Spring Break
Gymnasts hope streak continues in Boise State
No. 11 Oregon State will hit floor with two of best gymnasts in nation, Tasha Smith and Jami Lanz, as Beavers travel to meet for second straight week
Samantha Redmond
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Sports
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Last weekend the Beavers achieved their highest team score of the season, a 196.975, in a victory over Washington and Seattle Pacific. Oregon State was on fire, tying or improving on seven career-best scores. The Beavers will have a chance to improve once again in their quad meet against UC Davis, Seattle Pacific and Boise State.
"I am proud of the whole team right now," coach Tanya Chaplin said. "They have all stepped up and done what they needed to do."
Sophomore Tasha Smith was named the Pac-10 Conference Gymnast of the Week for February 10-26 after earning a career-high last week in the all-around with a 39.55. She also recorded season-high scores on all four events. Smith is the second Oregon State gymnast to earn this title in the past two consecutive weeks, with Jami Lanz, ranked No. 11 nationally in the all-around, receiving last week's honor.
"I've been coming back slowly from my knee injury," Smith said. "I am building and getting back into the whole swing of things."
Seattle Pacific got a taste of Oregon State last Friday when they placed third in the triangular meet with a 190.05. Seattle Pacific is currently No. 2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation behind UC-Davis. Senior Debra Huss is the Falcon's top all-arounder with a regional qualifying score of 38.315.
"There are debates back and forth all of the time about what's the best way to rank teams," Chaplin said. "But this is the system at this point and we've been used to that. They are fairly close, but an RQS can be different then a team's average."
UC-Davis is ranked first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and recently finished with a team score of 191.45 against San Jose State and Sacramento State. A notable gymnast on the UC-Davis team is Michelle Kulovitz, who recently earned her career-best in the all-around with a 38.775. Kulovitz, Carrie Lujan and Tanya Ho are all in the West Region's top 20 for vault.
The Broncos are currently fifth in the WAC. Last Saturday they posted a team score of 193.975, a season high that allowed them to take first place in their quad meet against Texas Woman's University, Illinois State and the University of Illinois-Chicago.
"I want to see them going into it with the same mind frame that they did for the last two meets," Chaplin said. "That's what we will practice at home until we see Boise State."
Oregon State continues to improve throughout the season and is in position for another high-scoring competition this Friday.
"We need to continue to do what we've been doing the last two weeks," Chaplin said. "Hopefully the momentum will continue over the next two road trips because those road trips are crucial to our RQS."
The meet is set to start at 7 p.m. at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise.
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