Closing the Book on the 2011 Gymnastics Season
April 26, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THE SEASON
It was another step forward for the Oregon State gymnastics team (29-9) in the quest for the ultimate prize. The 2011 season ended with an eighth place finish at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and along the way the Beavers chalked up their first Pac-10 Championship title since 1996 and added their second regional title in four years as well ... Four gymnasts - Jen Kesler, Leslie Mak, Makayla Stambaugh and Olivia Vivian - garnered All-America honors and each qualified to the Individual Event Finals, tying for the most in school history. The foursome accounted for six first team All-America awards ... The uneven bars lineup ended the season ranked No. 1 in the nation and backed it up with the highest team score at the NCAA Championships in any session. Kesler, Stambaugh and Vivian each reached event finals and finished second, tied for third and tied for sixth respectively ... Key highlights for the 2011 Beavers included Mak being named the Pac-10 Conference and NCAA West Region Gymnast of the Year; Tanya Chaplin earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year and Tanya and Michael Chaplin received West Region Coach of the Year honors.
RETURNING FOR 2012
Oregon State graduates only two seniors - Becky Colvin and Jen Kesler - accounting for three routines, from the 2011 squad. With 10 scholarship athletes expected to return and expected return to health from nagging injuries for Kelsi Blalock and Melanie Jones, as well as the addition of incoming freshmen Chelsea Tang and Cerise Witherby, the Beavers should be prepared to fill the holes left behind.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS
OSU returns three gymnasts who have combined for six All-America honors for the 2012 season. Junior-to-be Makayla Stambaugh is now a three-time All-American, twice earning first team honors on the floor exercise (finishing 8th in 2011) and once on the uneven bars, where she finished tied for third this year. Senior-to-be Leslie Mak earned a pair of All-America First Team honors this year in the all-around and on the balance beam. Senior-to-be Olivia Vivian, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation on the bars for several weeks this season, earned the first All-American award of her career and finished tied for sixth on the bars in individual finals.
LAST TIME ON THE COMPETITION FLOOR
Oregon State had a solid, but not spectacular, performance at the NCAA Championships. The Beavers posted the meet’s highest score as a bars lineup (49.400). But the Beavers finished fifth in the session with just one-tenth of a point separating them from an elusive trip to the Super Six. Leslie Mak had an excellent meet, as usual, scoring 39.350 in the all-around to tie for third. Jen Kesler tallied a season-high 9.90 on the bars to tie teammates Makayla Stambaugh, Olivia Vivian and three others for first on the event to advance to the Individual Event Finals. Freshman Brittany Harris and sophomore Kelsi Blalock (who was practically a freshman after missing most of her first year due to injury) performed well in their first meets on a podium with each hitting all three of their routines. Blalock just missed becoming an All-American on the vault with a team-leading 9.875 while Harris tallied her highest score of 9.85 on the bars. Stambaugh posted a pair of 9.90 scores on bars and floor exercise to advance to compete on Sunday ... Four gymnasts - Kesler, Mak, Stambaugh and Vivian - reached Individual Event Finals the most since four accomplished the feat in 1994.
IN THE RANKINGS
All four of Oregon State’s lineups finished the season ranked in the nation’s top 10. The Beavers were ranked 8th on vault (49.215 RQS), 1st on the uneven bars (49.380), 7th on the balance beam (49.115) and 10th on the floor exercise (49.160). In addition, several OSU gymnasts were ranked among the top 25 in the nation: Leslie Mak tied for No. 1 on the beam (9.910), No. 9 on the bars (9.900) and tied for No. 8 in the all-around (39.385); Olivia Vivian tied for No. 3 on the bars (9.920); Britney Ranzy tied for 6th on the vault (9.905); and Makayla Stambaugh tied for 13th on the bars (9.885) and tied for 22nd on the floor (9.875).
WE’RE NO. 1
The Oregon State uneven bars lineup finished the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Beavers proved their worth at the NCAA Championships when they posted a meet-high 49.400 score as a team. Three OSU gymnasts qualified to the Individual Event Finals after tying for first in the evening session with scores of 9.90. Jen Kesler, Makayla Stambaugh and Olivia Vivian became first team All-Americans - the first time in OSU history it had three first team All-Americans on the event in the same season. Kesler finished second, Stambaugh tied for third and Vivian tied for sixth in event finals. In addition, Leslie Mak finished the year ranked ninth in the nation with an RQS of 9.90 ... On top of all that, Mak ended the year tied for No. 1 in the nation on the on the beam with an RQS of 9.910.
PAC-10 CHAMPIONS
Oregon State hit all 24 of its routines at the final Pac-10 Championships meet en route to a dominating performance and a season-high score of 197.200. The Beavers earned the highest marks on the bars (49.425), beam (49.350) and floor (49.125) and tied for the top score on the vault (49.300). In addition, OSU gymnasts Leslie Mak, Makayla Stambaugh and Kelsi Blalock went 1-2-3 in the all-around to lead the Beavers to their first conference title since 1996 and fifth overall ... as UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field put it, “Oregon State was the best team in the house tonight. We got beat by a beat team tonight.”
PAC-10 CHAMPIONS II
Junior Leslie Mak enjoyed a career-night at the Pac-10 Championships posting career-best 39.525 in the all-around to win the Pac-10 title and added a career-high 9.95 on the beam to win the event title as well. In addition, Mak tied teammates Olivia Vivian and Makayla Stambaugh as well as three other gymnasts with a 9.90 on the bars to share the Pac-10 title on the apparatus ... it is the second time Mak has tied for the Pac-10 title having done the same in 2009 when she tied Jen Kesler ... it is the third time in four years an OSU gymnast has won the conference beam title (Laura-Ann Chong - 2010 & Jami Lanz -2008).
PAC-10 GYMNAST OF THE YEAR
At the conclusion of the Pac-10 Championships Leslie Mak was announced as the Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year. The award is determined by a vote of the conference’s head coaches. Mak, who was an outstanding three event athlete for the Beavers in her first two years, added vault to her repertoire in 2011 and has performed in the all-around in all 11 of OSU’s meets this season. To date, Mak has hit 43 out of 44 routines and has established or matched career-highs on all four events plus the all-around. Mak has won 19 event titles in 2011 including a dominant performance in the all-around at the Pac-10 Championships scoring a career-best 39.525 ... Mak is the fourth gymnast in OSU history to garner Gymnast of the Year honors joining Beaver icons Joy Selig (1991), Chari Knight (1992 & ‘94) and Mandi Rodriguez (2009) ... With the Pac-10 expanding to the Pac-12 Conference next season, Mak will go down as the last Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year. Ironically, head coach Tanya (Service) Chaplin was the original Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year in 1987.
PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR ... AGAIN
Head coach Tanya Chaplin was chosen by her peers as the Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and the fifth time in her career. Chaplin’s team, which battled a variety of minor injuries during the fall, rounded into shape at midseason and is peaking at the right time of year. In the weeks leading up to the Pac-10 Championships the Beavers defeated three top 10 teams including then-No. 10 UCLA, then-No. 2 Stanford and then-No. 6 Utah - the first time OSU has accomplished the feat since 1992. Chaplin’s Beavers continued their hot streak with a season-best performance at Pac-10 Championships and won the conference title for the first time in her tenure.
ALL-PAC-10 TEAM
Seven Oregon State gymnasts combined for 10 All-Pac-10 Conference honors when the awards were announced last Wednesday. OSU’s all-conference gymnasts are Kelsi Blalock, Becky Colvin, Jen Kesler, Leslie Mak, Britney Ranzy, Makayla Stambaugh and Olivia Vivian ... Mak earned first team All-Pac-10 in the all-around after earning all-conference on beam in 2010 and on beam in 2009. Stambaugh received first team recognition on the floor for the second year in a row and on the bars for the first time. Kesler earned second team honors on the bars and beam - she previously earned first team on bars in 2009. Colvin garnered second team all-conference on the vault for the second year in a row ... These are the first all-conference awards for Blalock, Ranzy and Vivian. Blalock and Ranzy earned first team honors on the vault while Vivian received first team on the bars and beam.
ALL-ACADEMIC
Four Oregon State gymnasts were recognized for their work in the classroom when the Pac-10 All-Academic team was announced last week. Stephanie McGregor earned first team All-Academic honors for the second year in a row while Leslie Mak and Olivia Vivian were named to the second team. Vivian was a first team selection in 2010 and Mak a second teamer. Melanie Jones was named honorable mention.
CHAPLIN REACHES MILESTONES
Head coach Tanya Chaplin earned the 200th regular season win of her career early in the season against Ohio State with a 195.925-193.300 victory over the Buckeyes ... More recently with the win at Pac-10 Championships, Chaplin moved past Jim Turpin to become the winningest coach in OSU history during the regular season with a record of 217-106-1 (.670). She remains second in school history in overall wins with an overall record of 274-165-1 (.623). Turpin tallied 317 victories from 1986-97.
PAC-10 HONORS OSU GYMNASTS
Oregon State gymnasts accounted for four Pac-10 weekly awards in 2011 ... Olivia Vivian earned the Beavers’ first award of the year (Pac-10 Special Performance of the Week) following the opening week of the season. Vivian nailed her bars routine to score a career-best 9.95 and win the event title at the Pac-10 Showcase. Earlier in the weekend, Vivian also earned top honors on the bars with a 9.875 in OSU’s home dual win over LSU ... Following Week 2, Leslie Mak and Vivian swept the weekly honors with Mak earning the first Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week honor of her career and Vivian earning her second Special Performance of the Week award for the week of Jan. 10-16. Mak scored 39.100, exceeding the 39-point mark for the third meet in a row, en route to winning the all-around as well as the beam title (9.925) in Oregon State’s victory over then-No. 15 Ohio State. Vivian meanwhile topped her career-high from the previous week by rocking her bars routine to the tune of 9.975, including a 10.0 from the head judge ... Following Week 9, Makayla Stambaugh was awarded the second Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week of her career. Stambaugh, competing in the all-around for the first time since the season’s opening week, tied her career-high with a 39.525 to help lead the Beavers to their first 197-point meet in two years. In addition, Stambaugh tied her career-high on vault with a 9.875 and set season-highs on beam (9.825) and floor (9.925) in helping Oregon State to halt Stanford’s undefeated season.
TO BE THE BEST, YOU’VE GOT TO BEAT THE BEST
Oregon State coaches have worked diligently in recent years to create a schedule in which the gymnasts compete against the strongest competition possible in an effort to grow accustomed to postseason-type pressure. In 2011, CollegeGymFans.com calculated OSU to have the nation’s most difficult strength of schedule. The Beavers faced preseason Top 25 teams 20 times this year, including preseason No. 1 UCLA four times (Pac-10 Showcase - 1/9, vs. UCLA - 1/28, IGI Chicago Style Invitational - 2/11, and Pac-10 Championships - 3/19). In addition, the Beavers face current No. 2 Stanford four times (Pac-10 Showcase - 1/9, IGI Chicago Style Invitational - 2/11, at California - 3/6, and Pac-10 Championships - 3/19).
2011 E-MAGAZINE
Fans, have you seen the 2011 OSU Gymnastics e-magazine? Check out the interactive magazine by following this link: http://www.pursuantmedia.com/oregonstateathletics/gymnastics/1210/
“LES” IS MORE
Leslie Mak won 22 event titles in 2011 - which tied for sixth on OSU’s single season list. In addition, Mak moved into a tie for sixth place on OSU’s career wins list with 33.
MAK ATTACK
In OSU’s season opening meet, Leslie Mak was listed in the vault lineup. Some might have thought it was a mistake on the scoreboard but then she corrected the unbelievers with an incredible vault and a score of 9.875 - a score that tied for the event title. The oddity was that Mak hadn’t performed a competitive vault in four years. During her club days in high school, Mak injured her elbow and never seriously trained the event again until this year ... Mak’s addition to the vault lineup puts her in the all-around competition as well, which she won against LSU. ... In addition to Mak’s inclusion in the vault lineup, she has continued to excel in her other events and was the No. 1 ranked gymnast on the beam for four weeks at midseason before regaining a share of the top spot at the end of the season. She finished tied for seventh in the all-around at the NCAA Championships.
MACK ATTACK II
Last year, Makayla Stambaugh (Mack) was named as the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. This year a back injury hampered her gymnastics in the early going. However, in early March at California, Stambaugh was re-inserted into the beam lineup for the first time since the season’s first weekend. Stambaugh responded with a season-high 9.825 to tie for the event title. Coupled with an overall outstanding meet, Stambaugh tied her career-high of 39.525 in the all-around to win the competition and secure the Pac-10’s Gymnast of the Week award. She added a season-high on the floor (9.925) and tied her career-best on the vault (9.875) at Cal. Stambaugh finished the season by tying for third on the bars and took eighth on the floor.
CAPTAINS
Senior Becky Colvin and junior Leslie Mak were chosen by their peers to lead them throughout the 2011 campaign.
2013 NCAA REGIONALS
The NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Committee announced Tuesday the regional and championship sites for 2012 and 2013. Oregon State has been selected to host an NCAA Regional at Gill Coliseum, April 6, 2013. The 2013 regional will mark the 14th time in history that Oregon State has hosted the event.
ADD TWO TO BEAVER NATION
In November, the Oregon State gymnastics staff proudly announced the addition of two new gymnasts to Beaver Nation. Chelsea Tang (Eugene, Ore.) and Cerise Witherby (Huntington Beach, Calif.) will join the program for the 2012 season and are scheduled to enroll at OSU in September ... Tang, the reigning Junior Olympic national champion on the uneven bars, finished first in the all-around at the Metroplex Challenge and at the 2010 Region 2 Championships earned a second place finish on the vault and first ont he beam. Tang plans to pursue a pre-medicine degree at OSU ... Witherby finished third in the all-around at the 2010 J.O. National Championships and made the J.O. National Team. She also finished third on the beam and foruth on the vault at the championship meet in 2010. Witherby plans to study veterninary medicine at Oregon State.
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