Oregon State
Michigan
Beavers Third in Season Opener; Vaulters Show Spark
January 04, 2013 | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 4, 2013
CANCUN, Mexico - The ninth-ranked Oregon State gymnastics team got its season off to a rough start Friday night with a third place finish at the Cancun Classic. The Beavers scored 193.600, falling to No. 10 Michigan (196.575) and BYU (194.475).
"We made too many mistakes, missed too many routines," head coach Tanya Chaplin said. "We really beat ourselves tonight. It is a disappointing start to the season but it isn't an indicator of what this team is capable of. We'll get back in the gym on Monday and work hard to be ready next Friday in Gill Coliseum."
Oregon State's record falls 0-2 for the first time since 2004.
The youthful Oregon State squad is seeking to replace graduated All-Americans Leslie Mak and Olivia Vivian and the seven routines they combined to perform in 2012. Friday, five gymnasts to perform seven routines in lineups they'd never competed in as collegians with mixed results. Newcomers Hailey Gaspar (9.825) and Sarah Marquez (9.80) posted the Beavers' top vault scores while sophomore Katelyn Ohlrich, who had never been in the beam lineup, scored a team-high 9.775 on the event and sophomore Cerise Witherby, a newcomer to the floor lineup, led off with a solid score of 9.70.
In addition, Friday's meet marked the return of fifth-year senior Stephanie McGregor, who missed the entire 2012 season due to an Achilles injury, posted the Beavers' highest mark on the uneven bars (9.75) and was also in the vault lineup.
However, what amounted to six missed routines doomed OSU's 2013 debut.
The Beavers put themselves in a hole early of which they could never climb out. Beginning the meet with a difficult draw, OSU suffered a pair of missed routines on the beam in the opening rotation. Brittany Harris led off with a solid routine and a score of 9.70, but major wobbles and steps on the dismount derailed the next two routines before Ohlrich took her turn. Despite having only performed in the competitive lineup three times as a freshman in 2012, Ohlrich confidently negotiated the apparatus to score a team-leading 9.775.
The Beavers looking to gain momentum on the floor exercise got a boost from Witherby in the lead-off spot when she tumbled to a 9.70. However, a fall and an out of bounds penalty in the following two routines once again halted the momentum. Kelsi Blalock, Makayla Stambaugh finished out the rotation with scores of 9.825, 9.85 and 9.875 respectively, but the damage had already been done.
Coming off three straight strong routines, the OSU vaulters went six-for-six with several stuck landings. However, the Beavers' best performance of the night came on the most tightly judged event of the night muting their success. Sophomore Chelsea Tang nailed her vault to score 9.775 as the leadoff and freshman Sarah Marquez stuck to score 9.80. Stambaugh added a 9.75 setting up Gaspar, a senior transfer, who scored 9.825 to finish second in the meet.
Having closed the gap on BYU to roughly two-tenths of a point, the Beavers were in position to regain second place heading into the final rotation. But it was not to be. Two falls and two near-misses ended the Beavers' hopes for a comeback. McGregor performed a solid routine and took a small hop on her dismount to score a team-high 9.75 on bars. Harris added a 9.625 on a routine that was going perfectly until a large step on the dismount cost her with the judges.
Oregon State returns to action next Friday, Jan. 11, in its home opener against No. 14 Ohio State at Gill Coliseum beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-GO-BEAVS, in person at the OSU Ticket Office inside Gill Coliseum or online at BeaverTickets.com.
Team Scores: No. 10 Michigan 169.575; BYU 194.475; No. 9 Oregon State 193.600.
All-Around: 1. Joanna Sampson (MICH) 39.425; 2. Sachi Sugiyama (MICH) 39.300; 3. Katie Zurales (MICH) 39.275. Other OSU Scores: Makayla Stambaugh 38.325.
Vault (48.850): 1. Joanna Sampson (MICH) 9.875; 2. Stephanie McGregor 9.550 (Exhibition - Taylor Keeker 9.475).
Uneven Bars (47.650): T1. Raquel Willman (BYU), Sachi Sugiyama (MICH), Joanna Sampson (MICH) 9.850. Other OSU Scores: Stephanie McGregor 9.750; Brittany Harris 9.625; Makayla Stambaugh 9.550; Hannah Casey 9.475; Melanie Jones 9.250; Erika Aufiero 9.225; (Exhibition - Chelsea Tang 9.725).
Balance Beam (48.225): 1. Katie Zurales (MICH) 9.925; T2. Megan Bain (BYU), Joanna Sampson (MICH) 9.875. Other OSU Scores: Brittany Harris 9.700; Kelsi Blalock 9.625; Makayla Stambaugh 9.200 (Exhibition - Erika Aufiero 9.700).
Floor Exercise (48.875): 1. Sachi Sugiyama (MICH) 9.900; 2. Brittany Harris 9.625; Sarah Marquez 9.050 (Exhibition - Nicole Turner 8.600).
Players Mentioned
