Gymnatics prepares for San Jose State
The Utah State gymnastics team looks to continue its home winning streak when it hosts San Jose State University Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Spectrum. The Aggies currently hold a perfect 3-0 record at home and a 4-5 record overall.
“The first half of the season is over,” said head coach Ray Corn. “The second half of the season now begins. It’s the teams that are the healthiest and those that are able to go out there and replace scores [that will succeed]. That is what we need to do. We need to replace every one of those scores [from the first half of the season] by at least a full point in order for us to even think we have an opportunity to get to the regional meet.”
San Jose State is 5-3 on the year coming off two wins over Sacramento State University (193.550) and University of California at Davis (191.832). SJSU posted a season-high 194.300 in the tri-meet Feb. 16. The Spartans are averaging a 192.800 team all-around score this season.
This will be the first meeting of the teams since 1995.
The Aggies will be lead by sophomores Tina Ellis and Nicole Kilpatrick in the all-around competition during Monday’s meet.
“The young lady that is emerging onto the scene in terms of the all-around is Mika Houston. We need to have some back-up there so that we all remain healthy,” Corn said.
Houston, a freshman out of Las Vegas, saw all-around action in her collegiate debut against Boise State Jan. 15.
“If we had to grade ourselves at this point in time we would probably be between a ‘B’ and a ‘B+,'” Corn said. “We have to work hard [to achieve a 195.00 or better], and hopefully we can grade out at an ‘A.'”
Following the meet against the Spartans, the Aggies will travel to Los Angeles to take on defending national champions No. 1 UCLA, No. 25 Cal-Berkeley and University of California Santa Barbara March 4.