Gymnastics 2/23/2023 5:07:00 PM

GYMNASTICS WELCOMES AIR FORCE FOR FRIDAY NIGHT DUAL

OPENING PASS

Sacramento State will continue its three-meet homestand when it hosts Air Force on Friday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m.
The night will serve as the team's annual Tied Together meet where Sacramento State will wear tie-dyed leotards to raise awareness for inclusion.
Sacramento State is coming off a loss against No. 33 San Jose State last Friday. The Hornets scored 194.975 for their second best score of the season. The team remains 54th in the latest RoadToNationals.com national rankings with an NQS of 194.080.
Links to live scoring and a live video stream can be found on hornetsports.com.

OPPONENT PREVIEW

Air Force most recently scored a season high 195.125 in a three-team meet against UC Davis and Denver. The Falcons finished third in the competition last Friday night.
Kylee Greene was named the MPSF Freshman of the Week after scoring a career high 9.800 on beam and then tying her career best with a 9.825 on floor in the meet.
The Falcons are currently ranked 56th nationally with an NQS of 193.810. That score places the team fourth in the MPSF this season.
This is the second of three meetings between the two teams this year. Air Force defeated Sacramento State, 194.700-193.650 on Feb. 3 at Cadet Gym. In that meet, Velandra Brochi won the all-around with a total of 38.900 and Greene was close behind at 38.850.

A LOOK AT THE LATEST ACTION

Sacramento State posted its second best score of the season with a 194.975 in a dual meet against No. 33 San Jose State last Friday night at The Nest. The Spartans won the meet with a total of 196.625.
The Hornets' night was highlighted by Amber Koeth receiving a 10.0 from the head judge on beam. However, Koeth was given a 9.85 from the second judge, leaving her with a career best 9.925 which ties her for second place in school history. The 10.0 score was the first ever awarded on beam to any gymnast in the history of The Nest. The fifth-year senior now has six scores of at least 9.9 or better on the event during her career.
Sacramento State started the meet with a team score of 48.600 on vault while the Spartans totaled 48.950 on bars in the first rotation. Sacramento State was led by Emma Morgenthaler who tied for third at 9.800. Sarah Fitzgerald also landed in the top five with a 9.750 to tie for fifth.
The Hornets set a season high on bars with a 48.950 in the second rotation and found themselves just a half-point back of SJSU at the midway point of the meet. Koeth anchored the lineup with a 9.850 to finish in third place while Bella Lahmidi scored a career best 9.800 to tie for fourth.
The Spartans pulled away in the third rotation with a team score of 49.275 on floor compared to a 48.775 on beam. Grace Gilman started the rotation for the Hornets with a 9.825 and was followed by a 9.800 from Morgenthaler. Peyton Gillen added a 9.825 before Koeth had her personal record-breaking performance.
In the final rotation, Sacramento State scored 48.650 on floor while SJSU scored 49.325 on beam. The Hornets were led by a 9.825 from Morgenthaler.
San Jose State accounted for every individual event winner in the meet with Jaudai Lopes taking the top spot on vault with a 9.950. Laura Macpherson and Emma Milne tied for first on bars at 9.875. Milne broke her own school record with a 9.950 on beam and Macpherson and Jada Mazury tied for first on floor at 9.900.
Macpherson won the all-around with a four-event total of 39.500. Morgenthaler was third at 39.175.

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.

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE AWKWARD STEP BACK

With Amber Koeth and Peyton Gillen in the lineup after missing a meet due to illness, the Hornets appeared to return to full strength against San Jose State. Instead, freshman all-arounder Sarah Lutrel rolled her ankle after stepping off the side of a mat on beam during pre-meet warmups on beam. That injury forced Lutrel out of the competition and left the Hornets scrambling for a late replacement.
Juggling the lineup is nothing new for the team this year as the Hornets have had eight starters on vault, seven on bars, eight on beam and nine on floor. The team has yet to use the same lineup in back-to-back meets this season. The biggest changes have come on vault and floor where Sacramento State has had six different combinations in the seven meets.

HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE

Amber Koeth was part of a couple of head scratchers last week against San Jose State. The fifth-year senior became the first gymnast to ever receive a 10.0 from a judge on beam at The Nest with her flawless routine. However, the second judge awarded her a 9.850 leaving her with an average of 9.925 which still set her career high and ties her for second place in school history.
That score, along with a 9.850 on bars and a 9.700 on floor helped her be named the MPSF Specialist of the Week. Shockingly, this was the first MPSF weekly honor in Koeth's career despite her being a four-time all-MPSF selection, including two first team accolades.

HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

With just two meets remaining before the MPSF Championships at Air Force, Sacramento State appears to be heading in the right direction. The Hornets have set 16 individual season bests in the last two meets and are averaging 194.800 in those meets.
Redshirt sophomore Emma Morgenthaler ranks among the top 10 in the MPSF in three events as well as the all-around. Morgenthaler is fifth on vault with an NQS of 9.790, tied for seventh on beam (9.770), tied for sixth on floor (9.805) and third in the all-around (38.645).

PROBABLE SACRAMENTO STATE LINEUP
1.	Bella Lahmidi	Torri Tavenner	Grace Gilman	Anna LeRoy
2.	Sarah Fitzgerald	Emma Morgenthaler	Emma Morgenthaler	Bella Lahmidi
3.	Rylin Zimmerman	Sarah Fitzgerald	Rylin Zimmerman	Kara Houghton
4.	Grace Gilman	Kara Houghton	Kara Houghton	Grace Gilman
5.	Torri Tavenner	Bella Lahmidi	Peyton Gillen	Emma Morgenthaler
6.	Emma Morgenthaler	Amber Koeth	Amber Koeth	Amber Koeth
ex.	None	None	Sarah Fitzgerald	Torri Tavenner

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Players Mentioned

Sarah Fitzgerald: 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore

Peyton Gillen: 5' 3"; Senior

Grace Gilman: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Amber Koeth: 5' 6"; Graduate Student

Bella Lahmidi: 5' 7"; Senior

Anna LeRoy: 5' 3"; Senior

Emma Morgenthaler: 4' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore

Torri Tavenner: 5' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore

Kara Houghton: 5' 3"; Freshman

Sarah Lutrel: 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Sarah Fitzgerald
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Sophomore

Peyton Gillen
: 5' 3"; Senior

Grace Gilman
: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Amber Koeth
: 5' 6"; Graduate Student

Bella Lahmidi
: 5' 7"; Senior

Anna LeRoy
: 5' 3"; Senior

Emma Morgenthaler
: 4' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore

Torri Tavenner
: 5' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore

Kara Houghton
: 5' 3"; Freshman

Sarah Lutrel
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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