big West Co-Coach of the Year honors in 1994 and was named Big West Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2001. He also earned coach of the year honors in the High Country Athletic Conference in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He was named WGC Coach of the Year in 2005.

A LOOK AT THE 2006 AGGIES

Ashley Barr - A redshirting senior from Littleton, Colo., Barr will sit out the 2006 season after tearing her ACL this fall and undergoing surgery in December. In 2005 Barr competed in all 13 meets for the Aggies on both beam and floor, and missed only one meet on the bars. She received WGC all-conference honors on beam after finishing fifth with a 9.825. She received WGC all-academic honors for the third straight year as well as being named the WGC athlete of the week for the week of March 7.

Nicki Felley - Competed in her second meet and first home meet against Sacramento State recording a 9.600. She vaulted a 9.575 at Boise State. A freshman out of Flower Mound, Texas she competed at the 2005 Junior Olympic Championships where she finished ninth in the all-around out of 250 participants. She placed 11th on the bars, 17th on both the beam and vault, and 19th on the floor to solidify her top-10 performance.

Jackie Fogli - Had a fifth place finish on vault against Cal State Fullerton, NC State and San Jose State with a 9.775. On the floor she was the second best Aggie and 13th overall with a 9.400. On the beam she finished with a 8.975. A sophomore out of Wheaton, Ill., Fogli was a strong contender on the vault all last season for the Aggies. She finished the season with a 9.7075 average. At the WGC Championships she led the Aggies on the vault with a 9.900 to tie for first. She became only the second freshman from Utah State to win a WGC event. She also earned all-conference honors on floor with her fourth place finish with a career high 9.775.

Jaymie Goodsell - A redshirt sophomore from Blaine, Minn., Goodsell is expected to add depth to the Aggies on the beam.

Sarah Johnson - Has competed on the beam in every meet this season. Against Sacramento State last week she recorded a 9.125, her lowest of the season. Two weeks ago against Washington and TWU she scored a career-high 9.800 to finish third overall. Against the Cougars she scored a 9.625 on beam, while scoring a 9.400 on bars. She finished with the second highest score on the beam for the Aggies against TWU, LSU and Centenary scoring a 9.625 and she competed for the first time in her career on bars scoring a 8.800. Johnson is a freshman from Arlington, Texas.

Liesel Kohler - She has competed on the beam and floor in every meet but one this season. Against Sacramento State she scored a 9.475 on floor. She recorded a season-high 9.775 on beam to tie for third place at BYU. She also competed on the floor and scored a 9.650. She helped the Aggies on floor against BYU on Jan. 20 with a 9.750 to finish third. Against TWU, LSU and Centenary, Kohler again finished third with a score of 9.850. A senior from La Selva Beach, Calif., Kohler currently has eight of the top 20 all-time floor performances and three of the top 10 all-time beam performances for the Aggies. In 2005 she won the WGC Championships floor title (9.850) and finished third on beam (9.850). She garnered all-conference honors in both events.

Meagan Lewis - Lewis scored or tied season-high scores in every event against Sacramento State, recording a 9.775 on the vault (fourth), 9.775 on bars (third), 9.825 on beam (fourth), 9.800 on floor (tied for second) to compile a season-high 39.175 all-around score (second). Against TWU and Washington she won her second straight all-around with a season high 38.900. She scored a 9.750 on vault, scored a 9.575 on bars and scored a season-high 9.800 on floor, placing in a tie for fifth, tenth, and first respectively. On the beam she scored a 9.775 to tie for fourth. Recorded a 38.775 to finish first in the all-around against BYU. She was the only Aggie to claim a first place finish at the meet. Lewis won the all-around after finishing in a tie for third on vault (9.750), fifth on bars (9.650), eighth on the beam (9.675) and seventh on the floor (9.700). A junior from Las Vegas, Nev., she competed as Meagan Nelson as a freshman and sophomore before marrying Corey Lewis. This year Lewis returned to competition in the all-around, something she hasn't done since 2003 when she set a Utah State record for 39.00-plus scores in a season with 12, breaking former Aggie Christy Denson's mark of nine. Her all-around scores in 12 of 14 meets were better than 39.000, including 39.500 against Boise State.

Rachael Mandy - She has competed on vault and bars for the Aggies in all seven meets so far this season. Against Sacramento State she scored a 9.700 on vault and a 8.250 on bars. Against TWU and Washington she scored a 9.725 on vault and 8.750 on bars. She also competed on floor for the first time in her career and scored a 9.200. She recorded her season-high vault score (9.775) against the Cougars to finish second and scored a 9.675 on bars to finish fourth. Against Utah she scored a season-high 9.775 on vault and a 9.700 on bars. Against TWU, LSU and Centenary she tied for second on bars with a 9.775. A junior from Fargo, N.D., Mandy will serve as one of three team captains this year. Mandy competed on the vault in every meet of 2005. She scored at least a 9.700 on vault in each meet and was the most solid Aggie on vault with a season average of 9.7583.

Devin Markle - A freshman from Reno, Nev., Markle finished 18th in the all-around competition at the 2005 Junior Olympic Championships. She had a top-10 performance on the floor (10), then finished 13th on the bars, 25th on the vault, and 32nd on the beam.

Alex Martin - Martin has become a regular in the all-around this season, competing for the fifth time this season against Sacramento State. She finished third in the all-around after scoring a season-high 9.800 on floor and bars, a 9.700 on beam, and a 9.450 on vault. Against TWU and Washington she finished second in the all-around for the second time this season. She scored a season-high 38.625 after scoring a 9.550 on vault, 9.650 on bars, 9.750 on beam and 9.675 on floor. Against BYU she finished second in the all-around with a score of 38.250. Against Utah Martin competed in the all-around for the first time this season and scored a 38.525. She led the Aggies on beam with a 9.625, and was the second Aggie on the bars (9.750). She had a 9.700 on vault, and a 9.450 on floor. After only competing in one event at Cal State Fullerton because of a sore ankle, Martin returned to the lineup in three events against TWU, LSU and Centenary. She competed on the bars and tied for second with a 9.775. She also competed on beam (8.250) and floor (9.550). A junior from Longmont, Colo., Martin is one of three team captains for the 2006 squad.

Katie Omann - Omann returned to the lineup this week on both the vault and beam after being limited to the bars for the past four weeks due to an injury. She scored a 9.725 on vault, a 9.700 on bars and a 8.950 on beam. Against TWU and Washington she scored a 9.570 on bars and against BYU she scored a 9.075. Against Utah she scored a 9.650. Omann won the all-around for the first time in her career against BYU on Jan. 20 with a 38.850. The first place finish came after she finished second on the vault (9.750) and bars (9.775), fourth on the floor (9.700) and sixth on the beam with a personal-best 9.625. For her efforts she was named the Xbox Live WAC Athlete of the Week. In her first all-around appearance of her career against TWU, LSU and Centenary and finished second with a 38.975 behind teammate Jessica Parenti. Omann outscored Parenti on the vault in a tie for second place with a score of 9.825. She also tied for second on bars (9.775) while also finishing in at tie for fifth place on floor (9.800) and ninth on beam (9.575). Omann is a sophomore from Sartell, Minn.

Jessica Parenti - Parenti has competed in the all-around in every meet this season for Aggies. She currently has the highest season average of all the Aggies on vault (9.706), bars (9.703) and beam (9.646). She has the second-highest average on floor (9.662) and in the all-around (38.718). Against Sacramento State she scored a 9.80 on vault, a pair of 9.850's on bars and beam, and a 9.775 on floor to finish with a season-high all-around score, 39.275. At Boise State she finished second in the all-around with a 38.900. She finished tied for first on floor (9.750) and tied for second on both the beam (9.725) and bars (9.775). She also finished tied for eighth on the vault (9.650). Against TWU and Washington she recorded season-highs on vault and bars with a pair of 9.825's, and a 9.900 on beam. She finished in a tie for third on vault, and first on both bars and beam. She scored 8.700 on floor after falling out of bounds to finish third in the all-around with a 38.450. She finished with a fourth place at BYU with a 37.975. Parenti led the Aggies on the floor with a tie for second place (9.750). Against second-ranked Utah she led Utah State with a 38.975 and a third-place finish. Parenti placed second in the all-around last time out against BYU with a score of 38.750 after winning the event in the first two meets of the season. She won the event against TWU, LSU and Centenary with a 39.250. She was also honored as USU Athlete of the Week for Jan. 16, and she was the first Aggie to ever receive the Xbox Live WAC Gymnast of the Week honor. Against Cal State Fullerton, NC State and San Jose State Parenti easily won the all-around (38.175) with a third place finish on beam (9.625) and a tie for third on vault (9.800). She took sixth on the floor (9.600) while placing 17th on bars with a 9.150. Parenti holds three rankings in the Aggie all-time top 20. She also holds the highest vault score ever recorded by an Aggie with a 9.950. At the 2005 WGC Championships she took third on bars (9.800) and the all-around (39.025), earning all-conference recognition in both events. Parenti is a senior from Glendora, Calif.

Kelly Patterson - Patterson competed for the second time in her collegiate career against TWU and Washington scoring a 8.925 on the vault. Against BYU in her first outing she vaulted a 9.525. She is a redshirt sophomore from Twin Falls, Idaho. Patterson is one of three captains for the 2006 Aggies. She won the 2003 Level 10 regionals on the bars and finished eighth in the all-around.

Brittany Price - Price has competed on the beam in every meet this season. Against Sacramento State she scored a 9.175 on beam and a career-best 9.675 on floor. She scored a personal-best against TWU and Washington on beam with a 9.775 and a tie for fourth place finish. Against Boise State she posted a 9.675 finish fifth, while posting a 9.400 on floor (15th). Against BYU Price competed on beam and recorded a 9.750. She also competed on floor scoring a 9.000. Price competed on floor for the first time in her career against Utah and scored a 9.525 for the Aggies. She also competed on vault (9.500) and beam (9.550). Against BYU on Jan. 20 she placed eighth on the vault with a career high 9.600 and ninth on the beam (9.525) for the Aggies. Against TWU, LSU and Centenary Price scored a 9.525 on vault and a 9.100 on beam. At Cal State Fullerton, her first collegiate competition for the Aggies, Price scored a 9.525 on beam to tie for fifth place. Price is a freshman from San Antonio, Texas.

Ana Rickard - Rickard has competed on the vault and floor in every meet but one this season. She scored a 9.475 on floor against Sacramento State. She scored a 9.425 on vault at Boise State, and a 9.525 on floor. Against Utah she scored a 9.500 on floor and a recorded a personal-best 9.650 on vault. Rickard improved her floor routine score in the first three meets of the season, scoring a 9.600 her first time out against the Cougars, a 9.525 against TWU, LSU and Centenary, and a 9.325 in her debut at Cal State Fullerton. A sophomore from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, Rickard competed in one meet as a freshman on the vault.

Megan Tschida - Tschida recorded a 8.250 on the bars against Sacramento State last week after recording a 9.650 at Boise State. Tschida returned to the lineup for the first time in five weeks against TWU and Washington and scored a 9.625 on bars. In the first meet of the season she competed on bars and floor exercise scoring a 8.025 and 8.900 respectively against Cal State Fullerton, NC State and San Jose State. A sophomore from St. Paul, Minn., Tschida flipped into the number one all-around role in 2005 when Jessica Parenti was unable to compete at the beginning of the season. Tschida responded by finishing second in the all-around in her first two meets with an all-around high score of 39.125 against Utah. She also tied for the floor title against Utah with a 9.850. She received all-conference honors by finishing fourth on floor with a 9.775. Had the highest floor average of all the USU gymnasts in 2005 with 9.8318.