Second-team honors for two gymnasts
Two Aggies receive second-team All-WAC honors but the team placed sixth in Saturday’s Western Athletic Conference Gymnastics Championships held at Sacramento State.
Boise State took their second conference championship in as many years with a 196.525, while host Sacramento State followed with a 195.350. Southern Utah finished in third place with 195.175, San Jose State finished fourth at 194.525, Call State Fullerton had a 192.972 for fifth place while USU rounded out the pack with 192.425. The sixth-place finish is their second last-place finish in a row.
Nicki Felley, the lone senior on the squad, earned second-team All-WAC by finishing third in the all-around with a score of 38.700. Sophomore Nicole Simoneau also earned second-team All-WAC on both the beam and bars with her fifth place finishes on each.
Lyndsie Boone was the only other Aggies to compete for the all-around title, and finished in ninth place with a score of 37.450.
USU began the championship meet on the bars. Boone led things off with a 9.600, followed by freshman Brandie Dickson’s 9.650 and a 9.675 from Felley. Jackie Dillon scored a 9.600 followed by Simoneau’s fifth place meet score of 9.850, her ninth 9.800 or higher in a row. Heather Heinrich was last for USU on the bars, making her comeback, competing in three events. She was limited to only one apparatus in last week’s loss to SUU and missed five meets before that with illness. In her first competition bars routine since Feb. 9 she joined Boone and Dillon with a score of 9.600, for a total score of 48.375
The Aggies moved to one of their weaker scoring apparatuses, the beam, for their next rotation. Once again Boone was first up, scoring a 9.050, freshman Erica Huelsmann followed with a 9.200 and Felley scored a 9.650. Simoneau was in the four spot and scored a career-best 9.825, while freshman Haley Hogan tied her career high with a 9.725 and Heinrich finished things up with 9.750. The team finished the beam with a 48.150, their third-best beam score this season, giving them a 96.525 at the halfway point.
Utah State got a rest in the next rotation before they took on the floor. Boone’s 9.125 was followed by a 9.625 from Hogan and a 9.700 from Huelsmann. Dillon and Felley wrapped things up for the Aggies with a 9.750 and 9.775 respectively, giving the team a total on the apparatus of 47.975.
The vault was the last rotation for USU where Hogan was first up, scoring a 9.550. Simoneau then had a 9.350 before Felley posted a 9.600. Following Felley was Boone who scored a 9.675, proceeded by a 9.750 from Heinrich and a 9.300 from Dillon. USU’s vault total was a 47.925 giving them a total score of 192.425.
SUU’s Elise Wheeler was named WAC gymnast of the year after winning the all-around title, while Boise State’s Tina Bird and Neil Resnick were awarded WAC Coach of the Year.
The sixth-place finish is a disappointing end to the 2009 season for the Aggies. They now wait for Monday’s announcement of the NCAA Regional selections to see if any Aggies will be chosen to compete in the regional tournament.
c.h.j@aggiemail.usu.edu
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