Aggie gymnastics beaming with confidence
Utah State University gymnastics Head Coach Ray Corn has a positive outlook for the 2002 season, despite many changes and unexpected injuries.
The Aggies will return 13 letterwinners and introduce five newcomers into the program after winning the final Big West Conference gymnastics championship last season. Following the BWC win, the Aggies faltered at the NCAA Regionals in Salt Lake City, finishing with a 191.200, landing themselves in fifth place out of six competitors.
A New Conference
Following the Big West’s decision to no longer sponsor gymnastics as a conference sport, Utah State, Boise State University, Cal State Fullerton, Denver University and Southern Utah University joined together to form the Western Gymnastics Conference.
“In my opinion [with the schools included] makes it [the WGC] a very, very strong conference,” Corn said.
Corn compares the new Western Gymnastics conference to the Eastern Atlantic Gymnastics League, Eagle, which is a makeup of schools from the Big East and Atlantic Conference.
“I’m appreciative of the athletic directors supporting it [the WGC],” Corn said.
The Aggies will host the inagural WGC meet on March 22 in the Spectrum.
The Schedule
“We’ve got an outstanding schedule,” Corn said.
Fans will have the first chance to see the Aggies compete on Jan. 4 as they open the season against Cal State Fullerton.
“It is the first time we will have opened up at home for years,” Corn said.
Former Aggie gymnasts will also be in attendance for the meet against Fullerton, Corn said.
With a home schedule including Arizona State University, Boise State University, the University of Utah, BYU and the conference meet, Corn has no complaints.
“I’m very happy with that,” he said.
In the future Corn hopes to lure teams such as Michigan and UCLA to Logan for meets.
Corn is most enthused about this season’s meet on Feb. 6 against BYU, though.
“Having the opportunity for that meet to be held as an Olympic ceremony meet is going to be incredible,” Corn said.
The Olympic torch will come through the Spectrum and Corn expects the place to be packed. It will be the only Aggie home meet to start at 6 p.m. and doors will open between 1:30 and 2 p.m., he said. Admittence is free of charge.
The Team
Not only did the USU gymnastics program lose Amanda Jenkins, a success on the bar; Kristin O’Dell, who averaged 9.745 on the floor; and Megan Woolstenhulme, who was a staple for the Aggies on the vault, the team also had to deal with the loss of junior Tina Ellis.
Ellis, who led the Aggies in the all-around competition last season, retired following knee problems. She will assume the role of undergraduate assistant coach this year.
Seniors Jessinia Abrego and Kristen Bloom, junior Allison Rosenthal and sophomore Brittnee Penman are expected to fill the void left by Ellis.
“Those four girls have really turned it up since we found out Tina will be unable to compete,” Corn said. “Losing Tina is a huge blow to our program.”
Utah State will have 10 gymnasts capable of putting up numbers in the all-around but Corn will rely heavily on sophomore Mika Houston and junior Nicole Kilpatrick.
Houston, who suffered a car accident at the beginning of the semester, was not expected to dress this season, Corn said.
“She’s done a wonderful job,” Corn said of Houston’s training and rehabilitation following the accident.
Kilpatrick put up a season-best 39.325 in the all-around competition against BYU last season.
“We cannot rely ourselves to have the same people going over and over again,” Corn said.
USU will also look to Penman, Abrego and freshmen Sarah Colson, from Parker, Colo., and Katie Rutherford, from Chappqua, N.Y., in the all-around.
Other freshmen who look to have promising careers for the Aggies include Nalani Chung, from Fort Collins, Colo., Jessica Rands, from Sammamish, Wash., and Rachel Ropelato, from Nibley.
Coach Corn
“I’ve enjoyed my time here,” Corn said. “I feel fortunate that Utah State has kept me for this long.”
In his 25 years as the only USU coach, Corn feels the university has allowed him to accomplish his goals as a coach and he is not done yet.
Although Corn knows it does not happen over night, or even over 25 years, to become one of the six best teams in the nation, he has continued to make the necessary changes and feels the community deserves it, he said.
“I’m not going to be happy until this program gets inbeded into super six competitions,” he said.