The Barometer Online

Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Curtis Barnard Oregon State junior Mandi Rodriguez dismounts from the uneven parallel bars during a 2009 meet. Rodriguez was the 2009 Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year.

For the fourth straight season, the Oregon State gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA Championships, and for the fourth straight season, the gymnasts were unable to break into the Super Six, finishing tied for 11th once again.

In Lincoln, Neb., OSU was unable to get things going during the April 16 competition, needing to count falls in lineups that were often very strong during the regular season.

"I look at LSU and it took them 13 years before they made it in the Super Six," said OSU head coach Tanya Chaplin. "We had an opportunity, and the difference is last year we finished 11th but we hit 24-24 or 23-24. We didn't count a fall - this year we had to count two falls, and it has been different things. We had the players in place but not the performance we had the year before."

The meet was not all a loss for Oregon State, as the Beavers walked away with four All-Americans: seniors Jami Lanz and Tasha Smith, junior Mandi Rodriguez and sophomore Jen Kesler.

On her own, Smith became an exciting story for OSU. In December, Smith gave birth to a daughter, then began fighting her way back into gymnastics shape and was ready to throw an exhibition vault routine at the University of Washington on February 21. Shortly after Washington, on March 6, Smith performed a special exhibition floor routine in front of a Gill Coliseum crowd on the team's senior night. At the NCAA Championships the senior competed for the first time in competitive lineup; she then danced and tumbled her way to her third career All-American honor.

With Smith unable to compete for much of the year, the Beavers needed to display depth on the roster as freshman and veterans stepped into the opening that Smith left in four lineups. Oregon State continued showing depth as the team dealt with illness and injury throughout the season, a prime example being when freshman Olivia Vivian was set to miss the NCAA Championship meet due to illness. Filling in for Vivian, as she had earlier in the season, senior D'Anna Piro posted a 9.800 on the apparatus.

Continued...

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