Feb. 10, 1998
TEMPE, Ariz.--The Arizona State women's gymnastics team packs it bags -- for the fourth time in the first six weeks of the season -- and heads to Seattle, Wash., for a Pac-10 dual meet vs. Washington February 13 at 7 p.m. At 10-1, the Sun Devils are off to their best start since 1986 when they finished 18-1 and runner-up to Utah at the NCAA Championships in Gainsville, Fla.
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 219-77-1 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.
LAST WEEK: The No. 11 Arizona State women's gymnastics team continued its winning ways as it defeated the No. 14 Oregon State Beavers, 194.7-193.275, before 912 fans at the University Activity Center. The Devils started off the evening on the right foot as every competitor registered a season high in the vault. By the conclusion of the event the Devils had four --Amy Shelton (9.9), Carie Courtney (9.85), Lisa Vincijanovic (9.85), and Meagan Wright (9.8) -- of the top-five finishers. Leading the way was Shelton whose 9.9, tied Oregon State's Lara Degenhardt for first place. Courtney and Vincijanovic finished third and Wright finished fifth. In the Devils ensuing event, the uneven parallel bars, Wright took the top honors finishing with a 9.9. Right behind Wright was sophomore Elizabeth Reid who scored a 9.875. Also placing in the top five for the Devils was junior Wendy Ellsberry who scored a season-best 9.775. ASU's fortunes turned sour in its following event, the balance beam, as the Devils had three competitors fall which led to their second-lowest score of the season, 47.875. Tempering ASU's troubles on the beam were Reid and Ellsberry who recorded scores of 9.9 and 9.85, finishing first and second respectively. The Devils overcame falls in their final event of the evening, the floor exercise, and clinched the meet by virtue of sophomore Elizabeth McNabb's 9.95 and Vincijanovic's 9.9, which placed them in first and second respectively. In addition, both scores also tied career benchmarks. For the Devils it was their ninth straight win at home, a streak that goes back to 1996.
SERIES NOTES: Since 1976 the Devils and Huskies have met 16 times ... the Devils have been victorious in 14 of those meetings ... the Huskies' two victories -- both in Seattle -- came in successive years (1995, '96) ... ASU's all-time team score of 197.125 came at Washinton's expense last year in Tempe.
ABOUT THE HUSKIES: The Huskies enter this week's meet at 7-1 after having disposed of Arizona, California and Illinois-Chicago last week in Tucson, Ariz. Leading the Huskies to victory were senior and Czech National Team member Klara Kudilvoka (vault, 9.9) and junior Tiffany Simpson (beam, 9.95) who accounted for a pair of first-place finishes. Simpson was a 1995 graduate of Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe. Simpson also competed for the Desert Devils gymnastics club. Kudikova (floor), Simpson (vault, floor, all-around), sophomore Lauren Riesenman (floor) and senior Jamie Stauffer (all-around) are returning all-Americans from last year's team. The Huskies are under the direction of eighth-year head coach Bob Levesque, who has compiled 77 wins against 60 defeats in his tenure at Washington. The Huskies lost three members off last year's team that finished eighth at the NCAA Championships and third in the Pac-10.
LAST MEETING: Arizona State 197.125, Washington 194.275, January 31, 1997, Tempe, Ariz.: On an evening in which records fell like rain drops in Seattle, the Arizona State women's gymnastics team defeated the Washington Huskies 197.125-194.275 before a crowd of 1,339 at the University Activity Center. By the culmination of the meet the two teams had broken or tied a combined nine team and individual records. The Devils set new standards for team score (197.25), vault score (49.425), beam score (49.2) and floor score (49.525). Meagan Wright set the new school benchmark in the all-around with a 39.575. Lisa Vincijanovic tied a school record with a perfect 10 on the balance beam. Vincijanovic also tied her career high in the vault (9.95). For the Huskies Tiffany Simpson, like Wright, was performing like she was unconscious. Simpson's school record 39.575 tied Wright's heroics. Simpson also set the school record in the floor exercise with a (9.95). Note: Underlined scores indicate records have since been tied or broken.
ASU NOTES ENTERING THIS WEEK'S MEET: Sophomore Amy Shelton has the top vault (9.9) score and is tied (Meagan Wright) for the top bars (9.9) performance for the Devils this season ... by virtue of her performance vs. Stanford (Jan. 23), Shelton was named Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week ... sophomore Elizabeth Reid has won the beam event three straight weeks: vs. Stanford Jan. 23 (9.9), at California-quad Jan. 30 (9.925) and vs. Oregon St. Feb. 6 (9.9) ... Elizabeth McNabb has won the floor event the last three weeks with scores of 9.950 (career-high), 9.7 and 9.95 respectively ... ASU has won eight of its last nine dual meets ... Arizona State returns this season as one of the favorites to capture this year's NCAA Championship. The Devils lost only one member from last year's NCAA runner-up squad that was second only to UCLA.
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 nine 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 193.875-193.250 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: The Sun Devils return home to Tempe, Ariz., and the friendly confines of the University Activity Center where they will look to win their 10th straight home meet. Providing the competition will be Nebraska, Brigham Young and Illinois in the ASU UNO's Classic. The meet will take place Fri., February 20 at 7:30 p.m. FOX Sports Net will be on hand and will provide a tape-delayed telecast.