March 27, 2008

LOGAN, Utah -

#40 Utah State at WAC Championships
Logan, Utah
Taco Bell Arena (12,400)
Saturday, March 29, 2008 6 p.m. (MT)
WAC.tv

ON TAP ­ Utah State (5-14, 2-6 WAC) will be competing in the Western Athletic Conference Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, March 29, at Taco Bell Arena (12,400) at Boise, Idaho, hosted by Boise State... The six-team event starts at 6 p.m... Fans can follow all the action streamed on the Internet through WAC.tv.

ROTATION ­ The six-team rotation begins with USU on bars, before moving to beam for rotation two. The Aggies have a bye for rotation three and then move to floor for the fourth rotation. USU is on vault for rotation five and then has a bye for the sixth and final rotation.

IN THE RANKINGS ­ The six WAC schools are ranked as high as Boise State at No. 16 and as low as 41st-ranked Cal State Fullerton in this week¹s Troester gymnastics rankings. Utah State is currently ranked No. 40 in the RQS rankings and needs to post a high score in order to climb up into the top 36 to qualify for NCAA Regionals.

Rank     Team     Team RQS     Region     Avg.     High
16     Boise State Univ.     195.600     W     195.002     196.575
24     Southern Utah Univ.     194.890     NC     194.475     196.000
35     San Jose State     194.050     W     193.310     195.325
37     Sacramento State     193.585     W     192.835     195.250
40     UTAH STATE     193.200     NC     192.133     194.450
41     Cal State Fullerton     193.105     W     192.157     194.825

UP NEXT ­ The NCAA North Central Regionals take place Saturday, April 12, at Minneapolis, Minn., hosted by the University of Minnesota.

WAC.TV ­ Fans can follow all of the Western Athletic Conference Gymnastics Championships as the WAC, in conjunction with its Web site partner JumpTV Sports, has announced it will stream all four events simultaneously of the 2008 WAC Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, March 29. Viewers can sign up by visiting www.WAC.tv.

Viewers will be able to select which event they want to watch as there will be streams available for the vault, uneven parallel bars, balance beam and floor exercise. The meet can be viewed for a subscription price of $10.95 that will include access to all four streams (only one viewable at a time) and on-demand viewing of any of the events beginning the next day.

LIVE STATS ­ Live stats for the WAC gymnastics championships will be available at www.broncosports.com, the official site of Boise State Athletics. Live stats can be watched free of charge by going to the web site and clicking on multimedia and live stats. A list of events should show up, including the WAC championships.

UTAH STATE WAC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY ­ This is USU¹s third appearance in the WAC Championships as the Aggies have only been members of the league for three years, joining in 2006... Utah State finished fourth at the 2006 WAC Championships, which the Aggies hosted, and fifth in last season¹s conference meet, hosted by Southern Utah at Cedar City, Utah.

AGGIE CONFERENCE MEET HISTORY ­ Overall, Utah State has won five conference titles, the last in 2005, USU¹s final season in the Western Gymnastics Conference... USU¹s fourth-place finish in 2006 was the lowest finish ever at a conference meet, as the Aggies have eight second-place finishes and seven third-place results.

USU PICKED TIED FOR THIRD IN WAC PRESEASON POLL ­ Utah State was tabbed in a tie for third in the Western Athletic Conference preseason gymnastics poll and the Aggies finished tied for fourth in the conference regular-season standings.

Utah State was picked tied with Boise State for third. Southern Utah and two-time defending WAC champion Sacramento State were picked tied for first while Cal State Fullerton and San Jose State rounded out the poll at fifth and sixth, respectively.

Boise State finished atop the regular-season standings, while Southern Utah was second, followed by San Jose State. Sac State tied with Utah State and Cal State Fullerton ended in sixth.

ABOUT UTAH STATE ­ The Aggies have a 5-14 overall ledger after going 2-6 in WAC action. In its home and regular-season finale, USU lost to No. 28 Southern Utah, 195.075-193.150, Friday.

USU has a team total 193.200 RQS, ranking fifth in the WAC and eighth in the North Central region. The Aggies are third in the conference and eighth in the region on floor with a 48.760 RQS, as well as a 48.645 on vault (fourth in WAC, seventh in region), 48.450 on bars (fifth in WAC, eighth in region) and 47.755 on beam (sixth in WAC, eighth in region).

Individually, freshman Nicole Simoneau¹s 9.845 RQS on bars ranks her fourth in WAC and sixth in the region. Fellow freshman, Jasmine Minion has vaulted up the rankings and is second in the conference and ninth in the region on vault with a 9.840 RQS, as well as a 9.835 RQS on floor which is good for fourth in the league and tied for 10th in the region. Sophomore Heather Heinrich leads USU on beam with a 9.700 RQS, ranking 19th in the WAC. In the all-around, junior Nicki Felley is eighth in the conference and 16th in the region with a 38.520 RQS.

Other top 10 WAC rankings include senior Megan Tschida¹s 9.825 RQS on floor, good for fifth in the conference, while Heinrich is eighth in the league on vault with a 9.795 RQS and 10th in the all-around with an RQS of 38.275.

LAST TIME OUT ­ LOGAN, Utah - Utah State¹s Senior Night was spoiled by visiting Southern Utah Friday night at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, as the Thunderbirds topped the Aggies, 195.075-193.150, in a Western Athletic Conference gymnastics dual meet.

USU, ranked No. 41, ended regular-season action with a 5-14 overall and 2-6 WAC ledger, while 28th-ranked SUU improves to 10-5-1 overall and 6-2 in conference competition.

The T-Birds also sweep the season series with the Aggies, topping them in all three meetings, in each team¹s home arena and one neutral site. USU still holds a 36-22 all-time record against SUU and 21-5 at Logan.

Utah State¹s four seniors, Katie Omann, Kelly Patterson, Megan Tschida and Ana Rickard-Whitfield, were honored in a post-meet ceremony after competing at home for the final time in their Aggie careers. Omann was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the meet.

In the final performance on her home floor, Tshida tallied a season-best 9.900 in winning the event. That is the fourth-highest score in school history, and is tied for Tschida¹s second-best posting of her career, behind her 9.950 in her freshman season of 2005 and matching a 9.900 last year, also at home against Southern Utah. Tschida¹s 9.900 is the second-highest score in the WAC this season, as Tschida joins five other gymnasts in the conference and is USU¹s second 9.900 on floor in as many weeks after freshman Jasmine Minion¹s 9.900 last Friday at Texas Woman¹s.

USU¹s freshmen also posted some big scores on the night, as Nicole Simoneau won the bars with a career-best 9.900. Simoneau¹s 9.900 ties the fourth-highest score in USU history on the apparatus and she is the 11th Aggie gymnast to tally a 9.900 on bars. Friday also marked the eighth time this season that Simoneau has won or shared the win in the event. Simoneau¹s 9.900 ranks her tied for second among the top scores in the WAC this season.

Classmate Minion logged a 9.875 on floor, her sixth-straight outing of 9.800 or higher in the event. Minion finished second on floor behind Tschida.

Sophomore Heather Heinrich and Minion tied for first on vault along with SUU¹s Elise Wheeler, as each gymnast posted a 9.800.

Wheeler went on to win the all-around with a 39.250, while teammate Jenna Vogt was second with a 38.575. USU junior Nicki Felley finished third with a 38.350, followed by SUU¹s Kellie Dangerfield at fourth with a 38.200 and Heinrich in fifth at 36.900.

The Aggies opened on vault, as Heinrich and Minion helped pave the way for a 48.575 while the T-Birds posted a 49.025 on bars to take slim lead after the first rotation.

USU and SUU switched events, as freshman Chelsea Marquardt tallied a 9.800 to tie her season-best and was followed in the order by Simoneau¹s event-winning score, giving the Aggies a 48.225 while the T-Birds notched a 48.475 on vault. That built a 97.500-96.800 advantage for SUU at the halfway mark of the meet.

In the third rotation, USU was on beam, where the Aggies struggled a bit, scoring a 47.725, their lowest score of the night, falling further behind as a 49.075 score by SUU opened a 146.575-144.525 lead heading to the final event.

Tschida¹s 9.900 wrapped up the official competitors before Rickard-Whitfield and Omann performed as exhibitioners in their final home meet. Rickard-Whitfield recorded a 9.675 while Omann logged a 9.450.

Utah State ended with a 48.625 to finish with its 193.150 while Southern Utah notched a 48.500 on beam to tally a 195.075, the second-highest score this season for the T-Birds.

The Aggies¹ 193.150 is their fourth-best score this season, all done in the last four meets, peaking prior to the conference championships.

ABOUT WAC OPPONENTS ­

BOISE STATE ­ The 16th-ranked Broncos are 13-3 overall and ended conference action with a 7-2 mark... Boise State topped #43 California, 195.400-192.700 Friday... The Broncos have a team RQS of 195.600, which ranks first in the WAC.

Individually the Broncos are led by freshman Hannah Redmon who is ranked in the top-50 in four of five categories. On vault she holds a tie for No. 17 (9.885) and is tied for No. 48 on bars (48.970). On floor Redmon is tied for No. 24 (9.875) while also holding the No. 41 spot in the all-around (39.070).

CAL STATE FULLERTON ­ The Titans are ranked #41 and have a 6-14 overall record after scoring a 191.400 to finish third as a team on Friday night in a tri-meet hosted by Arizona, finishing behind Arizona¹s 195.525 and BYU with a 194.225. Cal State Fullerton has a 193.105 team RQS, which ranks sixth in the conference.

Individually, freshmen Maddie Steinauer and Alaina Baker lead the Titans, as they each captured individual event honors Friday. Steinauer tallied a 9.825 to win the vault while Baker posted a 9.875 on floor to tie for first. Baker was third in the all-around with a 38.875.

SACRAMENTO STATE ­ The two-time defending WAC Champion Hornets are ranked #37 overall with a 10-8 season slate after they recorded their highest road score of the season, scoring a 194.600 to finish second at a four-team meet hosted by UC Davis on Sunday. Stanford, which is ranked 10th nationally, finished first with 197.000. UC Davis posted a 194.275 to place third while San Jose State was fourth at 193.900. Sacramento State has a team RQS of 193.585 to rank fourth in the WAC, as the Hornets tallied a 3-5 conference record.

Junior Marina Borisova tied for first in both the beam (9.850) and floor (9.900) to finish second in the all-around with a season-best 39.275.

SAN JOSE STATE ­ Toting a #35 national ranking, the Spartans are third in the WAC with a 194.050 team RQS and posted a 5-3 league ledger. SJSU is 14-6 overall after finishing fourth in a quad meet at UC Davis, logging a 193.900. WAC foe Sacramento State was second with 194.600 behind No. 10 Stanford¹s 197.000 winning score while host UC Davis was 194.275.

Individually, freshman Shanice Howard recorded SJSU¹s top performances in the meet, placing fifth on vault with a career-best 9.850 and tying for sixth on floor with senior teammate Emily Stebbins at 9.850 each.

SOUTHERN UTAH ­ After beating Utah State, 195.075-193.150, Friday, the Thunderbirds improved to 10-5 overall and 6-2 in WAC action, climbing to No. 24 in the rankings. SUU is ranked second among conference schools with a 194.890 RQS.

Sophomore Elise Wheeler has a WAC-best 39.165 all-around RQS, ranking tied for second in the conference on bars with a 9.815 RQS and third on floor with a 9.845 RQS. Wheeler also is tied for fifth with a 9.815 vault RQS.

SERIES HISTORY VS. WAC OPPONENTS ­ USU has a combined 122-58 (.678) all-time record against its conference opponents.

BOISE STATE - 53-16 all-time... 17-6 at Boise... 0-2 season (1/11, 1/22)

CAL STATE FULLERTON - 17-11 all-time... 4-7 neutral... 1-0 season (1/27)

SACRAMENTO STATE - 5-5 all-time... 3-1 neutral... 0-1 season (1/18)

SAN JOSE STATE - 11-4 all-time... 5-2 neutral... 1-0 season (3/7)

SOUTHERN UTAH - 36-22 all time... 6-6 neutral... 0-3 season (2/4, 2/22, 3/21)

REGIONAL HISTORY ­ In the 30 year history of the USU gymnastics program, the Aggies have qualified for regionals 26 times, with the highest finish coming in 1982 when the Aggies placed second and went on to the National Championships, where they placed ninth.... USU¹s most recent appearance at the regional championships was in 2007 when the Aggies placed sixth at the North Central Regional meet.

IN THE NATION ­ Utah State gymnastics began the 2008 season ranked 33rd in the country according to the Troester Women¹s Preseason Coaches Poll, before falling as low as No. 46 in the Jan. 21 rankings. USU is at No. 40 in this week¹s RQS rankings.

Six USU opponents are ranked in this week¹s Top 25: No. 2 Utah (Feb. 22), No. 9 Oklahoma (Feb. 9), 12th-ranked Denver (Feb. 9 and Feb. 29), 16th-ranked Boise State (Jan. 11, Jan. 22), No. 20 Kentucky (March 14) and No. 24 Southern Utah (Feb. 4, Feb. 22, March 21),... Other Aggie opponents just outside the top 25 are 28th-ranked BYU (Feb. 15, March 10), No. 35 San Jose State (March 7), 36th-ranked New Hampshire (Feb. 15), No. 37 Sacramento State (Jan. 18) and 39th-ranked Texas Woman¹s (March 14).

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ­ The Aggies return four all-WAC honorees, in seniors Katie Omann (first-team vault) and Megan Tschida (first-team floor), junior Nicki Felley (second-team bars, floor) and sophomore Heather Heinrich (first-team vault). Tschida also earned WAC Specialist of the Week honors (Feb. 26, 2007).

Five Aggie returners also earned academic all-WAC accolades in seniors Katie Omann, Ana Rickard-Whitfield, junior Nicki Felley and sophomores Heather Heinrich and Devin Markle.

MINION TABBED WAC GYMNASTICS SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK ­ Utah State gymnast Jasmine Minion has been named the Western Athletic Conference Gymnastics Specialist of the Week it was announced by the conference office on March 17, for the week of March 10-16.

Minion, a freshman from Memphis, Tenn. (Bolton HS) recorded a career-best 9.900 on floor at the Texas Woman¹s quad meet (3/14). The mark tied her for first in the event and is Utah State¹s first 9.900 on any event this season. Minion¹s 9.900 is the second-best mark on floor in the WAC this season and ranks as the fourth-highest score on floor in USU history. She becomes the 15th Aggie in school history to notch a 9.900 on floor. Minion also posted a career-best mark on vault with a 9.875, placing her third at BYU (3/10). The 9.875 on vault is the fourth-best mark in USU history as she becomes just the ninth athlete in USU history to post such a score on the apparatus. Minion¹s 9.875 on vault is the second-highest score in the WAC this season in the event, as she is the only second gymnast in the conference to post that score.

This is the first conference honor for a USU gymnast this season after having three gymnast of the week and two specialist of the week accolades last year.

2008 TEAM CAPTAINS ­ Seniors Kelly Patterson and Katie Omann along with junior Nicki Felley are serving as team captains. This is Patterson¹s third season in the position, while it is Omann¹s and Felley¹s first.

HEAD COACH RAY CORN ­ Ray Corn has created and maintained a tradition of success in his 30 years at Utah State, both in the gym and in the classroom.

As the only coach in USU¹s Division I gymnastics history, he has led the Aggies to the postseason 26 times, including five trips to the national championships. Corn owns an overall record of 436-426-2, with a regular-season record of 383-270-2.

Corn was named the Midwest Regional Coach of the Year in 1991, earned Big West Co-Coach of the Year honors in 1994 and was named Big West Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2001. He also earned Coach of the Year honors in the High Country Athletic Conference in 1986, 1987 and 1988 and was named WGC Coach of the Year in 2005.

Corn has coached three All-Americans, three Olympians, two World Championship competitors and had nine gymnasts qualify for the NCAA National Championships.

A GLANCE AT THE AGGIES ­

Lyndsie Boone ­ Posted a 9.350 (6th) on beam, a 9.400 (7th) on floor and a 9.575 (8th) on bars at the Boise State dual... Logged a then season-high 9.550 (5th) on floor, as well as an 8.900 (12th) on vault in the Sacramento State dual... Posted then season highs in all three events she competed in at the home dual with Boise State, 9.600 on both vault (10th) and floor (10th), as well as 9.550 on beam (9th)... In the win at Cal State Fullerton, she tallied a 9.650 on floor (8th), as well as 9.550 on vault (10th) and 9.475 on beam (4th)... In the dual at Southern Utah logged then-career-bests on vault 9.700 (8th) and beam 9.675 (5th), as well as scoring a 9.725 (7th) on floor... Also competed as an exhibitioner on bars, posting an 8.65... Competed in the all-around for the first time this season at the Denver quad meet and finished fifth with a 38.475... Also competed on bars officially for the first time this year and logged a 9.550 (14th), as well as tying a season-high on vault with a 9.700 (T-14th) in addition to scoring 9.700 on floor (T-15th) and 9.525 on beam (16th)... In the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet, she tied for 12th on vault (9.650) and was 13th on floor (9.625)... At the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet she notched a 9.700 (11th) on vault, 9.375 (16th) on floor and 9.050 (16th) on beam... Also an exhibitioner on bars, posting a 9.500... In the dual with Denver, she competed in the all-around for just the second time this season, posting a 38.250 to place third... She logged 9.800 (T-5th) on floor, 9.625 (T-9th) on vault, 9.500 (12th) on bars, 9.325 (7th) on beam... Tallied season-highs in the all-around in the San Jose State dual with 38.625 (4th), as well as 9.800 (T-4th) on floor and 9.675 on bars (T-8th), as well as tallying 9.600 (T-6th) on beam and 9.550 (T-10th) on vault... At the BYU dual, she tallied a season-highs 9.750 on both vault (9th) and beam (T-5th), as well as scoring a 9.625 on bars (10th) and a 9.000 (12th) on floor, to finish with a 38.125 (T-3rd) in the all-around... At the Texas Woman¹s quad meet, she notched a 9.725 on vault (T-13th), a 9.700 on floor (T-17th) and a 9.450 on beam (T-13th)... In the Southern Utah dual, she tallied 9.600¹s on both vault (T-9th) and beam (7th) as well as notching a 9.400 (10th) on floor.

HIGH SCHOOL: Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Randy Anderson at Scamps Gymnastics... Was a three-time national qualifier ... Placed seventh in all-around at 2007 Regionals, including third in vault... Won the all-around as well as the vault and beam at the Wisconsin Level 10 State Championships... Helped Scamps to five Wisconsin state titles... Graduated from Zion Benton High School with a 3.7 grade point average.

Jackie Dillon ­ Competed as an exhibitioner on bars at Boise State, scoring an 8.95... Also an exhibitioner in the Sac State dual, posting a season-high 9.55 on vault and an 8.45 on bars... Did not compete in the home Boise State dual... In the USU lineup officially for the first time in the Cal State Fullerton dual, she scored a 9.450 on bars, good for 10th-place... Posted a 9.050 (11th) on bars and a 9.625 (9th) on floor at the Southern Utah dual... Logged a 9.675 on floor (17th) at the Denver quad meet, as well as a 9.525 on vault as a exhibitioner... Tallied a 9.675 on floor (11th) in the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet... Competed on vault officially for the first time this season at the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet, logging a 9.650 (T-13th), as well as 8.825 (17th) on floor... Posted a new season-high on floor with a 9.800 (T-5th) in the Denver dual in addition to scoring 9.650 (8th) on vault... In the San Jose State dual, posted a 9.775 (4th) on vault, as well as scoring a 9.650 (10th) on floor... In the dual at BYU, she notched a season-high 9.825 on vault (T-4th) for the second meet in a row, as well as scoring a 9.525 (10th) on floor... At the Texas Woman¹s quad meet, tallied 9.800 (7th) on vault and a 9.575 (T-22nd) on floor... In the dual vs. SUU, she logged a 9.750 (5th) on vault and 9.050 on floor (12th).

HIGH SCHOOL: Competed as a Level 10 gymnast at Hayden¹s International Gymnastics Academy for Denis Hayden and Craig Kirby... Finished 19th in the all-around and third on the vault at the 2006 regional championships after finishing 21st in the all-around in 2005... Graduated from Greenbrier High School with a 3.8 grade point average.

Nicki Felley ­ Was second in the all-around at Boise State, scoring a 36.775... Was tied for sixth on vault (9.600), ninth on floor (9.250), 10th on beam and 12th on bars (8.900) at the Boise State dual... Against Sac State, she posted 9.675 on beam (5th), 9.650 (T-5th) on bars, as well as tying season high with 9.600 (T-6th) on vault and scoring a 9.100 (11th) on floor, totaling a USU-best 38.025 (3rd) in the all-around... Won the all-around of the home Boise State dual with a season-high 38.775... Posted season-highs in three of the four events with a 9.775 (5th) on floor, 9.700 (7th) on vault and 9.675 (7th) on beam... Also had a 9.625 (9th) on bars... Captured top honors in the all-around for the second meet in a row with a 38.650... Matched a season-high on bars with a 9.650 (5th), as well as 9.750 on floor (T-4th), 9.650 on vault (8th) and 9.600 on beam (2nd)... Posted a career-best on bars 9.825 (6th) and a new season-high on vault with a 9.825, tying for second as well as placing 8th on beam (9.600), on floor 9.150 (12th) and in the all-around 38.400 (4th) at the Southern Utah dual... Was sixth in the all-around at the Denver quad with a 38.450, as well as logging 9.725 on vault (T-10th), 9.675 on bars (T-9th), 9.300 (19th) on beam and 9.750 (13th) on floor... Won the all-around in the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet with a 38.400... Also logged a season-high 9.825 (T-4th) on floor, as well as 9.700 on both vault (T-7th) and bars (T-6th) in addition to a 9.175 on beam (13th)... Tied for sixth (37.875) in the all-around at the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet, logging 9.625 (15th) on vault, 9.600 (T-14th) on bars, 9.125 (15th) on beam and 9.525 (13th) on floor... In the dual with Denver, tallied season-high of beam with a 9.750 (3rd) and tied a season-high with 9.825 (T-3rd) on floor, as well as a 9.575 (11th) on bars and 8.875 (12th) on vault, totaling a 38.025 (5th) in the all-around... In the San Jose State dual, logged 38.700 (3rd) in the all-around, posting 9.725¹s on both floor (T-6th) and bars (T-5th), 9.600 (T-7th) on vault and 9.600 (T-6th) on beam... At the BYU dual, she tied a season-high 9.750 on beam (T-5th) in addition to scoring 9.675 on bars (9th), 9.575 on floor (9th) and 9.125 on vault (12th) to tally a 38.125 in the all-around (T-3rd)... In her home state of Texas at the TWU quad meet, she scored a 9.800 on floor (11th), 9.700 on bars (T-10th) a 9.625 on vault (T-19th) and an 8.850 (24th) on beam, posting a 37.975 (7th) in the all-around... She registered a 38.350 (3rd) in the all-around in the SUU dual, posting a 9.800 (T-6th) on floor, 9.775 (T-5th) on bars, 9.625 (T-7th) on vault and a 9.150 (11th) on beam.

LAST SEASON: Had a career-best 39.005 in the all-around at the WAC Championships (3/31)... Posted a career-high with a 9.875 on vault at home against Southern Utah (2/23), tying the 13th-best mark in USU history... Also tallied a career-best on the floor with a 9.900 at San Jose State with Boise State and Seattle Pacific (1/26), a mark that is tied for 19th in school history and tied for the best score for USU... Had season averages of 38.635 in all-around, 9.686 on floor exercise, 9.625 on vault, 9.325 on beam and 9.700 on bars... Her 9.700 bars average is the 14th-best single-season average in USU history... Earned second-team all-WAC honors by finishing sixth in the all-around at the WAC Championships with her career-best score of 39.050, after placing tied for fourth on bars (9.800), tied for sixth on floor (9.775), tied for eighth on beam (9.825) and 29th in vault (9.650)... Earned second-team all-WAC in bars and floor... Placed 12th at the NCAA North Central Regionals (38.375) after finishing 15th on beam (9.75), 34th on bars (9.525), 38th on vault (9.625) and 40th on floor (9.475)... Received academic all-WAC honors as well as the USU Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Scholar-Athlete Award.

Heather Heinrich ­ Was first in the all-around at Boise State, scoring a 36.875... Placed eighth on floor (9.350), ninth on vault (9.400) and tied for 10th on both bars (9.100) and beam (9.025)... In the Sac State dual, tallied 9.650 (4th) on vault and 9.600 (7th) on beam, as well as 8.950 (12th) on floor and 8.850 (12th) on bars, for a total of a 37.050 (6th) in the all-around, for a season high... Tallied season-highs in all three events she competed in at home against Boise State with a 9.800 (3rd) on beam, 9.750 (4th) on vault and 9.700 (7th) on bars... At Cal State Fullerton, she posted season-high 37.450 in all-around (3rd), as well as season-highs 9.775 (3rd) on vault and 9.450 (T-10th) on floor... Also scored 9.225 on beam (5th) and 9.000 on bars (12th)... Logged a year-high with a 38.275 in all-around including posting season-bests on vault with 9.825 (T-2nd), bars with a 9.725 (7th) and floor with a 9.525 (11th), also posting a 9.200 (11th) on beam... At the Denver quad, she was eighth in the all-around with a 37.675... Was also tied for fifth on vault (9.800), 15th on bars (9.525), 12th on beam (9.675) and 22nd on floor (8.675)... In the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet, she tied a season-high on bars with a 9.725 (T-4th), as well as scoring a 9.700 on beam (T-6th) and a 9.650 (T-12th) on vault... At the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet 9.775 (8th) on vault, 9.700 (T-10th) on bars and 9.700 (9th) on beam... In the Denver dual, she was fourth in the all-around (38.225) posting a season-high 9.825 on floor (T-3rd), as well as a 9.725 (6th) on vault, 9.675 (10th) on bars and 9.000 (10th) on beam... Had perhaps her best meet as an Aggie in the San Jose State dual, logging a career-high 39.000 in winning the all-around, as well as tying for first with a career-best 9.850 on floor... Also tied a career-best with a 9.750 (3rd) on bars and tallied a 9.600 (4th) on beam... At the BYU dual, tied her season-best on vault with a 9.825 (T-4th), while posting a 9.750 (7th) on floor, a 9.725 (T-7th) on beam and a 9.025 (12th) on bars, tallying a 38.325 (2nd) in the all-around... In the quad meet at Texas Woman¹s, tallied 9.750¹s on both vault (T-10th) and floor (T-13th), a 9.725 (T-7th) on bars and a 9.650 on beam (6th), finishing with a 38.875 (2nd) in the all-around... The SUU dual meet saw her post a 9.800 (1st) on vault, 9.650 (9th) on floor, 9.250 (T-9th) on beam and an 8.200 (12th) on bars for a 36.900 (5th) in the all-around.

LAST SEASON: Had season-averages of 9.723 in vault, 9.646 on floor, 9.506 on bars, 9.452 on beam and 38.250 on all-around... The 9.723 average on vault is the 17th-best in school history... Posted a 9.850 on vault at the WAC Championships (3/31), a mark that ties for No. 21 on USU¹s best individual scores... Had a season-high 9.850 on beam against Southern Utah (2/23)... Posted a season-high 9.750 on floor at BYU and against Oregon State (3/9)... Also tallied a season-high 9.750 on bars vs. Minnesota (3/17)... Finished 10th in the all-around at the WAC Championships with a season-best 38.750, also placing tied for third in the vault with teammate Katie Omann (9.850) to earn first-team all-WAC honors, tied for 13th in the bars (9.725), tied for 19th on beam (9.750) and 30th on floor (9.425)... Was 10th at the NCAA North Central Regionals in the all-around (38.450), finishing tied for 29th on bars (9.650), tied for 23rd on beam (9.675), tied for 28th on floor (9.675) and 39th on vault (9.450).

Erica Huelsmann ­ Redshirting this season after shoulder surgery.

HIGH SCHOOL: Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Todd Gardner at the Illinois Gymnastics Institute... She placed 41st at the 2005 National Championships, after a second-place finish on the bars, beam and the all-around at regionals... At the state championships, she placed first on the beam and floor, and third in the all-around.. She graduated from Naperville Central High School with a 4.0 grade point average... Was a member of the National Honor Society.

Devin Markle ­ Did not compete at Boise State nor in the Sacramento State dual due to injury... Made her season debut in the Aggie lineup in the Boise State dual, placing 12th on floor with an 8.975 as well as competing as an exhibitioner on vault, scoring a 9.525... Did not compete at the Cal State Fullerton dual... At Southern Utah she was 10th on vault (9.450)... Has not competed since due to an injury.

LAST SEASON: Had season-averages of 9.696 on vault, 9.661 on floor, 9.489 on bars, 9.215 on beam and 38.758 in all-around... Logged all her season-best marks at home, highlighted by career outing against Southern Utah (2/23) in which she posted season-highs in the all-around (38.925), floor (9.85) and beam (9.700)... Recorded a season-high 9.800 on vault vs. Boise State (2/1) and 9.800 on bars vs. Alaska-Anchorage... Was 36th in vault at WAC Championships (3/31) with a 9.100... Placed tied for 15th in vault (9.775) and 37th on floor (9.575) at the NCAA North Central Regional (4/14)... Earned academic all-WAC honors as well as the USU Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Scholar-Athlete Award.

Chelsea Marquardt ­ Was third on beam with a 9.550 and tied for third on vault with a 9.700 at Boise State dual... Posted season-highs in all three events she competed in of the Sacramento State dual, tying for first on vault (9.800) as well as finishing third on bars (9.700) and sixth on beam (9.625)... Suffered injury in vault of the Boise State dual and did not compete in the rest of meet... Did not compete in the Cal State Fullerton or Southern Utah duals nor the Denver quad due to the injury... After missing the previous four meets with a knee injury, she returned to the Aggies¹ line-up on bars for the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet, logging a 9.425 (12th)... At the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet, posted a season-high 9.725 (T-8th) on bars... Tallied a season-high 9.800 (third) on bars in the dual with Denver... In the San Jose State dual, logged a 9.750 (T-3rd) on bars... Posted a 9.575 (11th) on bars at the BYU dual... At the Texas Woman¹s quad meet, tallied a 9.650 (T-14th) on bars... In the SUU dual she tied a season-high with a 9.800 (4th) on bars.

HIGH SCHOOL: Was a five-year Level 10 gymnast for Champion¹s Gymnastics Team under Aaron Gallegos and Emily Peterman... Was a two-time national championship qualifier, placing 10th on bars in 2007... Was an alternate in 2006... Placed eighth in the all-around, second on vault and 10th on bars in 2005... Graduated from Eaglecrest High School with a 3.2 grade point average.

Jasmine Minion ­ In the season-opener at Boise State, she was fourth on beam (9.45), fifth on vault (9.675) and 10th on floor exercise (8.900)... In the Sac State dual, she tied for first on vault (9.800) as well as finishing third on floor (9.625) and tied for eighth on beam (9.550)... Was named USU¹s Most Outstanding Gymnast of the meet of the Boise State dual, as she was second on floor with a season-high 9.850, as well as third on vault with a 9.775... Minion was also eighth on beam with a 9.625, her highest score in the event this year... At the Cal State Fullerton dual, Minion tallied not only a season-high but the fourth-highest score in school history on vault, winning the event with a 9.875... She also scored a 9.750 on floor (T-4th) and an 8.950 on beam (9th)... At Southern Utah, she won the vault with a 9.850, as well as logging a 9.775 on floor (6th) and an 8.650 on beam (12th)... Led USU with a 9.800 on floor at Denver quad, tying for eighth, as well as logging a 9.100 (22nd) on beam and a 9.025 (24th) on vault... Also had a 9.100 on bars as an exhibitioner... In the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet, posted a 9.825 (T-4th) on floor and a 9.775 (T-2nd) on vault... Did not compete at the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet with an injury... Posted a 9.800 on vault (3rd) in the Denver dual, as well as an 8.900 (11th) on beam... In the San Jose State dual, she tied for first in both the vault (9.825) and floor (9.850), tying a season-high on floor, as well as posting 9.600 (T-6th) on beam... In the dual with BYU, she posted season-high and USU season-best 9.875 on vault, placing third, also posted a 9.800 (T-4th) on floor and 9.650 (11th) on beam... At the Texas Woman¹s quad meet, scored 9.850 on vault (T-2nd) as well as 9.500 on beam (11th) and she recorded a career-best 9.900 on floor in tying for first, Friday at the Texas Woman¹s quad meet... The mark tied her for first in the event and is Utah State¹s first 9.900 on any event this season... Minion¹s 9.900 is the second-best mark on floor in the WAC this season and ranks as the fourth-highest score on floor in USU history... She becomes the 15th Aggie in school history to notch a 9.900 on floor... Minion was named the WAC Specialist of the Week on March 17... In the Southern Utah dual, she tallied a 9.875 on floor (2nd) and tied for first on vault (9.800)... Also posted a 9.475 (9th) on beam.

HIGH SCHOOL: Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Gus Vandervoot at River City Gymnastics... Placed eighth in the all-around at the Eastern Regionals, finishing first on floor exercise... Was 26th in all-around at 2006 Junior Olympic Nationals including eighth in vault... Was state champion at Level 7-9... Graduated from Bolton High School with a 3.1 grade point average.

Katie Omann ­ At the Boise State dual, was tied for 10th on bars (9.100) and 11th on vault (8.950)... Was 10th on bars (9.050) in the Sacramento State dual, as well as logging an 8.95 on beam as an exhibitioner... Posted a season-high 9.750 (6th) on bars in the home dual with Boise State as well as performing as an exhibitioner on beam with a 9.025... Clinched the team win at Cal State Fullerton with a 9.525 on beam in the final performance of the last rotation, placing third in the event in her first official competition on beam this season... Also scored a 9.575 on bars, tying for sixth... In the dual at Southern Utah, she tallied a 9.500 on bars (9th) and a 9.225 on beam (10th)... Posted a season-high 9.725 on vault (T-10th), sharing top honors for USU in the event at the Denver quad... Also logged 9.575 on bars (13th) and 8.925 on beam (23rd)... Set a season-high 9.550 (11th) on beam in the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet, as well as 9.350 (13th) on bars and 9.075 (17th) on vault... At the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet, posted 9.600¹s on both vault (T-16th) and bars (T-14th)... In the dual with Denver, she tied her season-high on bars with a 9.750 (th), in addition to posting 9.625 (T-9th) on vault and 9.350 (7th) on beam... At BYU dual, she posted career-best 9.800 on beam (T-3rd), as well as scoring 9.725 on bars (T-7th) and 9.600 (T-10th) on vault... In the quad meet at Texas Woman¹s, tied season-best on vault with a 9.725 (T-13th), as well as logging a 9.625 on bars (16th) and a 9.500 (T-11th) on beam... In the home finale dual vs. SUU on Senior Night she notched a 9.725 (9th) on bars, 9.625 (7th) on beam and a 9.600 (T-9th) on vault as well as a 9.450 as a floor exhibitioner.

LAST SEASON: Posted season-averages of 9.781 on vault, 9.443 on beam and 9.205 on bars... Had a career-best 9.850 on the vault at WAC Championships (3/31), placing tied for third with teammate Heather Heinrich and earning first-team all-WAC recognition... Posted a career-best 9.725 on beam and season-best 9.675 on floor at Boise State (3/23)... Recorded a season-high 9.650 on bars against BYU (1/22)... Was also 31st on beam (9.650) at WAC Championships... Placed tied for 26th on vault (9.700) and 42nd on beam (8.750) at NCAA North Central Regionals... Earned academic all-WAC honors as well as USU Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Scholar-Athlete Award accolades.

Kelly Patterson -­ Had not competed all season until the dual at Southern Utah when she performed on beam for the first time officially in her USU career, posting a 9.765, good for a tie for fifth... Was an exhibitioner on beam at the Denver quad, posting a 9.600, which was USU¹s second-highest score in the event... Logged a 9.050 (15th) on beam in the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet... At the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet, logged an 8.525 (17th) on beam... Did not compete in the Denver, San Jose State or BYU duals, nor the quad meet at Texas Woman¹s... On Senior Night in the SUU dual, she was an exhibitioner on both beam (9.425) and bars (8.600).

LAST SEASON: Did not compete in any meets... A USU Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Scholar-Athlete Award recipient.

Ana Rickard-Whitfield ­ Placed 11th in the floor exercise at Boise State dual (8.825)... Scored a 9.475 on floor as a exhibitioner in the Sac State dual... Notched a career-high 9.700 (T-7th) on floor in the home Boise State dual... At Cal State Fullerton, she tied for 10th with a 9.450 on floor... Posted a 9.625 (T-9th) at Southern Utah dual... Did not compete at Denver quad... Logged a 9.650 (12th) on floor in the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet... At the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet placed 15th on floor (9.400)... In the dual with Denver, she tallied a 9.650 (10th) on floor... Was an exhibitioner in three events in the San Jose State dual, scoring 9.550 on floor, 9.500 on vault and 9.150 on beam... In the dual at BYU, was an exhibitioner on floor (9.725), vault (9.275) and 9.150 (beam)... At the Texas Woman¹s quad meet, she was also an exhibitioner on vault (9.500), beam (9.500) and floor (9.475)... Was a exhibitioner in three events in the Southern Utah dual on Senior Night, posting 9.675 on floor, 9.350 on beam and 9.075 on vault.

LAST SEASON: Competed in one meet, posting a career-best 9.675 in the floor exercise at Boise State (3/23)... Earned academic all-WAC accolades as well as a USU Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Scholar-Athlete Award recipient.

Nicole Simoneau ­ Won the bars (9.800) at the Boise State dual, as well as 12th on beam (8.700)... Competed in the all-around in the Sac State dual for the only time this season, posting 37.650 (5th), winning the bars for the second meet in a row with a season-high 9.825... Also posted 9.575 on vault (9th), 9.175 (10th) on floor and 9.075 (12th) on beam... Logged a season-high 9.650 (9th) on vault in the home dual with Boise State, as well as 9.775 (4th) on bars and 8.600 (12th) on beam... Won the bars for the third meet this year by tying for first with a 9.800... Also posted a 9.600 on vault (9th)... At the Southern Utah dual, she tied for top honors on bars with a season-high 9.850... Tied season-high on bars with 9.850, tying for second at the Denver quad meet, as well as a 9.250 on beam (20th)... In the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet, she posted a season-high 9.750 (T-2nd) on beam, as well as a 9.800 on bars, tying for first... Was USU¹s highest finisher at the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet, tying for fourth on bars with a 9.825... Also logged a 9.650 (10th) on beam and a 9.625 (T-16th) on vault... In the dual with Denver, she won the bars with a season-high tying 9.850... Also scored an 8.250 on beam (12th)... Won the bars in the San Jose State dual, tying her season-high for the fourth time with a 9.850... At the BYU dual, she notched a 9.800 (T-3rd) on bars... In the quad meet at TWU, tallied a 9.825 (T-2nd)... In the Southern Utah dual she won the bars with a season-best 9.900, marking the eighth meet that she has taken top honors and the 12th posting of 9.800 or higher on bars in 13 meets.

HIGH SCHOOL: Competed as a Level 10 gymnast at Gymnastics Village for Ray Schumacher... A former National Elite... At the 2006 Junior Olympic National Championship she placed 21st in the all-around and fourth in the floor exercise... Was 35th at the 2005 Junior Olympic National Championships at Senior A Level 10 after placing 10th in 2004 at Junior C Level 10... Won state and regional championships... Graduated from Manchester Central High School.

Maegan Snodgrass ­ Was an exhibitioner at the Boise State dual, with 9.55 on vault... Suffered an injury during warm-ups of the Sac State dual (1/18) and has not competed in any meets since.

HIGH SCHOOL: Competed as a Level 10 gymnast with Olympus Gymnastics for Mary Wright... Was a member of the three-time club state champions... In 2005 she finished 15th in the all-around at the Regional Championships... Was also an Olympic weight lifter, finishing seventh in the nation in her age and weight group... In 2006, she won both the 18 & under and the 21 & under USA Weightlifting National Juniors Championship, setting an American National Schoolage Record in the snatch event... Graduated from Bingham High School with a 3.7 grade point average.

Megan Tschida ­ Was USU¹s highest finisher on floor exercise at the Boise State dual, by tying for fourth (9.725), as well as finishing eighth on bars (9.450)... Won the floor exercise with a 9.850 in the dual with Sac State, as well as tying for eighth on beam (9.550) and ninth on bars (9.100)... In the home dual against Boise State, was fourth on floor (9.800), 11th on beam (9.000) and 11th on bars (8.700)... After not competing in the all-around since her freshman season of 2005, posted a 36.650 (4th) at CS Fullerton, including a season-high 9.550 on bars (8th) and a 9.850 on floor (2nd)... Also logged an 8.950 on vault (12th) and an 8.300 on beam (12th)... Tallied a 9.175 (12th) on vault and an 8.950 (12th) on bars at the Southern Utah dual... At the Denver quad meet, she logged a season-high 9.675 on vault (17th), as well as a 9.700 (T-15th) on floor and 9.350 on bars (18th)... In the BYU/New Hampshire tri-meet, she posted an individual and USU season-high 9.875 on floor in tying for first... Also placed 16th in both vault (9.575) and bars (8.900), as well as performing on beam as an exhibitioner (8.450)... At the Utah/Southern Utah tri-meet she tied a season-high with a 9.550 on bars (16th), as well as USU¹s highest finisher on floor at 10th (9.675) and also had an 8.375 (18th) on beam... In the Denver dual she tied for 11th on floor (9.600), in addition to being an exhibitioner on bars, posting a 9.700... In the dual with San Jose State, she tallied season-high 9.625 (5th) on beam, as well as 9.825 (3rd) on floor... Was also exhibitioner on bars, tallying a 9.600... At the BYU dual she tallied 9.650 on floor (8th) and 9.450 on beam (12th)... In the quad meet at Texas Woman¹s, posted 9.825 on floor (T-6th), 9.600 on bars (17th) and 9.450 on beam (T-13th)... On Senior Night in the SUU dual, she posted a season-high 9.900 in winning the floor, while also tallying season-best 9.775 on beam (4th) and a 9.025 (11th) on bars.

LAST SEASON: Posted a season-best 9.900 on floor against Southern Utah (2/23), a mark that is the 19th-best in school history and tied for the season-best score for USU... Had a season average of 9.808 on floor... Earned WAC Specialist of the Week (2/26)... Placed third on floor at the WAC Championships (3/31) with a 9.825 to earn first-team all-WAC honors... Finished 39th on floor at the NCAA North Central Regionals (4/14) with a 9.550.

-USU-