Spring Break
No. 8 gymnastics heads south for Regionals
After a third place finish in conference two weeks ago, Oregon State will travel to Tucson, Arizona in search of another trip to nationals
Sami Redmond
Issue date: 4/12/07 Section: Sports
"Hopefully they will do well," Chaplin said. "They have been a team who can really step up and focus in when they want to. They are prepared and they have been doing well in practice."
Star freshman Mandi Rodriguez has without a doubt been a meaningful new addition to the team, scoring high in the all-around as well as on the vault with two scores this season of 9.95. Sophomore Jami Lanz is currently ranked eighth in the nation in the all-around and has also made a huge contribution to the team, as well as All-American Tasha Smith.
"It is amazing," Rodriguez said. "I didn't really expect it. It was a big honor, and I was really excited."
Last year, Oregon State qualified for the NCAA Championships with a 195.8 at the West Regional Championships. This season, Oregon State has earned over a team score of 196 in six meets, including a 197.1 against Cal State-Fullerton.
A solid performance will provide the Beavers with the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year. The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors in each region will receive an automatic qualification for nationals in Salt Lake City, Utah. The event winners at each regional championship will also qualify to compete in Utah in that event.
"It is like a fight for survival,
everybody wants to be in the top two," Smith said.
The Beavers fate lies in their ability to maintain consistency and pull out clutch routines. Throughout the season, they have shown their ability to score extremely well. They will have to recreate these routines to ensure their right to compete at nationals.
The six teams will take the floor for the South Central Regional Championships at 6 p.m. in the McKale Center on the University of Arizona campus.
Star freshman Mandi Rodriguez has without a doubt been a meaningful new addition to the team, scoring high in the all-around as well as on the vault with two scores this season of 9.95. Sophomore Jami Lanz is currently ranked eighth in the nation in the all-around and has also made a huge contribution to the team, as well as All-American Tasha Smith.
"It is amazing," Rodriguez said. "I didn't really expect it. It was a big honor, and I was really excited."
Last year, Oregon State qualified for the NCAA Championships with a 195.8 at the West Regional Championships. This season, Oregon State has earned over a team score of 196 in six meets, including a 197.1 against Cal State-Fullerton.
A solid performance will provide the Beavers with the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year. The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors in each region will receive an automatic qualification for nationals in Salt Lake City, Utah. The event winners at each regional championship will also qualify to compete in Utah in that event.
"It is like a fight for survival,
everybody wants to be in the top two," Smith said.
The Beavers fate lies in their ability to maintain consistency and pull out clutch routines. Throughout the season, they have shown their ability to score extremely well. They will have to recreate these routines to ensure their right to compete at nationals.
The six teams will take the floor for the South Central Regional Championships at 6 p.m. in the McKale Center on the University of Arizona campus.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.