2004 WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS
SEASON PREVIEW Young Squad Looks to Continue Success of 2003 Jan. 7, 2004– Fullerton, Calif.
Six All-Western Gymnastics Conference honorees. A second-place
finish at the Western Gymnastics Conference championships. A fourth-place
finish at the NCAA Regionals. Three school records broken. A pair of perfect
10’s.
That just about sums up a very successful 2003 season for the Cal State
Fullerton women’s gymnastics team, which heads into this year’s
campaign a little younger, but no less talented.
“With only 16 athletes on the team this year, yes we are very young,
but talented,” Head Coach Julie Knight said. “We lost a key
athlete before the season in sophomore Kristen Weigandt, who is out for
the entire year after having shoulder surgery, and sophomore Jennie Fletcher
remains sidelined with a torn ACL.”
However, youth is not to be underestimated. Knight is excited about this
year’s incoming freshman class, which will push many of her returning
athletes to keep their spots in the lineup on each and every apparatus
in 2004. Only two seniors (Latoya Milburn and Sharon Snell) and a trio
of juniors (Kim Runciman, Annette Reyes, and Kristy Parker) dot the roster
this season for the Titans.
“We will rely a lot on the experience of our returning athletes to
keep the newcomers calm,” Knight said. “However, the freshmen
will have a significant impact on the lineup in every event.”
ALL-AROUND For the past four years, all you needed to know when it came to the
all-around was two words: Kelly Mathiasen.
The record-setting gymnast ended her career in 2003, owning 17 of the
top 20 all-around scores in the history of the program – including
the top nine.
Big shoes to fill? You bet.
Sophomore Brittany Hoffman probably saw the most time on the floor of
any freshman last season, competing in the all-around in all but four
of the 13 meets in 2003. A leading candidate to replace Mathiasen in that
role this season, Hoffman won the all-around competition at Seattle Pacific
last season with a 38.125 and finished third on five separate occassions.
She should see increased action with the loss of Kristen Weigandt to injury.
Junior Annette Reyes did not compete all-around for the Titans in her
first two seasons, but has the ability to make a signifcant impact on
all four apparatus.
Three of the freshmen, Knight said, could also make the all-around at
some point this season as Erica Ficarotta, Nicole Lim, and Ina Higashi-Izumi
are athletes to watch.
VAULT In what used to be one of the Titans weaker events, the vault will
be much-improved in 2004.
“I am very excited about the potential of this years vault team,”
Knight said.
Sophomore Brittany Hoffman (Yurchenko layout 1/2) and junior Kristy Parker
(Yurchenko layout 1/1) both will feature vaults with a 10.0 start value,
while sophomore Ashlee Hegner, who vaulted in only one meet last season,
will feature a Tsukahara 1/1 tucked and boasts a 9.9 start value.
Another athlete to look for will be junior Annette Reyes, who vaulted
for the Titans in 10 meets last season, posting a season-high 9.75 vs.
Rhode Island and posted five vaults of 9.60 or better in 2003.
UNEVEN PARALLEL BARS Consistency is what Knight will be looking for from her bars lineup
this season as this event may be one of the weaker links of the Titans’
team score.
Cal State Fullerton’s bars lineup was decimated even before the season
started as four potential starters in the bars lineup will be missing.
Kristen Weigandt (shoulder), freshman Brittany Evans (elbow), sophomore
Jennie Fletcher (torn ACL) and Kristy Parker (shoulder) have all fallen
victim to the injury bug.
How much does that hurt the Titans in 2004? Weigandt had six performances
of 9.70 or better, including a 9.90 against Rhode Island, while Parker
scored 9.70 or better in nine of 11 meets on bars for the Titans.
“Thank goodness we recruited well on bars and are much deeper on
this apparatus than in past years,” Knight said. “All of our
freshmen will now be an important part of our bar lineup which will be
more consistient rather than spectacular.”
BALANCE BEAM In one of many battles which will be waged within her own lineup,
Knight is smiling at the depth and quality of her balance beam team, which
returns three regulars from last season’s squad led by juniors Kim
Runciman and Kristy Parker.
“This years beam team will be very aggressive. I love that in this
team,” Knight said.
Runciman, who Knight says could be one of the biggest surprises of the
2004 season, posted a season-high 9.85 in the season-opener against Utah
State and Illinois-Chicago, and scored 9.60 or better in eight meets.
Parker was probably the Titans’ most consistient performer in the
event last season, scoring 9.70 or better on the apparatus in each of
her first four meets and in nine of 13 overall.
Hoffman was one of the highest-scoring athletes on the apparatus last
season, competing in the event in all but one meet, posting a 9.875 on
the road at California, helping her to a third place finish in the all-around.
She had five meets scoring 9.775 or above.
Snell could also make her return to the beam lineup in 2004, an event
she has not competed on since her sophomore year. Newcomers Evans, Lim,
and Ficarotta will also battle for spots in the lineup, making things
very interesting for Knight and her coaching staff.
FLOOR EXERCISE Traditionally one of the strongest events for the Titans in the history
of the women’s gymnastics program just got a little stronger.
You would think that a lineup featuring senior LaToya Milburn, who broke
a 10-year old school record and posted a perfect 10 in the exercise last
season, junior Annette Reyes (five scores of 9.70 or bettr, including
a 9.925), sophomore Brittany Hoffman (five meets of 9.70 or better), and
senior Sharon Snell (six meets of 9.80 or better), would be hard to break
in to.
However, Knight has been impressed with the early-season workouts of her
freshmen, who have already pushed some of the returners for their starting
positions.
“This year it will be harder than ever to earn a spot on the floor
team,” Knight said. “We just keep getting better on this event.”
