Oregon State
Oklahoma
Beavers Tally 196.825; Blalock & Tang Score Career-Best in All-Around
January 26, 2013 | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 26, 2013
FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 16 Oregon State gymnastics team went 24-for-24 Saturday night at the Metroplex Challenge. The Beavers scored a season-high 196.825 and finished third overall knocking off No. 9 Georgia. Senior Kelsi Blalock scored a career-best 39.425 in the all-around to finish third in the meet.
Brittany Harris tallied a season-best in the all-around at 39.350, a total matched by Makayla Stambaugh. Sophomore Chelsea Tang established a career-best in the all-around as well at 39.175.
“This is the performance we've been looking for and expecting,” head coach Tanya Chaplin said. “We hit all 24 routines and that's what we've needed to do. We had to scramble several lineups this week and I'm really proud of the way these gymnasts stepped up for each other.”
Oregon State opened the meet with its best two events so far this season – floor exercise and vault – taking the lead after two rotations with a score of 98.200. LSU (98.150) Georgia (98.100) kept it close as the Beavers went into the bye. Oklahoma (49.225) and Washington (49.075) had only performed on one event at the time.
The Beavers went six-for-six to open the meet on the floor exercise. Kelsi Blalock tied her career-high for the second week in a row at 9.85 and Melanie Jones and Makayla Stambaugh closed the opening stanza with matching scores of 9.875 to give the Beavs a 49.025 and third place.
OSU made up ground in the second rotation once again hitting six-for-six on the vault. Stephanie McGregor opened the rotation with a season-high 9.825 and Harris tied her career-best at 9.875. Stambaugh and Hailey Gaspar added scores of 9.825 and Blalock scored 9.875 in the anchor position. OSU scored 49.225 on vault to push past LSU and Georgia.
Oregon State moved to the uneven bars coming out of the bye. Four OSU gymnasts scored career-bests on the apparatus as the Beavers compiled a team score of 49.425 to set a season-high mark. Blalock led off with a 9.85 and Tang followed with a fantastic routine to score 9.875, both career-bests. McGregor and Stambaugh each nailed their routines to establish personal marks as well at 9.925. Hannah Casey and Harris added season-bests of 9.80 and 9.85 respectively.
Closing the meet on the balance beam, the Beavers had the opportunity to tally their highest score of the year and another six-for-six event resulted in just that. Blalock, once again, in the lead-off position scored a season-high 9.85 to set up routines from Katelyn Ohlrich, who scored 9.825, and Harris to set a season-high of 9.875. Tang registered her third career-high of the night with a 9.85 on the beam and Jones closed the scoring for the Beavers with a 9.75.
The Beavers travel to Berkeley, Calif. next week for the third of four straight away meets as the road show continues in a dual at California Sunday, Feb. 3.
Notes: Freshman Erika Aufiero did not make the trip to Texas after suffering a sprained ankle in practice this week. Aufiero is considered week-to-week … Senior Kelsi Blalock and sophomore Chelsea Tang performed in the all-around for the first time in 2013. In all the Beavers had four all-arounders with Blalock and Tang joining Makayla Stambaugh and Brittany Harris on all four events.
Team Scores: No. 2 Oklahoma 197.275; No. 7 LSU 197.100; No. 16 Oregon State 196.825; No. 9 Georgia 196.775; Washington 194.875.
All-Around: t1. Taylor Spears (OU), Rheagan Courville (LSU) 39.450; 3. Kelsi Blalock (OSU) 39.425. Other OSU Scores: Brittany Harris 39.350; Makayla Stambaugh 39.350; Chelsea Tang 39.175.
Vault (49.225): 1. Sarie Morrison (LSU) 9.925; t2. Haley Scaman (OU), Randi Lau (LSU), Maliah Mathis (LSU), Rheagan Courville (LSU), Brittany Rogers (UGA) 9.900. Other OSU Scores: Kelsi Blalock 9.875; Brittany Harris 9.875; Makayla Stambaugh 9.825; Stephanie McGregor 9.825; Chelsea Tang 9.775 (Exhibition – Taylor Keeker 9.675).
Uneven Bars (49.425): t1. Rheagan Courville (LSU), Chelsea Davis (UGA) 9.950; t3. Kelsi Blalock 9.850; Hannah Casey 9.800 (Exhibition – Taylor Keeker 9.800).
Balance Beam (49.150): 1. Lauren Alexander (OU) 9.975; t2. Kelsi Blalock 9.850; Makayla Stambaugh 9.725 (Exhibition - Cerise Witherby 9.600).
Floor Exercise (49.025): 1. Aliza Vaccher (WASH) 9.925; t2. Lara Albright (OU), Jessica Savona (LSU), Maliah Mathis (LSU), Rheagan Courville (LSU), Christa Tanella (UGA) 9.900. Other OSU Scores: Kelsi Blalock 9.850; Brittany Harris 9.750; Cerise Witherby 9.675; Chelsea Tang 9.675 (Exhibition – Nicole Turner 9.625).
Players Mentioned
