Sacramento State

Gymnastics 1/26/2023 6:11:00 PM

GYMNASTICS STARTS BUSY WEEKEND AT HOME ON FRIDAY NIGHT

Hornets welcome Alaska Anchorage before traveling to San Jose State for a Sunday meet

OPENING PASS

The Sacramento State gymnastics team will have its busiest weekend in recent memory as the team will compete in two meets over three days. The Hornets start the stretch with a home dual against Alaska Anchorage on Friday, Jan. 27, at The Nest. Two days later, the team will travel to San Jose State for a tri-meet which includes Wisconsin-La Crosse on Jan. 29.
This weekend marks the first time the Hornets have competed in such a close window since 2013 when the team competed at UC Davis/Air Force on March 15 and then hosted Air Force two days later on March 17.
Friday's meet will serve as Kids Day where all children ages 12 and under will be admitted free. The team will also sign autographs following the competition. The meet will also be streamed on ESPN+.
Sunday's meet at San Jose State will be streamed for free on Stadium. A link can be found on hornetsports.com.
Sacramento State is 0-4 on the season after finishing fourth at the Oregon State quad meet last Saturday. The Hornets scored a season-best 192.400 but fell short of No. 18 Oregon State (196.725), No. 8 Denver (193.625) and Brown (193.625).

OPPONENT PREVIEW

Alaska Anchorage opened the season with a pair of losses at home to West Chester on Jan. 13 and 15. The Seawolves scored 189.175 in the first meet and followed with a 188.725 two days later. Sophomore Alyssa Manley led the team with a 37.850 in the all-around in the first meet and Rachel Decious made the podium in all three of her events. In the second meet, Decious won beam with a 9.85.
Former Alaska Anchorage gymnast Marie-Sophie Boggasch is in her third year as the team's head coach. Boggasch competed on vault, bars and floor for the team from 2013-16.
Sacramento State leads the all-time series, 56-4, and holds a 23-1 advantage at home.
San Jose State has started 2023 strong, averaging 195.550 to rank 29th nationally. The Spartans began the year with a narrow 196.100-195.850 loss at Stanford on Jan. 14 and then defeated Air Force, 195.250-194.150, on Jan. 16. Lauren Macpherson is tied for 39th nationally with an all-around average of 39.213. Emma Milne leads the MPSF on bars (9.838) and beam (9.850).
Joanne Bowers is in her fifth year as the team's head coach.
SJSU leads the all-time series, 59-53-1, and has won the last eight meetings between the two teams.
Wisconsin-La Crosse has finished first in a pair of tri meets and enters this weekend with a 4-0 record. The Eagles have averaged 199.325 in the two meets.
Sacramento State has won the two prior meetings between the schools with the last coming in 2011.

A LOOK AT THE LATEST ACTION

Sacramento State finished fourth at the Oregon State quad meet on Jan. 21 at Gill Coliseum. The Hornets scored 192.400 but fell to No. 18 Oregon State (19.200), No. 8 Brown (196.725) and Brown (193.625).
Sacramento State opened the meet on floor with a 48.425 team score. Emma Morgenthaler led the team and finished tied for 11th overall with a 9.750. Amber Koeth and Sarah Lutrel each scored 9.725 to tie for 13th place.
The Hornets followed with a 48.350 on vault and sat in third place at the midway point of the meet. Morgenthaler again had the high score for the team with a vault of 9.825 to tie for seventh place. Torri Tavenner was second among Hornets with a 9.700 to tie for 18th.
Sacramento State was forced to count a fall on bars resulting in a team score of 48.050 during the third rotation. Morgenthaler scored 9.775 to tie for 12th. Koeth was just a fraction of a point off that mark, tying for 14th place with a 9.750.
The final rotation took the Hornets to beam where the team scored 47.575 while counting a fall. Koeth tied for ninth place with a 9.825.
Former Olympian Jade Carey was the star of the meet totaling an amazing 39.825 to win the all-around. Carey was first on vault with a 9.976, tied for first on bars (9.925), first on beam (9.950) and first on floor (9.975).

SOLORIO ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT FOLLOWING 2023

After close to 40 years at Sacramento State, head coach Randy Solorio announced that he will retire following the 2023 season. Solorio joined the Hornet coaching staff as an assistant coach in 1986 and then transitioned to head coach prior to the 2016 season.
During his career, the Hornets have won eight conference titles, made four NCAA regional appearances as a team and have accounted for all of the team and individual scores in the school top 10.

FROM THE START

Sacramento State's most productive event this season as been vault where the team averages 48.413 which ranks third in the MPSF. The Hornets have scored 48.475 and 48.350 in their first two meets making vault the only of the four events the team has broken 48 points in both meets. Emma Morgenthaler is tied for second in the MPSF with an average of 9.800.

FINDING THE SILVER LINING

Despite having troubles on beam in the first two meets, all is not dire for Sacramento State. The six gymnasts have shown the ability to score but have lacked consistency in the early season. If you take the top mark from the six this year, the team would total 48.525 on the event. Amber Koeth scored 9.825 last week at OSU to set the team high.
The same would apply to bars where Sacramento State has counted a fall in each meet. However, the top five scores on the team this year would give the Hornets a team score of 48.675 which would be more than a full point higher than its currently average.

Sacramento State Probable Lineup
	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor
1.	Bella Lahmidi	Torri Tavenner	Grace Gilman	Simone Dumas-Guzman
2.	Sarah Fitzgerald	Kara Houghton	Emma Morgenthaler	Anna LeRoy
3.	Torri Tavenner	Emma Morgenthaler	Rylin Zimmerman	Kara Houghton
4.	Rylin Zimmerman	Sarah Lutrel	Sarah Lutrel	Sarah Lutrel
5.	Sarah Lutrel	Bella Lahmidi	Peyton Gillen	Emma Morgenthaler
6.	Emma Morgenthaler	Amber Koeth	Amber Koeth	Amber Koeth
ex.	None	Grace Gilman	Ruby Mach	Bella Lahmidi