The Barometer Online

Issue date: 2/9/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Curtis Barnard Senior Kera Bolen mounts the uneven parallel bars in Friday nights victory over No. 23 Arizona State. Bolen scored a 9.575 on the apparatus.

Even with mistakes, tough judging and the need to count some lower scores than normal, Oregon State proved it can overcome these things and put up a strong score at the end of the night.

The strong score on Friday night gave the No. 10 OSU gymnastics team a 196.275-194.025 victory over the No. 23 Arizona State Gym Devils. As a team, the Beavers dominated the Gym Devils, winning all four apparatuses despite surrendering one individual title to ASU on beam.

"We started off strong on vault, and going into floor [head coach] Tanya [Chaplin] said 'what a big crowd we have' and that we needed to bring the house down," junior Mandi Rodriguez said. "It was time for us to get Gill really loud. We were really excited and with every routine we kept building momentum."

Beginning on the vault, Oregon State posted a 49.1, with strong scores on the apparatus from senior Jami Lanz and Rodriguez, who posted scores of 9.875 and 9.9, respectively. Lanz and Rodriguez anchored the event, sticking their landings and sending the Beavers to bars with momentum.

Looking to build on the vault performance, OSU moved to traditionally one of its stronger events on the uneven parallel bars. Senior Kera Bolen opened competition on the apparatus for Oregon State. Due to a form break and a small step on her dismount, Bolen was scored a 9.575, a score the Beavers would hope to throw away.

The Beavers were required to keep the score as junior Laura-Ann Chong uncharacteristically fell on bars, making her 9.2 the score OSU would not count on the event. Rodriguez and Lanz started to right the ship for the Beavers as they handed things off to the bars cleanup team consisting of freshman Leslie Mak and sophomore Jen Kesler.

Mak and Kesler cleaned up the event, posting matching scores of 9.925 to win the event. Mak set up the crowd once again, impressing the Gill Coliseum crowd before Kesler knocked them down with a big release on her giant full to Tkatchev. Kesler would finish her routine with a stuck dismount, bringing the pink clad Beaver Nation to their feet.

Continued...

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