Gymnasts Overcome Early Deficit to Defeat Boise State
January 24, 1999
BOISE - For the second meet in a row, it came down to the last rotation.
But this time, the Beavers came out on top.
Megan Murphy-Barcroft and Katrina Severin both had career-highs on the balance beam in the final rotation to lift the Oregon State gymnastics team to a 192.600-191.75 victory over Boise State on Sunday afternoon, two days after losing to UCLA by a mere 0.125 points.
Just 0.225 points separated the Beavers and the Broncos going into the final rotation of Sunday's meet. Boise State, which led 96.825-95.550 after two events, saw its lead slip away after four BSU gymnasts fell off the balance beam during the third rotation.
Boise State's falls on beam gave OSU a chance to make up some ground after the Beavers had some early trouble of their own on bars. Stephanie Bychowski tied for first place with a 9.85 on the event and Danae Phillips scored a 9.80. But three Beavers combined for four falls on the opening rotation, forcing OSU to overcome a 48.100-47.050 deficit after one event.
"It was a really good comeback after four falls on bars. We hit on vault and carried that through to floor," said assistant coach Dick Foxal. "After three rotations when they made the announcement (that the meet was so close), we came through with an excellent finish on beam. They really rallied and handled the pressure well."
Murphy-Barcroft scored a career-high 9.925 to place first on beam, and Severin's 9.85 tied her career-high and earned her second place.
Oregon State also took top honors on vault and floor. Lara Degenhardt scored a 9.85 on vault to place first on the event, and Jerra Lopez won floor with a 9.825. Degenhardt was also second on floor with a season-high 9.80 mark.
Murphy-Barcroft was the top all-around performer, with a 38.875 score on the afternoon.
"The team started off poorly but they showed the character they need to be a top team in the Pac-10 and at nationals," said assistant coach Michael Chaplin. "They were fighting until the last event and hitting when it counted. That was a big step for this team. We very well could be 0-3 right now, but they did not give up."
Final Results
Oregon State 192.600, Boise State 191.750
Top Individual Finishers
Vault - 1. Lara Degenhardt (OSU), 9.85; 2. Kelly McEgan (BSU), 9.70; T3. Danae Phillips (OSU), 9.675; T3. Katrina Severin (OSU) 9.675; T3. Megan Murphy-Barcroft (OSU), 9.675.
Bars - T1. Stephanie Bychowski (OSU), 9.85; T1. Diana Loosli (BSU) 9.85; 3. Kelly Martin (BSU), 9.825
Beam - 1. Megan Murphy-Barcroft (OSU), 9.925; 2. Katrina Severin (OSU), 9.85; 3. Corrie Young (OSU), 9.675
Floor - 1. Jerra Lopez (OSU), 9.825; 2. Lara Degenhardt (OSU), 9.80; T3. Louise Cashmere (BSU), 9.775; T3. Debbie Thompson (BSU), 9.775
All-Around - 1. Megan Murphy-Barcroft (OSU), 38.875; 2. Kerry Jacobson (BSU), 38.300; 3. Louise Cashmere (BSU), 38.250
