Sacramento State

Gymnastics 1/5/2024 2:35:00 PM

GYMNASTICS BEGINS 2024 SEASON AT UC DAVIS ON SUNDAY

Meet will be debut of head coach Melissa Genovese against familiar early-season opponent

OPENING PASS

The Sacramento State gymnastics will open its 2024 season with a dual meet at UC Davis on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 2 p.m. This year will mark the 11th consecutive season that the Hornets and Aggies will face one another in the first meet of the year. However, this will be only the second dual meet during that stretch as the majority of the contests were the NorCal Classic (2013-19).
The meet will mark the first for new Sacramento State head coach Melissa Genovese who was named to the position on June 5, 2023. Genovese previously was an assistant for the team from 2016-23, including serving as the associate head coach since 2019.
The Hornets boast a 19-member roster this season with over half the team (11) being underclassmen. That includes seven true freshmen who could be making their collegiate debut this weekend.
Live stats can be accessed via hornetsports.com.

OPPONENT PREVIEW

UC Davis enters the year as the defending MPSF champions. The Aggies scored 196.200 to earn their first conference title since 2015. The team had 18 all-conference performers, including 10 first team selections.
Keanna Abraham and Megan Ray each made NCAA postseason appearances at the Pittsburgh Regional. Abraham scored 9.850 on vault and floor to place to tie for fourth and 18th place, respectively. She scored 9.850 or higher 15 times during the year. Ray tied for ninth on vault with a 9.825 and matched Abraham's performance on floor.
Amelia Moneymaker was named the MPSF Freshman of the Year last season. Moneymaker earned first team all-MPSF honors on floor and was a second team selection on vault and bars.
Former UC Davis gymnast and Sacramento State assistant coach Tanya Ho is in her second season guiding the Aggies. The Hornets lead the all-time series, 59-57, but have dropped the past 20 meetings to UC Davis.

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.

A LOOK AT LAST SEASON

Sacramento State finished the 2023 season with a 4-17 overall record and placed fourth at the MPSF Championships. The Hornets scored a season high 195.725 to defeat Air Force and place fifth all-time in school history.
Senior Amber Koeth was named the MPSF Specialist of the Year. Koeth advanced to the Los Angeles Regional where she scored 9.875 to tie the highest score by a Hornet on the event in postseason history.

SENIOR CITIZENS

The Sacramento State roster features just two seniors in Simone Dumas-Guzman and Bella Lahmidi. Dumas-Guzman is in her third year with the team after beginning her career at Seattle Pacific. She was limited to six meets last season on floor as well as one exhibition. Lahmidi competed in all 11 meets last season on bars, in 10 meets on vault and five on floor. The fifth-year senior ended last season with a 9.825 on bars to set her career high.

JUNIOR PARTNERS

Emma Morgenthaler, Grace Gilman and Sarah Fitzgerald highlight six juniors on the 2024 roster. Morgenthaler was named first team all-MPSF as an all-arounder and was second team on vault and floor last season. She scored 39.250 in the all-around at UC Davis to set her season best. Gilman was a second team all-MPSF selection on beam and was also a fixture on beam and floor. Fitzgerald was in the lineup in all 11 meets on vault and has previously been an all-arounder for the team.
The team's other three juniors are comprised of Ruby Mach, Katelyn Searle and Torri Tavenner. Mach and Searle will compete for a lineup spot on beam while Tavenner will likely miss the season with an knee injury.

READY FOR THEIR ENCORE

The Hornets return four sophomores who made their debuts last season. Sarah Lutrel and Kara Houghton each competed in all 11 meets in 2023. Lutrel was a first team all-MPSF selection as an all-arounder and was the MPSF Freshman of the Week three times. Her best all-around score was 39.150 against Alaska Anchorage. Houghton was named the MPSF Freshman of the Week after then-setting career highs on bars, beam and floor against Air Force.
Rylin Zimmerman competed on vault in nine meets with a high of 9.775 at Air Force. She was also in the beam lineup eight times. Olivia Schmitt will look to return to the lineup after suffering an Achilles injury in the opening meet of the 2023 season.

CHANGES AHEAD

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. The Hornets last hosted the meet in 2016 where they finished first.