090116_sp_gymnasticspreview.c
Headline: Gymnastics preview
Teams: UC Davis at San Jose State, BYU
Where: Spartan Gym – San Jose, Calif.
When: Today at 7 p.m.
Who to watch: In her first collegiate competition, freshman Jennifer Mueller set the stage for quite the career as an Aggie.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Mueller said, “but I knew I was capable of hitting the routine as long as I kept my nerves under control and did what I’ve been doing in practice.“
A score of 9.750 – good enough to tie for second at the meet –seemed to prove her right.
“I was really happy to be able to compete for UC Davis and represent the school,” Mueller said. “The meet was very exciting, and I love being part of the team.“
Did you know? With last week’s season-opening 48.450 on bars, Aggies rank 21st in the nation in the event. But San Jose State, with its 48.500, is ranked 19th. Additionally, the Spartans are ranked 23rd in the nation overall.
Preview: After a strong opening meet, the Aggies are looking to keep their momentum as they head to San Jose to face two tough squads.
“We have a very tall order [this] weekend,” said head coach John Lavallee. “Both teams are perennially very strong teams. These are going to be two very good quality teams for us to compete against on Friday. We’ve got our hands full.“
Tough though it may be, the Aggies have the tools to compete. In addition to veterans such as junior Tanya Ho – who last week scored in three events, including the vault – the freshman class showed considerable potential. Erika Van Dyke tied for eighth on the floor, and Chantel Hibbard tied for seventh on the bars.
“The reality for us is we are in charge of our own destiny based on our performance,” Lavallee said. “We’ve got some work to do, but we are pretty optimistic about things in general.“
And while the Spartans (No. 30) were ranked much higher last year than the Aggies (No. 49), the outcome at their most recent matchup proved that rankings aren’t everything.
“We beat San Jose last year,” said senior co-captain Andi Dolinsky, “and I think that will motivate us to beat them again this time.“
– Alex Wolf-Root
