July 21, 1998
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State women's gymnastics program, coming off its best back-to-back national finishes in more than a decade, signed three recruits - Britnee Bowden, Rhonda Robinette, and Ashley Stewart - to study and compete at ASU, head coach John Spini announced on Monday.
"We have to replace four athletes (last year's seniors Carie Courtney, Gina Holleran, Kim Keever and Meagan Wright) from last year's team who were not only great athletes, but great leaders as well," said Spini. "I think these three student-athletes have the potential to step in and help us temper the loss of those kids."
Bowden, a 1998 graduate of Cottonwood High School in Midvale, Utah, trained with the Olympus Gymnastics Club in Sandy, Utah, and is a recruit who Spini feels will be able to come in and make an immediate impact.
"Britnee is a great athlete and all-around gymnast," said Spini. "I think she will be able to come in and help in the vault and bars events."
An Elite National Team member, Bowden placed seventh in the nation in the all-around and first in the Level 10 state championship.
Robinette, a 1998 graduate of Red Mountain High School in Mesa and member of the Desert Lights Gymnastics Club, competed as an elite gymnast for three years. She authored a third-place all-around and first-place beam finish in the 1998 Level 10 state championship and placed third in the all-around and second on the beam at the 1997 American Challenge. A three-time qualifier to the National Gymnastics Fest, Robinette also competed regionally in 1996 and '97 and nationally in 1998. Robinette joins current ASU team members Becky Acker (Mountain Pointe HS), Kristin Fanning (Paradise Valley HS), Amy Shelton (Highland HS) and Lisa Vincijanovic (Chaparral HS) as Valley high school graduates who are competing at ASU.
"Rhonda is a strong athlete in the bars and beam events," said Spini. "I think she will be a real asset to our program."
Stewart, a 1998 graduate of Westfield High School in Houston, Texas, comes to Tempe as one of the most highly-recruited student-athletes in the nation. As a member of Cypress (Gymnastics) Academy in Houston, Stewart turned in a stellar performance at the 1997 American Classic, finishing third in the beam, fourth in the vault and fifth in the all-around. In addition, she also took first place in the all-around - vault (first), bars (first), floor (first), beam (second) - at the 1996 Level 10 state competition.
"If Ashley comes in healthy and does what she is capable of doing then she could step in and help us in as many areas as (former seven-time all-America) Meagan Wright," said Spini.
With its sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past April and its second-place finish in 1997, Arizona State posted its best back-to-back effort at the NCAAs since 1986-87, when it finished second and fifth in '86 and '87 respectively. The Sun Devils return four-all-Americans in 1999 from last year's squad that finished with a regular-season record of 20-2.