March 16, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Pac-10 Women's Gymnastics Championships return to Tempe for the first time since 1995 on Saturday, March 18, beginning at 6:00 p.m. MST in Wells Fargo Arena. Arizona State seeks its first-ever conference crown, and will also attempt to raise its current Regional Qalifying Score of 195.170.
ASU Women's Gymnastics
No. 13 Sun Devils in Pac-10 ChampionshipsMarch 18, 2000 - 6:00 p.m.
Wells Fargo Arena - Tempe, Ariz.
Media Exposure
The Pac-10 Championships will be televised on a tape-delay basis by Fox Sports Net. A replay of competition will air on Saturday, March 25 at 12:00 p.m. MST on a number of Fox Sports Net affiliates. Barry Tompkins will call the jump-by-jump with former U.S. Olympian Kathy Johnson-Clarke providing color commentary.
Scouting the Pac-10
The Pac-10 has once again established itself as one of the nation's premier gymnastics conferences, with five schools positioned amongst the nation's top-25. Third-ranked UCLA is followed by #12 Stanford, 13th-ranked ASU, #20 Washington and #25 Oregon State. Some of the nation's finest all-around performer, including top-ranked Larissa Fontaine of Stanford and UCLA's Mohini Bhardwaj (#4) and Heidi Moneymaker (#9), will bring their talents to Wells Fargo Arena. The Sun Devils feature two top-10 performers - sophomore Lea Carver, ranked seventh on the balance beam, and senior Ellizabeth McNabb, who is tied for eighth amonst floor exercise performers.
The Rotation
| Bye | V | UB | Bye | BB | Bye | FX | |
| I | WASH | CAL | ASU | UCLA | ARIZ | OSU | STAN |
| II | STAN | WASH | CAL | ASU | UCLA | ARIZ | OSU |
| III | OSU | STAN | WASH | CAL | ASU | UCLA | ARIZ |
| IV | ARIZ | OSU | STAN | WASH | CAL | ASU | UCLA |
| V | UCLA | ARIZ | OSU | STAN | WASH | CAL | ASU |
| VI | ASU | UCLA | ARIZ | OSU | STAN | WASH | CAL |
| VII | CAL | ASU | UCLA | ARIZ | OSU | STAN | WASH |
Looking Back at 1999
At the 1999 Pac-10 Championships in Corvalis, Ore., UCLA regained the conference crown with a sparkling team total of 197.775. While the Bruins' Moneymaker captured the all-around title at 39.675, Oregon State gymnasts swept the four individual events, including balance beam victor Laura Degenhart who will return to defend her title in 2000. Arizona State placed third behind the Beavers at 195.900, with McNabb recording a third place finish on the floor. Following the meet, UCLA's Kiralee Hayashi earned Gymnast of the Year honors which Tanya Chaplin of Oregon State was named Coach of the Year.
Pac-10 Championship History
UCLA has been dominant at the Pac-10's, winning nine championships in the meet's 13-year history. Bruin gymnasts have also won the past three individual all-around titles. Oregon State (1991, 1992) and Stanford (1997) are the only other schools to earn victories. ASU sports three second place finishes, including 1995 when the Devils came within three-tenths of the Pac-10 crown.
Personal Bests Abound in Victory Over Arizona
Arizona State concluded its regular season on March 10 with a 195.800-195.200 victory over Pac-10 rival Arizona on March 10 in Wells Fargo Arena, during which the Sun Devils established eight personal best scores. ASU has now defeated 29 consecutive opponents over its past 20 regular season home meets, a streak dating back to the 1996 season. Arizona State set the tone for a night of record-breaking performances during its opening rotation on the vault, where the first three Sun Devil performers all set new career highs. Junior Kim Skinner led off with a 9.8, and was followed by freshman Margaret Wojciak's 9.825 and another 9.8 from freshman Cassidy Vreeke. A 9.85 from senior Michelle Hess and 9.775 performance from junior Kelly Christensen-Cowley also contributed to ASU's season best 49.050 vault total. On bars Christensen-Cowley notched a new personal high of her own with a winning score of 9.925. Also establishing a new career best was junior Kristin Fanning, whose second place, 9.9 mark helped ASU reach 49.300 as a team, also a new best for the 2000 season. For the second week in a row, the Devils (13-4 overall, 4-2 in the Pac-10) encountered three falls on the balance beam, but still managed to keep the personal best trend going. Vreeke's 9.875 performance, her second career best mark of the evening, gave the Salt Lake City, Utah native the first victory of her collegiate career. Despite Arizona State's sub-par showing on the beam, the Wildcats (5-10) could make up little ground as they scored a 48.250 in floor competition. ASU sealed the victory with season best 49.275 team total during which two more individual career highs were set. Christensen-Cowley concluded her stellar meet with her second place 9.95 outing, while freshman Ashley Ellsberry (9.75) also reached a new plateau in her young Sun Devil career. Senior Elizabeth McNabb, who has a perfect 10.0 on her resume from a 1999 meet against Pittsburgh, won the event with a season best 9.975. Friday's meet marked the final regular season home contest for McNabb, Hess and fellow senior Elizabeth Reid.
Christensen-Cowley Earns Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week Honors
ASU's Kelly-Christensen-Cowley was named Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week for March 8-14 following her finest meet of the season against Arizona. The junior All-American set a new career high on the uneven bars with her 9.925, first place performance, and also established a new personal best on the floor, scoring a 9.95 to finish second. She began the meet with a 9.775 vault mark as part of the Devils' season high 49.050 team score. Christensen-Cowley has been Arizona State's most versatile performer throughout the entire 2000 season, producing 9.9 scores or higher on all three aforementioned exercises and winning a total of eight individual events
ASU in the National Rankings
Team - t-13th (RQS-195.17) Beam - 9th (RQS-49.125) Bars - 10th (RQS-48.885)
* including five vault competitions. The Tempe native has enjoyed
the comforts of home this season, setting new career bests on the bars,
vault and floor while competing at Wells Fargo Arena.
McNabb Magnificent Again
A two-time All-American in the floor exercise, Elizabeth McNabb has proven herself worthy of that distinction again in 2000, averaging 9.87 through 10 meets and ranking eighth nationally with a Regional Qualifying Score of 9.91. The senior co-captain has registered a 9.9 or better in the event in 22 of her last 34 meets dating back to 1998, and has notched seven floor victories this year. McNabb has indicated she is becoming a team leader on the balance beam as well, scoring 9.85 or higher six times this season including a career high 9.95 at West Virginia. She holds the nation's 11th-best regional qualifying score in beam competition at 9.875.
Reid Rounds Out All-American Trio
Senior Elizabeth Reid made her season debut Feb. 4 and has wasted no time returning to her All-American form, winning the first four uneven bar events she competed in. The native of Burke, Va., has only scored below 9.9 on the bars once this year, and tied a career high with her 9.95 performance on Feb. 18. Reid, who established a new season high on floor with her 9.875 at West Virginia, has yet to compete this year on the vault or beam, an event she in which was crowned NCAA Champion in 1997.
Juniors Back on Track
After bating the flu during the early stages of the 2000 campaign, junior Becky Acker has rebounded to post her best scores on the bars and floor over the second half of the season. Acker followed up a 9.775 floor performance at Washington to tie her career-high at 9.85 in the UNO's Classic, while also posting scores of 9.75 and 9.775 on bars in the same two meets. She added another 9.75 bar showing in Denver (Feb. 26). Fellow junior Kristin Fanning has been on fire over the past six weeks averaging 9.83 on the floor, including a season high-tying 9.85 against Arizona. The Scottsdale native also set a new career high on the bars vs. the Wildcats with her 9.9, second place showing which eclipsed her previous best by over a tenth. Meanwhile Kim Skinner can boast four bar scores of 9.85 or above, including a career-best 9.9 in the UNO's meet, and notched her first win as a Sun Devil in ASU's season opener (Jan. 9).
Sensational Sophomores
Lea Carver, Rhonda Robinette and Ashley Stewart have been scoffing at the notion of a sophomore slump with their consistently high scores during the 2000 season. Carver won her fourth beam competition of the season in the UNO's Classic, and currently ranks eventh nationally in the discipline with an RQS of 9.87. She has scored a season-high of 9.925 twice, most recently against Oregon State on Feb. 4. Robinette ranks second among Sun Devil bar artists with a 9.76 average and won her first collegiate event at Cal with a 9.8 beam performance. February was a memorable month for Stewart, who tied her career-high on vault (9.7) three times. However, she will likely miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in her right foot.
Freshmen Making Immediate Impact
Arizona State lost two former All-Americans in Amy Shelton and Wendy Ellsberry to graduation, but the Sun Devils are more than cushioning the blow with the help of their freshman class. Cassidy Vreeke had a meet to remember against Arizona, notching her first career victory with a personal best 9.875 beam performance, while also scoring a career high 9.8 on vault. The Salt Lake City, Utah native also had a second place beam finish at West Virginia in addition to a trio of third place finishes including a 9.85 floor performance in ASU's home opener. Margaret Wojciak, who won on the bars at Cal in only her third collegiate meet, has "hit" all but one of her bar routines including a career high 9.9 on Feb. 18. The likely replacement for Stewart on vault, she came through with a career best 9.825 last Friday. ASU's most highly-decorated freshman, Ashley Ellsberry (Wendy's sister), made her Sun Devil debut Feb. 4 after recovering from a back injury and registered 9.9 on the beam to tie for first in the UNO's Classic, her third collegiate competition. The 1999 J.O. National Champion added a 9.75 floor showing vs. the Wildcats.
Head Coach John Spini on the Pac-10's
"We really try to peak for Regionals, but the Pac-10's is a meet we really want to do well in, especially in front of our home crowd. We're going to put our best kids out on the floor and give it our best shot."
"I think Kelly Christensen-Cowley has a good chance for a Pac-10 title on vault, especially if she does her big pike-half vault. Any of our top four kids on balance beam can title. We really haven't been performing as well as we should on beam the past couple of meets, but that doesn't scare me at all, I know how good we are."
On the Horizon
On April 1 Arizona State will compete in one of six NCAA Regional competitions around the country. The top two finishers at each Regional advance to the NCAA Championships April 13-15 in Boise, Id. Regional participants will be announced on Monday, March 20.
ASU Inks Two During Early Signing Period
Two elite-level junior gymnasts, Maggie Germaine of Mesa, Ariz., and Amber Giorgianni from San Jose, Calif., will join the Arizona State gymnastics team as freshmen in 2001. Giorgianni comes to ASU with impressive credentials, winning the 1998 Junior Olympic National Championship before placing second last year. Germaine qualified for the same competition as a member of Desert Lights Gymnastics. The native of Mesa will be one of six Phoenix-area gymnasts on the Sun Devil roster next season.