Feb. 2, 1998
Arizona State Gymnastics to Face Unbeaten Oregon State
The Arizona State women's gymnastics team returns home after being on the road for three of its first four meets. The Devils host the red-hot Oregon State Beavers who have won four straight meets to open the season. The meet takes place Friday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the University Activity Center.
Returning All-Americans
Arizona State returns four gymnasts in 1998 who were named all-Americans last season in a combined 11 events:
Head Coach John Spini
Arizona State women's gymnastics has become synonymous with excellence, and the person largely responsible for that is John Spini. Entering his 18th year as head coach at ASU, Spini has established a nationally prominent program and a tradition of excellence. Boasting a 218771 career record, Spini is among the finest gymnastics coaches in the country. His career winning percentage stands at 73 percent. During his previous 17 seasons, the Sun Devils have captured four conference championships and have placed among the top eight at the national championship 10 of the 18 years it has been held, including runner-up finishes in 1985, 86, and 97.
ASU Celebrates Girls And Women In Sports Week
Arizona State University and APS in conjunction with Phoenix Newspapers Charity Inc., Wings of Gold, American Humanics and Womens Leadership Through Sport are presenting a celebration of girls and women in sport from January 29-February 7. The celebration, which includes a number of ASU promotions, guest speakers and a sports clinic, is held in conjunction with the National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 5.
All groups of five kids or more (including two adults) ages 18 and under get free admission when they RSVP. In addition there will be a poster contest which will involve elementary-school kids making posters to promote National Girls and Women in Sports.
There will also be a post-meet autograph session with the gymnastics team. The first 1000 kids in attendance will receive a free poster of the ASU gymnastics team. Anyone who would like to RSVP their group or would like more information should call 727-GIRL.
Last Week
Low scores and the prospect of a near upset punctuated the ebb and flow of a contest that saw the Arizona State women's gymnastics team escape out of Berkeley, Calif., with a first-place finish (191.575) versus (second-place) California (188.075), (third-place) Seattle Pacific (184.525) and (fourth-place) Sacramento State (182.100).
On an evening that saw the winner of the vault competition (ASU's Lisa Vincijanovic and Cals Leila Khoury)) score a 9.525, the third-ranked Sun Devils had to pull away in the waning events for the second straight week in order to come up with the victory. For the Devils, sophomore Amy Shelton won the bars competition for the second straight week, scoring a 9.875. Right along side Shelton was teammate Meagan Wright who also posted a 9.875.
In the beam and floor exercise events the Devils swept the top-three places. Winning the beam for the second straight week was sophomore Elizabeth Reid, who recorded a 9.925. Wright was in the runner-up spot with a 9.8 and junior Wendy Ellsberry recorded her best score of the year with a 9.775.
In the floor exercise, sophomore Elizabeth McNabb, like aforementioned teammates Shelton and Reid, took first place in the same event for the second straight week with a 9.7. In second was freshman Becky Acker (9.575), who became the first Sun Devil to compete as an all-arounder in 1998, and in third was senior Kim Keever.
The Devils Versus The Competition
The Devils series versus Oregon State is one of the few all-time series in which Arizona State does not hold an advantage. The Beavers have prevailed 12 of the 19 times in which the two teams have competed.
About The Beavers
The Beavers enter this weeks meet as one of the hottest teams in the country having won their first four meets of the season. This years squad is led by a nucleus of experienced and talented gymnasts who are looking to return to the NCAA Championship after missing it last year for the first time in 11 years.
This year's squad, which is under the tutelage of first-year head coach Tanya Chaplin, returns four seniors Amanda Turko, Amy Slack and Deanne Droegemueller and junior Megan Murphy gymnasts who have combined for six all-American awards. Last week vs Washington Murphy took first-place in the beam and floor events while Slack tied with Droegemueller for first-place on the uneven bars.
Last Meeting
Oregon State 194.8, ASU 191.7, January 1 7, 1997, Corvallis, Ore.: For the second straight year Arizona State headed to Corvallis, Ore., for its season-opening meet and for the second straight year they came away with a loss, losing to the sixth-ranked Beavers. Individually for the Sun Devils, Meagan Wright finished first on the vault with a 9.9. Wright also led the team in the all-around competition, placing second (38.375). Lisa Vincijanovic placed second in the floor exercise (9.825) and tied for second on the balance beam (9.825). Carie Courtney also placed second on the balance beam with a 9.825.
ASU Notes Entering This Week's Meet
Sophomore Amy Shelton has the top vault (9.8) and bars (9.9) scores for the Devils this season. She set both those marks vs. Stanford (Jan. 23) ... sophomore Elizabeth Reid has won the beam event two times this season: vs. Stanford Jan. 23 (9.9) and at California-quad Jan. 30 (9.925) ... Elizabeth McNabb has won the floor event the last two weeks with scores of 9.950 (career-high) and 9.7 respectively ... ASU has won seven of its last eight dual meets ... Arizona State returns this season as one of the favorites to capture this years NCAA Championship. The Devils lost only one member from last years NCAA runner-up squad that was second only to UCLA.
Devils On The Tube
FOX Sports Net has chosen to televise the ASU/UNO's Classic on Friday, February 20. The meet features the Devils, Brigham Young, Nebraska and Illinois. The meet will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Sunday, March 8 at 5 p.m. (MST). In addition, the Pac-10 Championships, being held in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 21, will be shown on a tape-delayed basis on Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m. (MST).
No Place Like Home The Sun Devils have been on a roll at home over the last two years. Arizona State has won its last eight home meets going back to February of 1996. The last time the Devils were upended at home was when then-defending national champion Utah defeated the Devils by a count of 193.875193.250 at the University Activity Center.
ASU Hosting 1998 Midwest Regional
Arizona State has been chosen as the site for the 1998 NCAA Midwest Regional. The Midwest Regional is comprised of the top-six teams from the Midwest region competing for a berth in the NCAA Championships. The Midwest Regional will take place Saturday, April 4 at 6 p.m. in the University Activity Center.
Up Next
For the fourth time in the first six weeks of the season the ASU gymnastics team finds itself on the road as it travels to Seattle, Wash., to face the Washington Huskies January 13 at 7 p.m. The team's next home meet is Friday, February 20, when it entertains Nebraska, BYU and Illinois in the UNOs Classic at 7:30 p.m. in the University Activity Center.
Becky Acker:
Freshman who has made immediate impact ... floor exercise routine netted her fourth place (9.850) at the Maui Inviataional (Jan. 10) ... also had a 9.825 in the floor exercise vs. Stanford (Jan. 23).
Carie Courtney:
One of four senior co-captains ... 1997 First-Team All-America in beam and all-around ... finished in third-place (9.775) in the vault competition vs. Stanford (Jan. 23).
Wendy Ellsberry: Solid all-around competitor who possesses tremendous potential in the beam and bars events ... recorded a third-place finish (9.775) in the beam at California-quad (Jan. 30).
Kristin Fanning: Freshman who joined the squad after graduating from high school a semester early ... only action in 1998 has come in the floor exercise ... averaging a 9.550 in that event.
Michelle Hess: A strong returnee in the vault and floor exercise events ... only 1998 action has come in the vault.
Gina Holleran: One of four senior co-captains ... possesses tremendous dancing ability ... provides great depth for ASU's vault team.
Kim Keever: One of four senior co-captains ... exceptional performer on the balance beam ... also provides ASU with depth in the floor exercise.
Elizabeth McNabb: Former walk-on who has been a stellar performer for the Sun Devils ... consecutive first-place finishes in the floor exercise the last two weeks scoring a 9.950 versus Stanford (Jan. 23), which tied a career high and a 9.7 at California-quad (Jan. 30).
Elizabeth Reid: Enters 1998 as the NCAAs defending balance beam champion ... also collected first-team all-America honors in beam, bars and floor ... has a pair of 9.9s to her credit in the floor exercise this year ... has finished first in the beam on two separate occasions in 1998: 9.9 beam performance vs. Stanford (Jan. 23) and 9.925 at California-quad (Jan. 30).
Amy Shelton: One of ASU's top all-arounders ... in 1997 scored a 9.9 or better seven times in nine attempts ... finished in first-place in the bars competition (9.9) vs. Stanford (Jan. 23) ... duplicated her first-place finish (9.875) in the same event the following week at California-quad (Jan. 30) ... would like to someday be an opera singer ... aspires to graduate from ASU in three years and go to law school.
Kim Skinner: Will give ASU depth in every event.
Lisa Vincijanovic: One of the most charismatic performers in the nation ... 1997 First-Team All-American on beam ... entering the week of January 30 was the nations third-ranked beam performer ... tied teammate Elizabeth Reid for first place in the floor exercise with a career-best 9.9 at the Maui Invitational (Jan. 10) ... epitomizes the student-athlete with a 4.0 GPA in zoology/pre-med.
Meagan Wright: One of ASU's most decorated gymnasts ... one of four senior co-captains ... 1997 All-American in all-around, vault, bars, beam and floor exercise ... broke her own school record last year with a 39.575 in the all-around ... defending Midwest vault champion ... notched a pair bars (9.875, beam (9.8) of second-place finishes at California-quad (Jan. 30) ... among her many outside interests is learning how to play the guitar.