Aggie Gymnasts Open the 2003 Season at Cal State Fullerton

THIS WEEK - Utah State gymnastics begins its 2003 season in a tri-meet against Cal State Fullerton and Illinois-Chicago in Fullerton, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 12. The meet is the first of the season for all three teams.

NEXT WEEK - The Aggies travel to Oklahoma to face the Sooners and Boise State on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 1 p.m. MST.

LOOKING AT CAL STATE FULLERTON - Cal State Fullerton is coached by Julie Knight. The Titans were 8-9 overall in 2002, and took fifth at both the Western Gymnastics Conference and NCAA Regional competition. Cal State Fullerton returns 10 letterwinners, including 2002 NCAA all-around qualifier Kelly Mathiasen, who scored 39.025 at nationals. USU and CSF split in 2002 dual meet action, as the Aggies won in their season-opener in Logan, 192.7750-191.375. In March, CSF defeated the Aggies in Fullerton, 195.000-192.825. The teams met for a final time at the WGC meet, where USU took third (195.550) and the Titans finished fifth (193.250). All-time, USU is 10-8 against Cal State Fullerton, with a 2-2 record in Fullerton.

LOOKING AT ILLINOIS-CHICAGO -UIC was 19-16 last season, and competed in the NCAA South Central Regional meet. The Flames return six letterwinners of their 13 2002 competitors. Head coach Peter Jansson is in his 13th season at UIC, and owns a 149-122-1 record in that time. Sunday's competition marks the first-ever meeting between USU and Illinois-Chicago.

2003 TEAM CAPTAINS -Senior Kimberly Scharman and sophomore Katie Rutherford will serve as this year's Utah State team captains.

2003 POTENTIAL ALL-AROUNDERS - Utah State has six gymnasts who could see action in all-around competition throughout the season. Only senior Nicole Kilpatrick has been an all-around competitor for the Aggies before. In addition to her, though, head coach Ray Corn anticipates sophomores Rachel Ropelato and Katie Rutherford and freshmen Ashley Barr, Meagan Nelson and Jessica Parenti could compete in the all-around before the season is over.

2003 SEASON OUTLOOK - Utah State gymnastics' roster has seven freshmen on it as the Aggies begin the 2003 season. USU returns three seniors, one junior and six sophomores. Of those 10 returnees, five competed in all 14 meets in 2002, and all 10 participated in at least one-third of those meets. Nicole Kilpatrick (vault) and Katie Rutherford (bars) both won 2002 Western Gymnastics Conference titles last season. All six of the freshman are potential all-around competitors. The Aggies contend with the losses of Jessenia Abrego, Stephanie Gordon, Mika Love Houston and Kirra Seeley.

NEW ASSISTANT COACH -Ernestine Russell, a two-time Canadian Olympian was hired in July to assist Ray Corn. She joins Mark Lee, in his fifth year as an assistant coach at Utah State. Russell was the head coach at the University of Florida for 13 years (1979-1992), where her teams posted a 185-48 record, won one national title and made 11 consecutive NCAA Championship appearances. In her 23-year career as a collegiate head coach, her teams posted a 243-48 record.

HEAD COACH RAY CORN - Utah State's Ray Corn (Northern Colorado '71) is in his 26th year as the Aggies' head coach. Corn's teams own a 343-211-2 regular-season meet record and have participated in postseason competition in 24 of his 25 seasons, including 17 straight trips to the NCAA Midwest Regionals. Aggie squads have competed at national championship meets five times. Corn was named NCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1991, was honored as High Country Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times and selected Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2001. Corn's overall record, including postseason action, currently stands at 401-350-2.

2002 WESTERN GYMNASTICS CONFERENCE HONORS - Four USU gymnasts earned all-WGC recognition, while Nicole Kilpatrick and freshman Katie Rutherford each earned event titles. Kilpatrick scored 9.925 on the vault, the second-best vault score in USU history, while Rutherford posted an identical score on bars. Senior Jessenia Abrego finished second on floor, third on vault and third in the all-around, while senior Kirra Seeley was fifth on beam.

REGIONAL STREAK CONTINUED - 2002's trip to the NCAA Regional meet marked the 17th consecutive for the Aggies, and the 24th in Ray Corn's 25 years at USU. USU's best finish at the regional meet came in 1999, when it finished third. The last team to advance to the National Championship meet from regionals was the 1991 squad that finished 12th in the nation.

2002 SEASON RECAP - USU finished the year 7-20 on the season, and posted a season-high score of 195.550 March 22 as it hosted the Western Gymnastics Conference championships. Senior all-arounder Jessenia Abrego lead the Aggies with three season averages ranked among the top 10 in USU history (vault, floor and all-around). Fellow senior Kirra Seeley recorded bars scores of 9.775 or better in six of USU's last seven meets, and averaged a 9.636 on beam in that span. Freshman Katie Rutherford scored at least a 9.650 on beam in seven of the last eight meets, and won bars at the WGC meet with a career-best 9.925. Junior all-arounder Nicole Kilpatrick won the vault competition at the WGC meet with a career-best score of 9.925. At the Western Gymnastics Conference meet, USU posted a team score of 195.550, taking third to Denver (195.825) and Southern Utah (195.575). The Aggies' bars (49.025), beam (48.750) and floor (48.950) performances were their best of the season.

NCAA NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL RECAP - Utah State gymnastics took sixth at the 2002 NCAA North Central regional competition in Denver, Colo., April 6 with a team score of 193.400. The Aggies ended their season at 7-20. The regional meet marked the first time since 1997 USU finished sixth or lower in regional competition, as the Aggies finished seventh in 1997. No. 3 Georgia and No. 10 Stanford advanced to the national championship meet April 20, tying for first with team scores of 196.125. Host school No. 13 Denver was third with a 196.000, while No. 23 Missouri was fourth (195.000) and Air Force Academy was fifth (193.775).

A LOOK AT THE 2002 AGGIES - ASHLEY BARR - Freshman from Littleton, Colo... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Lindy Franzini, Vinici Liera and Enis Hudson at Colorado Gymnastics Institute... A 2002 Level 10 national qualifier... Took second in the all-around at the state Level 10 competition in 2002... Won the 2002 state Level 10 title on floor, finished third on vault, fifth on bars and eighth on beam... Finished second on bars and sixth in the all-around at 2002 regional competition... Graduated from Cherry Creek High with a 3.6 grade point average.

NALANI CHUNG - Sophomore from Fort Collins, Colo... Competed in six meets in 2002, posting a 9.713 bars average in that span... Set a career-best at Cal State Fullerton (3/15/02), where she scored a 9.825 and took fourth in the event... Her first collegiate action came at BYU, where she scored 9.550.

SARAH COLSON - Sophomore from Littleton, Colo... Broke her ankle in practice prior to the 2002 Western Gymnastics meet and did not participate the rest of the season... Recorded a 9.600 on vault at San Jose State (1/26/02) and tied that score at BYU... Scored a 9.52 on floor at BYU (2/22/02).

NICOLE KILPATRICK - Senior from Ringwood, N.J... 9.925 vault score at the 2002 Western Gymnastics Conference meet (3/22/02) was the second-best score in school history and gave her the event title... Also set a season-best all-around score of 39.000 at the WGC and finished fourth... Season-high beam score came against Utah (2/15/02), with a 9.875... 2002's top bar score (9.825) was at the WGC meet (3/22/03)... Had six top-three finishes in 2002, with two in the all-around, three in the vault and one on beam... Season average of 38.468 in the all-around was 11th all-time at USU.

LIESEL KOHLER - Freshman from Watsonville, Calif... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Javier Vargas at Elite Gymnastics Academy in Salinas, Calif... A 2002 graduate of Monterey Bay Academy (La Selva Beach, Calif.) with a 3.75 grade point average.

RACHAEL MANDY - Freshman from Fargo, N.D... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Amy Sahli and Kelli Dronen at American Gold Gymnastics in Fargo... Level 10 state champion in 1999 and 2000... Took second at state in 2001... Qualified for regional competition for seven consecutive years, once as a Level 9 gymnast and six times at Level 10... Won the 2001 regional vault championship and took second in 1999.

KYLA MATTIOLI - Junior from Hampton, N.J... A career-best 9.850 vault score against Boise State (2/27/02) claimed her the event title... Set a new career high on floor (9.750) against Cal State Fullerton (2/4/02), which she tied at Southern Utah (3/13/02)... Career-best 9.750 on bars came at San Jose State (1/26/02)... Two top-three finishes... Vault average of 9.696.

MEAGAN NELSON - Freshman from Las Vegas, Nev... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Cassie Rice and Jill Enritta at GymCats Gymnastics in Las Vegas... An eight-time state champion, she has titles in the Level 10 bars, vault, floor and all-around... Owns Level 9 titles in floor, vault and all-around competitions... Took second at the 2001 state meet in the all-around... Finished 11th at Level 10 nationals as a senior.

JESSICA PARENTI - Freshman from Glendora, Calif.... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast at Charter Oak Gliders for Lisa Muellers and Jay Wells... Three-time nationals competitor (1999-2001)... Took second at 2000 nationals in bars, beam and the all-around... Finished second on beam and third in bars at 2001 national competition... Two-time regional bar champion... Class of 2002 valedictorian at Glendora High, she graduated first in her class of 540, with a 4.0 grade point average.

JESSICA RANDS - Sophomore from Sammamish, Wash... Scored a career-best 9.825 on vault against Boise State (2/2/02)... Scored a 9.650 against Utah (2/15/02) in her first collegiate meet... Went on to tie that score at BYU (2/22/02)... Had orthoscopic surgery on Jan. 7 for a meniscal tear.

RACHEL ROPELATO - Sophomore from Nibley, Utah... Posted a career-best 9.725 on vault at Southern Utah (3/13/02), taking second among the Aggies... Competed on floor once, with an 8.600 at Arizona State (1/11/02)

ALLISON ROSENTHAL - Senior from Scottsdale, Ariz... Posted a season and career high on beam against BYU (2/6/02) and Cal State Fullerton (1/4/02) (9.750)... Tied her top career floor score of 9.875 for the fourth time at Western Gymnastics Conference meet (3/22/02)... Ranked second on the team in floor average, ending the year with a 9.690... Had three top-three finishes, including an event title (beam).

KATIE RUTHERFORD -Sophomore co-captain from Chappaqua, N.Y... Earned the bars title at the Western Gymnastics Conference (3/ 22/02), scoring a 9.925 and tying the fifth-best bars score at USU... Posted a career-best 9.900 on beam, tying the seventh-best beam score in school history... Had six top-three finishes, and won bars twice... Took second on bars twice and claimed third once each on beam and bars... The only freshman to compete in all 14 meets for the Aggies.

KIMBERLY SCHARMAN - Senior co-captain from Salt Lake City, Utah... Won the bars title at San Jose State (1/2/02) with a 9.900, a career and season high... Set a career best on beam at the Western Gymnastics Conference meet on March 22 with a 9.750... Finished in the top three on bars twice as a junior... Ended the season with a 9.496 bars average in 14 meets, and a 9.553 beam average, competing in eight meets.

ASHLEY YOUNG - Freshman from Longmont, Colo... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast Richard Villarela and Blythe Baca at Berthoud School of Gymnastics... Was the 2001 regional vault champion... Also finished fifth on bars and sixth in the all-around at the 2001 regionals... A 2001 national qualifier... Graduated with a 3.7 grade point average from Skyline High.