Photo by: Dave Nishitani/Oregon State Athletics
Beavers Set to Open Season at Illinois
January 08, 2019 | Women's Gymnastics
ON TAP
Oregon State (0-0) opens the season with a quad meet at Illinois this Sunday at noon PST. The Beavers, who were ranked 17th to begin the season, will be tested early facing No. 7 Kentucky (1-0), the No. 29 Illini (1-2) and Lindenwood (0-0).
LIVE VIDEO
• The meet is slated to stream live on BTN Plus. BTN Plus is a subscription-based online streaming service for the Big Ten Network.
LIVE RESULTS
• Live results will be available for the meet and can be found by visiting the gymnastics schedule page on fightingillini.com.
QUICK STICKS
Oregon State kicks off the season on the road for the third straight year. OSU knocked off Pittsburgh, 194.850-194.125, in the 2018 opener and defeated Auburn, 195.575-195.275, in 2017 ... Following their trip to the "Land of Lincoln," the Beavers return to Corvallis to welcome Pac-12 rival, Utah, to Gill Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. ... Head coach Tanya Chaplin returns to lead the 2019 squad in her 22nd season in Corvallis ... Oregon State returns one All-American, Kaitlyn Yanish, who earned NACGC/W Regular Season second team accolades on the floor exercise as a freshman in 2018.
RETURNING FOR 2019
• The Beavers return 22 out of 24 routines from the 2018 NCAA Regionals lineup. Both graduated routines by (Dani Dessaints and Shireen Khamedoost) were on the uneven bars.
• OSU had two gymnasts perform as all-arounders at various times in 2018 and both, Sabrina Gill and McKenna Singley, return.
• Four walk-ons made significant contributions to the squad in 2018 - Alyssa Minyard was a regular in the bars and beam lineups, Maela Lazaro was a consistent bright spot in the beam lineup, Lena Greene was a key component in the back half of the vault lineup and Niya Mack filled in several times on the floor exercise. As a group, the foursome hit 38 out of 41 routines.
• In addition, to 13 contributors returning next season, two - Lacy Dagen and Colette Yamaoka - performed a total of 11 exhibitions for the Beavers as well.
• Kaitlyn Yanish earned Pac-12 second team honors on the floor exercise and was named an NACGC/W Regular Season All-American on floor in her first season at OSU.
• There were several notable improvements by previously unsung gymnasts in 2018 ... Destinee Davis contributed one routine as a freshman in 2017 worked her way into three lineups by season's end converting 21 out of 22 routines as a sophomore ... Alyssa Minyard, who didn't perform a single exhibition as a freshman in 2017, was a regular in the bars and beam lineups this season hitting 18-19 routines ... Maela Lazaro, who earned one exhibition at the end of the '17 season, jumped into the beam lineup in the season's third meet with a 9.90 and became a fixture in the lineup ... Lena Greene, who missed 2017 due to injury returned to make her debut at Washington with a 9.90 on the vault and became a mainstay in the back end of the vault lineup the rest of the way this year ... Halli Briscoe returned from her own injury late in the 2018 season to make her college debut on the bars where she too became a key to the lineup.
A LOOK BACK AT 2018
• OSU advanced to the postseason for the 44 consecutive season.
• The Beavers traveled to Raleigh, N.C. for NCAA Regionals in April as the third seed. Oregon State counted two falls, the first of the season, on the balance beam in the final rotation and finished sixth in meet. OSU's final ranking was No. 27.
• All four of OSU's lineups were ranked among the top 25 in the nation. The floor lineup was the highest ranked for the Beavers at No. 7 (49.380 regional qualifying score), vault was 18th (49.135), beam was also ranked 18th (49.165) and bars finished at No. 21 (49.200).
• Oregon State 'hit' 274 out of 288 (95.1%) routines in 2018.
• Kaitlyn Yanish (FX) earned NACGC/W Regular Season Second Team All-America. Yanish was also named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team on the floor exercise as a freshman in 2018.
• Dani Dessaints was named as one of 10 finalists for the AAI Award, annually given to the top senior gymnast in the nation.
• Ten OSU gymnasts received Pac-12 All-Academic honors; Mariana Colussi-Pelaez and Shireen Khamedoost were first team honorees, while Dani Dessaints, Lena Greene and McKenna Singley earned named to the second team. Halli Briscoe, Mary Jacobsen, Maela Lazaro, Isis Lowery and Alyssa Minyard received honorable mention.
• Thireen gymnasts were recognized as Scholastic All-Americans by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W): Halli Briscoe, Mariana Colussi-Pelaez, Lacy Dagen, Dani Dessaints, Savanna Force, Lexie Gonzales, Lena Greene, Mary Jacobsen, Shireen Khamedoost, Jaime Law, Maela Lazaro, Niya Mack and McKenna Singley.
• Oregon State went an undefeated 5-0 at Gill Coliseum in 2018 including four wins over Top 25 teams - No. 23 Stanford, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 24 Arizona and No. 21 BYU.
THE ROSTER
Here are some quick hitters about the 2019 Oregon State gymnastics roster:
• The Beavers have three seniors on the team (Mariana Colussi-Pelaez, Mary Jacobsen and McKenna Singley). The trio has combined to perform 224 routines in their career entering the season.
• There were four additions to the squad this fall with the arrivals of freshmen Leah Bivrell, Madi Dagen, Alex McClung and Kristina Peterson.
• Thirteen of the 21 gymnasts on the 2019 team competed in at least one meet for the Beavers last season. Lacy Dagen, Lexie Gonzales, Jaime Law and Colette Yamaoka are all seeking their first competition routines at OSU, in addition to the four freshmen.
• The Beavers have three gymnasts that hail from the state of Oregon - Lena Greene (Tigard), Jaime Law (Corvallis) and Alex McClung (Salem).
• OSU also has three gymnasts from outside the United State - Mariana Colussi-Pelaez and Sabrina Gill (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) and Isis Lowery (Melbourne, Australia).
• The Beavers return 22 out of 24 routines from the 2018 NCAA Regionals lineup. Both graduated routines by (Dani Dessaints and Shireen Khamedoost) were on the uneven bars.
LOADING UP FOR 2020
In November, three gymnasts signed the National Letters of Intent to join the Oregon State gymnastics program for the 2019-20 academic year. Kayla Bird (Chandler, Ariz.), Jenna Domingo (Honolulu, Hawai'i)Â and Jane Poniewaz (Henderson, Nev.) are scheduled to enroll at Oregon State this coming summer ... In addition, 2018 signee Jade Carey (Phoenix, Ariz.), who has deferred her enrollment this year to train for the U.S. National Team, plans to attend OSU in the future. Carey earned a pair of silver medals for Team USA at the 2017 World Championships.
Oregon State (0-0) opens the season with a quad meet at Illinois this Sunday at noon PST. The Beavers, who were ranked 17th to begin the season, will be tested early facing No. 7 Kentucky (1-0), the No. 29 Illini (1-2) and Lindenwood (0-0).
LIVE VIDEO
• The meet is slated to stream live on BTN Plus. BTN Plus is a subscription-based online streaming service for the Big Ten Network.
LIVE RESULTS
• Live results will be available for the meet and can be found by visiting the gymnastics schedule page on fightingillini.com.
QUICK STICKS
Oregon State kicks off the season on the road for the third straight year. OSU knocked off Pittsburgh, 194.850-194.125, in the 2018 opener and defeated Auburn, 195.575-195.275, in 2017 ... Following their trip to the "Land of Lincoln," the Beavers return to Corvallis to welcome Pac-12 rival, Utah, to Gill Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. ... Head coach Tanya Chaplin returns to lead the 2019 squad in her 22nd season in Corvallis ... Oregon State returns one All-American, Kaitlyn Yanish, who earned NACGC/W Regular Season second team accolades on the floor exercise as a freshman in 2018.
RETURNING FOR 2019
• The Beavers return 22 out of 24 routines from the 2018 NCAA Regionals lineup. Both graduated routines by (Dani Dessaints and Shireen Khamedoost) were on the uneven bars.
• OSU had two gymnasts perform as all-arounders at various times in 2018 and both, Sabrina Gill and McKenna Singley, return.
• Four walk-ons made significant contributions to the squad in 2018 - Alyssa Minyard was a regular in the bars and beam lineups, Maela Lazaro was a consistent bright spot in the beam lineup, Lena Greene was a key component in the back half of the vault lineup and Niya Mack filled in several times on the floor exercise. As a group, the foursome hit 38 out of 41 routines.
• In addition, to 13 contributors returning next season, two - Lacy Dagen and Colette Yamaoka - performed a total of 11 exhibitions for the Beavers as well.
• Kaitlyn Yanish earned Pac-12 second team honors on the floor exercise and was named an NACGC/W Regular Season All-American on floor in her first season at OSU.
• There were several notable improvements by previously unsung gymnasts in 2018 ... Destinee Davis contributed one routine as a freshman in 2017 worked her way into three lineups by season's end converting 21 out of 22 routines as a sophomore ... Alyssa Minyard, who didn't perform a single exhibition as a freshman in 2017, was a regular in the bars and beam lineups this season hitting 18-19 routines ... Maela Lazaro, who earned one exhibition at the end of the '17 season, jumped into the beam lineup in the season's third meet with a 9.90 and became a fixture in the lineup ... Lena Greene, who missed 2017 due to injury returned to make her debut at Washington with a 9.90 on the vault and became a mainstay in the back end of the vault lineup the rest of the way this year ... Halli Briscoe returned from her own injury late in the 2018 season to make her college debut on the bars where she too became a key to the lineup.
A LOOK BACK AT 2018
• OSU advanced to the postseason for the 44 consecutive season.
• The Beavers traveled to Raleigh, N.C. for NCAA Regionals in April as the third seed. Oregon State counted two falls, the first of the season, on the balance beam in the final rotation and finished sixth in meet. OSU's final ranking was No. 27.
• All four of OSU's lineups were ranked among the top 25 in the nation. The floor lineup was the highest ranked for the Beavers at No. 7 (49.380 regional qualifying score), vault was 18th (49.135), beam was also ranked 18th (49.165) and bars finished at No. 21 (49.200).
• Oregon State 'hit' 274 out of 288 (95.1%) routines in 2018.
• Kaitlyn Yanish (FX) earned NACGC/W Regular Season Second Team All-America. Yanish was also named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team on the floor exercise as a freshman in 2018.
• Dani Dessaints was named as one of 10 finalists for the AAI Award, annually given to the top senior gymnast in the nation.
• Ten OSU gymnasts received Pac-12 All-Academic honors; Mariana Colussi-Pelaez and Shireen Khamedoost were first team honorees, while Dani Dessaints, Lena Greene and McKenna Singley earned named to the second team. Halli Briscoe, Mary Jacobsen, Maela Lazaro, Isis Lowery and Alyssa Minyard received honorable mention.
• Thireen gymnasts were recognized as Scholastic All-Americans by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W): Halli Briscoe, Mariana Colussi-Pelaez, Lacy Dagen, Dani Dessaints, Savanna Force, Lexie Gonzales, Lena Greene, Mary Jacobsen, Shireen Khamedoost, Jaime Law, Maela Lazaro, Niya Mack and McKenna Singley.
• Oregon State went an undefeated 5-0 at Gill Coliseum in 2018 including four wins over Top 25 teams - No. 23 Stanford, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 24 Arizona and No. 21 BYU.
THE ROSTER
Here are some quick hitters about the 2019 Oregon State gymnastics roster:
• The Beavers have three seniors on the team (Mariana Colussi-Pelaez, Mary Jacobsen and McKenna Singley). The trio has combined to perform 224 routines in their career entering the season.
• There were four additions to the squad this fall with the arrivals of freshmen Leah Bivrell, Madi Dagen, Alex McClung and Kristina Peterson.
• Thirteen of the 21 gymnasts on the 2019 team competed in at least one meet for the Beavers last season. Lacy Dagen, Lexie Gonzales, Jaime Law and Colette Yamaoka are all seeking their first competition routines at OSU, in addition to the four freshmen.
• The Beavers have three gymnasts that hail from the state of Oregon - Lena Greene (Tigard), Jaime Law (Corvallis) and Alex McClung (Salem).
• OSU also has three gymnasts from outside the United State - Mariana Colussi-Pelaez and Sabrina Gill (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) and Isis Lowery (Melbourne, Australia).
• The Beavers return 22 out of 24 routines from the 2018 NCAA Regionals lineup. Both graduated routines by (Dani Dessaints and Shireen Khamedoost) were on the uneven bars.
LOADING UP FOR 2020
In November, three gymnasts signed the National Letters of Intent to join the Oregon State gymnastics program for the 2019-20 academic year. Kayla Bird (Chandler, Ariz.), Jenna Domingo (Honolulu, Hawai'i)Â and Jane Poniewaz (Henderson, Nev.) are scheduled to enroll at Oregon State this coming summer ... In addition, 2018 signee Jade Carey (Phoenix, Ariz.), who has deferred her enrollment this year to train for the U.S. National Team, plans to attend OSU in the future. Carey earned a pair of silver medals for Team USA at the 2017 World Championships.
Players Mentioned
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
UB, BB
/ Women's Gymnastics
UB, BB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
V, BB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
V, UB, BB
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
V, BB
/ Women's Gymnastics
V, UB, BB
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
V, UB
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
UB, BB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
V, UB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
UB, BB
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
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