GYMNASTICS DEBUTS AT HOME ON SUNDAY AGAINST SAN JOSE STATE FOR KIDS DAY

All kids 12 and under admitted free; team to sign autograph posters following the meet

OPENING PASS

Following its best season opening meet in seven years, the Sacramento State gymnastics team will make its home debut on Sunday, Jan. 14, when it hosts San Jose State at 2 p.m. at The Nest.
This Sunday's meet will be Kids Day where all children ages 12 and under will be admitted free of charge. The team will also sign autographs following the competition.
Links to live stats and a video stream can be found on hornetsports.com. (NOTE: The MPSF has moved all streaming to overnght.com for the 2024 season. Subscriptions are available for monthly or yearly purchases.)

OPPONENT PREVIEW

San Jose State placed fourth at the Mean Girls Super 16 Gymnastics Championships in Las Vegas last Friday. The Spartans totaled 194.950 to finish behind Denver (196.850), Illinois (195.825) and Washington (195.000).
SJSU was led by its veteran trio of Madison Kirsch, Jada Mazury and Lauren Macpherson as well as newcomer Marissa Ashton in the meet. Kirsch paced the team with a 9.850 on vault to tie for fourth place. Mazury scored 9.875 on bars to tie for third place and added a 9.800 on floor to equal Macpherson and tie for third place. Ashton led the team on beam with a 9.825.
San Jose State, which concluded last season ranked 37th nationally, is coached by Joanne Bowers who is in her sixth season. The Spartans lead the all-time series, 63-63-1 and have won the last 12 matchups between the two teams. The teams met four times in 2023 including the MPSF Championships. SJSU has moved to the Mountain West Conference for gymnastics this season.

A LOOK AT LATEST ACTION

Sacramento State produced its highest opening meet score in seven years but finished second to UC Davis last Sunday afternoon at the University Credit Union Center. The Hornets totaled 193.125 which was the sixth best season opening score in school history and the highest since 2017. The Aggies finished the meet with a four-event total of 194.875.
Sacramento State started the meet on bars in the first rotation and scored 48.125 and followed with a 48.750 on vault. UC Davis opened on vault with a 48.575 and added a 48.500 on bars. Those scores gave the Aggies a narrow 97.075-96.875 lead at the midway point of the meet.
The Hornets flipped the leaderboard during the third rotation, totaling 48.825 on floor compared to a 48.575 on beam from the Aggies to put Sacramento State on top by a half-tenth of a point. That lead did not last long as UC Davis posted an impressive team score of 49.225 on floor in the final rotation and picked up nearly two points on the Hornets who scored 47.425 on beam.

A LONG TIME COMING

Sacramento State will unveil a new training facility early in the 2024 season. The building, which is located on Folsom Blvd. and is within walking distance of campus, will be mark the first time the Hornets will have access to its own facility in school history.
The training site will have a full size competition floor and several sets of the other apparatus. The building will also have sunken pits and a tumble track to allow the athletes to safely learn new skills. The facility is expected to open in February of 2024.

OUT OF THE BLOCKS

Sacramento State's total score of 193.125 was the sixth best in a season-opening meet and the highest since totaling 194.475 in 2017. In comparison, the Hornets started 2023 with a 191.375 and did not have a score higher than last Sunday's total until the third meet of the season.
The team's vault score of 48.750 was the third highest in school history of season openers. The total matches the highest score on the event from last season which came against Alaska Anchorage.
The Hornets' floor score of 48.825 is tied for the second best in a season opener and is the best since a 48.875 to start the 2016 campaign.

BREAKING INTO THE VAULT

Not only was Sacramento State's score on vault one of its highest in a season opener, it was just three-tenths away of cracking the top 10 for all meets in school history. Surprisingly, the Hornets were able to score 48.750 without any gymnast scoring a 9.800 or better.
Sacramento State made a late change to its lineup but that didn't effect the team performance as the first five gymnasts in the lineup scored between 9.775 and 9.700. Sophomores Rylin Zimmerman (career-high tying) and Sarah Lutrel and freshman Rose Wilson tied for the team lead with each scoring 9.775. Grace Gilman added a 9.725 and Emma Morgenthaler completed the total with a 9.700.
The Hornets' next target will be to crack 49 points in the event. The team has done that twice since 2016, scoring 49.125 at the Stanford Quad and 49.075 against UC Davis both during the 2022 season.

THIS & THAT

Despite having seven freshmen on the roster, the Hornets relied on their veterans at UC Davis with 20 of the 24 routines coming from returners. Wilson (vault), Jillianne Lastra (bars) and Athena Jones (floor) all had scores count toward the team total in their career debuts.
Sacramento State will host the 2024 MPSF Championships at The Nest on March 23. The meet will have a new look as Southern Utah has joined the conference this year and San Jose State and Air Force have departed.