Gymnastics Kicks Off Season with Annual Blue and Gold Intra-Squad Meet
11/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
The 2006 Co-MAC Regular Season Champion Kent State University gymnastics team will kick off their season tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 1st) at the annual Blue and Gold Intra-Squad meet. The team will be divided into two equal squads to showcase their talent . Admission to this event is free and it will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the M.A.C. Gymnastics Center.
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KENT STATE GYMNASTICS SEASON PREVIEW
The 2006 regular season Co-MAC Champion Kent State University gymnastics team is hungry to repeat as regular season champs as well as capture the MAC Championship title this season. With a core of tested veterans and a new crop of bright young talent, the Flashes' future in 2007 looks bright.
The Flashes finished last season with a 6-4 record overall and an impressive league record of 5-1. The team returns nine letterwinners from last season while only losing one student-athlete. There will be eight incoming freshman to compliment the returning student-athletes. The elected tri-captains of this year's team are senior Julie Huynh and juniors Jill Kowalski and Kristin Peters.
“We're very excited about this season,” said Head Coach Brice Biggin. “We've only lost one performer and feel good about the strength we're bringing back. We have more depth this year and it allows our athletes to push each other. We want to make a statement this year and think we can get back into the Central Regional. With the addition of our freshmen and the experience of our upperclassmen we expect to contend for a regular season title as well as a MAC Championship.”
This year's senior class is filled with leadership and talent. Amy Cucinotta, Huynh, Shawntelle Thompson, and Melissa Ruby are entering their fourth year in the program and will look to lead their team to a MAC Championship title.
Cucinotta had a very successful junior campaign, dominating especially on the floor. She earned four first place crowns to go along with nine total top five finishes on the event. She also excelled on vault and beam where she collected a total of seven top five finishes, highlighted by her career-high first place crown on beam (9.825) against Eastern Michigan.
“Amy had her best season yet in 2006. She added a third event (beam) and was a very consistent competitor,” Biggin explained. “We're looking for her to improve on last year and expect her to be a great senior leader.”
Huynh was a steady competitor all season long and competed for Kent State in all 10 regular season meets on bars. She was also solid on floor where she earned a season-high mark of 9.800 on 2/26/06.
“Julie made great strides on a lot of events for us, “said Biggin. “She was voted one of this year's tri-captains and that says a lot. She has improved her skill level on all three events and with these added skills she should make a huge impact on this team.”
Thompson provided strong team leadership last season. She was the lead off athlete on bars in each meet and her steady performances were invaluable to the Flashes.
“Shawntelle has fought through some injuries this summer, but has come back very determined,” Biggin said. “She left last season as a leadoff, solid bars competitor and wants to finish her career that way. We're looking for her to have a successful year.”
Ruby rejoined the team last season after taking a year off from gymnastics. While only officially competing in one meet on the year, she showed great promise in her exhibition performances and will be looked to for her leadership this season.
“Melissa has continued to improve,” noted Biggin. “We've seen her make great strides and are hoping she will earn spots on at least two events. She has worked hard to increase the difficulty of her routines and we're hoping it pays off.”
The team boasts a very impressive junior class. They are headed by regional qualifiers and All-MAC honoree Kowalski and regional qualifier Peters. Other members of this stellar class include Amy Presan, Jen Biondo, Alyssa Zambryckij, and Ali Borland.
Kowalski had a breakout sophomore campaign where she earned three all-around crowns to highlight her eight top three finishes. She was outstanding on bars where she ranked second in the Mid-American Conference. In total Kowalski earned 13 top three finishes on vault, bars, and beam, while competing in all 11 meets on the year.
“Jill is the unsung hero on this team,” explained Biggin. “She may not be the flashiest gymnast but when you look at the score sheet at the end of the meet she is in the top three on almost every event. She's the quiet kid who demonstrates what hard work can do for you. For us to be competitive this year she needs to be at her best.”
Peters continued her dominance on the bars last season, ranking first overall in the MAC. She was a team leader on both bars and beam where she finished in the top three 13 times during the season on those events. Earning a total of six first place titles on bar, Peters will look to be the MAC leader on bars again this season.
“Kristin made great strides and added an event last season, “Biggin said. “She has been our top performer on bars and beam for two years; we are looking for her to stay in that position. She also has the ability to become one of our top three competitors on vault. She is a very dynamic athlete who is a pleasure to watch; while watching her you can appreciate what good gymnastics is all about.”
Presan competed almost exclusively on beam where she participated in 10 meets last season. She earned one first place crown to go along with five top three finishes. She will be looking to work her way into the lineup on two more events this season.
“Amy has been a solid beam contributor for two years and has battled on bars,” Biggin commented. “She has made great progress this summer and is pushing hard to get on the floor as well as back on beam and bars. She's a very beautiful and graceful gymnast; her strength lies there. Hopefully her hard work will pay off and we'll see her in the lineup on three events this season.”
Zambryckij, Biondo, and Borland did not officially compete in any meets last season but are strong competitors who will aim to work their way into the lineups this year.
“Alyssa had her progress last year hampered by injuries,” Biggin explained. “We know she has the ability to be very good on two events for us. She is a great dancer, you notice her out on the floor; she just has to find the ability to fight the pain and we look forward to discovering how successful she can be.”
“Jen took a year off to focus on academics,” Biggin commented. “She decided she really missed gymnastics and has been working very hard to get back onto two events this season.”
“Ali is back this year after some soul searching on where she wanted to go with gymnastics,” Biggin said. “She has decided this is what she wants to do and has made some nice improvements. She must continue working on catching up a bit; if she keeps up her aggressiveness she'll challenge on a few events this year.”
The sophomore class enjoyed a very strong freshman campaign. The class was led by Laci Hendress and Stacey Kalberg, each of whom competed in every regular season meet. Hendress dazzled on the floor, highlighted by her career high score of 9.875 against league rival, Bowling Green. Kalberg managed to work her way into the Kent State University gymnastics record books with her impressive mark of 9.875 that she earned on vault against Northern Illinois. Hendress and Kalberg combined for a total of 42 top 10 finishes on the season. Another solid sophomore performer was Ashley Giannini who competed on the floor and scored in all but one meet that she participated in. Other sophomores include Jamie Ball, Amanda St. John, Rachel Stuck and Amy Wroblewski. These talented student-athletes will look to break into the lineup this season.
Biggin's thoughts on Hendress: “As a freshman Laci was a very fun athlete to watch. Her pure joy and love of competition brings a smile to your face. There's also a tenacity about her that we love to see. We are expecting her to compete on three events this season. She was actually a late starter to gymnastics and while she is competing very well, she is not done getting better.”
Biggin's thoughts on Kalberg: “She is an athlete who continually got better through competition last season. She started slow last season but continued to fight. She has a lot of talent and ability. We think that she will make a large impact on three events this season. We are very excited about her potential.”
Biggin's thoughts on Giannini: “Ashley has a great dance presence of beam and floor. She also has a lot of explosive power; she really stands out in competition. As she gets even more consistent we expect great things from her.”
Biggin's thoughts on Ball: “Jamie was injured last year and has just completed another surgery. She hasn't competed but is still battling to get into the lineup and none of this is because a lack of effort.”
Biggin's thoughts on St. John: “Amanda competed a couple times last season and we saw good things out of her. She needs to gain more experience and confidence and really believe she belongs here. Her talent and the intangibles are there, she just must understand that she is as good as anyone else out there.”
Biggin's thoughts on Stuck: “Rachel is a strong and powerful gymnast. She came in last year with an injury and worked very hard to get her skills back. Hopefully with her getting into the lineup in the last meet of the season, she will use that as a starting point going into this year. She could really take off if she stays healthy and we expect her to battle to get into the lineup on two events.”
Biggin's thoughts on Wroblewski: “Amy came in last season with an injury and worked hard to gain her strength back. We are expecting her to battle for a spot on beam this season where she has a very nice look.”
Finally the team welcomes a gifted group of freshman who will add strength and depth to the Flashes' lineup. The new additions include Lydia Barrett, Jamie Brady, Carly Conroy, Brittni Cortright, Gina Gastaldo, Sam Heydlauff, Brittany Kopp and Shanon Smith.
“With such a large number of incoming freshmen, there are many strengths in a number of different areas. This translates into us having the capacity to have one or two freshman in each lineup. With this added team depth it has made our team better. They bring a lot of solid routines that will push the upperclassmen and make the team overall a lot stronger.”
GYMNASTICS SEASON COMES to an END at CENTRAL REGIONAL
Kent State University Gymnastics team members Carrie Mayle, Jill Kowalski, and Kristin Peters saw their season come to an end this evening at the NCAA Central Regional Gymnastics Championship.
The Sooners of Oklahoma took first place in the competition with a composite score of 196.375. The L.S.U. Tigers finished second with a score of 195.825. These two teams will advance to the NCAA Championships.
Unfortunately the Kent State University gymnasts will not be joining them. The three Flashes participating in the competition were without the support of their teammates. This year was the first time Kent State did not qualify as a team in four years for regional competition. With a team that boasted only one senior member, it was a triumph for the three qualifiers that made the competition.
Tri-Captain Carrie Mayle, who competed in her final collegiate meet, finished with a 38.075 all-around score that put her at 17th in the competition. Teammate Kowalski, a sophomore, finished right behind with a 37.875, good enough for an 18th place finish. Kowalski also recorded a career-high mark on the floor, with a 9.825. This score put her in 11th place in that competition. Classmate and tri-captain Peters, who qualified as a specialist, earned a 9.725 on bars, which put her in a tie for 20th on the event.
The season is over for the Kent State but they have a solid team core returning for next year. The 2006 MAC Co-Regular Season Champion Flashes will continue to be a force in the 2007 season.
THE 2006 MAC CO-REGULAR SEASON CHAMPION FLASHES FALL SHORT IN MAC TOURNAMENT
The Kent State University Gymnastics team finished third this afternoon at the 2006 MAC Championships. Tournament host, Western Michigan, took first place.
The Broncos won the meet with a score of 193.800. Central Michigan finished second with 193.175 points. The Flashes came next with a tally of 192.700 and Eastern Michigan was fourth (192.075). Northern Illinois took fifth (191.225) with Bowling Green (190.850) and Ball State (188.225) rounding out the group of seven.
Despite the disappointing finish for the MAC Co-Regular Season Champion Flashes, there were many bright spots in the day. Senior tri-captain Carrie Mayle and junior Jill Kowalski were both named to the 2006 All-MAC First Team and Mayle captured the first place crown on the floor with a 9.850. Kent State also had top scores in two of the four event competitions. They had the team high scores on bars (48.350) and floor (48.950). Unfortunately they faltered on beam where they tallied their second lowest score of the season, 46.875.
Mayle who competed in the all-around for the first time in three weeks led the Flashes. She has been nursing a back injury that has hindered her from practicing and competing at full strength. This didn't stop the tough veteran today. She began the meet with a second place-tying effort on vault (9.850) and continued to bars where she posted her second best score of the season, 9.725, which was good enough for fourth place. After a disappointing effort on beam (9.050), she rebounded beautifully and nailed her floor routine to capture the first place title. She placed sixth in the all-around with a 38.450.
Other impressive efforts from the Flashes included sophomore tri-captain Kristin Peter's tie for second place on bars (9.750), Kowalski tying for sixth on the same event with a 9.700. Junior Amy Cucinotta and freshman Laci Hendress tied for fourth on floor with matching scores of 9.800.
