Gymnastics Opens 2007 Season Friday in the M.A.C. Center
1/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
The Kent State University Gymnastics team will kick off their 2007 season this Friday in the friendly confines of the M.A.C. Center, where they were a perfect 4-0 last season in league contests. The Flashes will be taking on league foe and 2006 MAC Tournament Champion Broncos of Western Michigan.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE FLASHES: The
The Gold team was led by junior tri-captain Jill Kowalski. Kowalski was stellar in the meet taking home four first place crowns including the all-around title with a score of 39.550. She was complimented by her teammate, junior Amy Presan, who grabbed second place in the all-around, notching a 39.225. Sophomore Stacey Kalberg put in a solid performance for the Blue squad, finishing third in the all-around (38.625).
The team looked very strong on vault with the lowest score coming in at 9.700. Kowalski finished first on the event with a huge vault that earned her a 9.975. Placing second was Kalberg with a 9.900 and rounding out the top-three was junior tri-captain Kristin Peters (9.875).
Despite a couple of falls on bars, the team as a whole looked solid. Senior tri-captain Julie Huynh put in a terrific performance, earning a 9.850. Kowalski was solid with a 9.800 for second place and Presan came in third with a mark of 9.750.
On beam, the team looked polished. The top five competitors finished with a 9.700 or higher. Kowalski and Peters shared the first place crown, each scoring a 9.900 with nearly flawless performances. Presan finished in third with an impressive showing that earned her a 9.850.
The floor was thrilling to watch as four gymnasts tied for first place. Kowalski and Presan were joined by sophomore Laci Hendress and freshman Lydia Barrett, each scoring a 9.875 to tie for the title.
The 2006 regular season
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
“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
“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,
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
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.”
