OPENING PASS

• The Sacramento State women's gymnastics team will continue its final home stretch of the 2025 season when it welcomes Eastern Michigan to The Nest on Sunday, Mar. 9, for a 2 p.m. meet. The meet will also be Alumni Day with all gymnastics Block S members receiving free admission.
• The Hornets are coming off a disappointing loss to then-No. 26 Southern Utah last Friday. Sacramento State  scored 193.575 in its first action at The Nest in 42 days while the T-Birds finished with a 196.100. Prior to that competition, the Hornets scored a season-high 195.150 at Alaska Anchorage the week earlier and has broken the 194-point plateau in four of its last five meets. 

OPPONENT PREVIEW

• Eastern Michigan started its West Coast road trip by scoring 192.950 and placing third in a three-team meet at UC Davis. 
• Last weekend, EMU scored a season-best 195.775 against Western Michigan and Wilberforce. The Eagles were led by Ella Chemotti and Abby Brushwood who each scored 9.900s to win beam and floor, respectively. Raisa Boris also took the all-around title with a 39.300.
• Eastern Michigan is currently ranked 53rd nationally with an NQS of 194.295. The Eagles have scored over 195 in a pair of meets.
• The team is coached by Katie Minasola who is in her eighth season. Prior to joining the team, Minasola was an assistant at Iowa State and Michigan State.
• This week will mark the first time Eastern Michigan has competed at The Nest. The teams have met just twice all-time with the Hornets winning 189.150-187.676 at UCSB in 1999 and EMU earning a 192.700-192.300 win at UC Davis in 2010.

A LOOK AT THE LAST MEET

• Sacramento State never led and, for the first time this season, the Hornets did not account for an individual event winner as Southern Utah rolled to a 196.100-193.575 victory at The Nest on Feb. 28.
• The team's highest individual event finish belonged to Sarah Lutrel who tied for second place on vault with a season best 9.825. Emma Morgenthaler finished in second place in the all-around with a four-event total of 39.000.
• Sacramento State's best team score came on floor where they recorded a 48.925. Athena Jones and Morgenthaler each scored 9.825 to finish in a four-way tie for third place.

WORTH THE WAIT

• After being a fixture as an all-arounder during the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons, Emma Morgenthaler began this season as a three-event specialist in the first four meets. Morgenthaler, who had just missed two meets as all-arounder in her first three seasons, broke into the floor lineup this season in the tri-meet at Boise State and has not left. 
• The fifth-year student has scored 39-plus in the last four meets, trying her longest streak which dates back to her first  competitive season in 2022. During the most recent stretch, Morgenthaler has averaged 39.056 with a high of 39.150 at Alaska Anchorage.
• She has scored 9.7 or better in all 16 of her routines during the four-meet run and is averaging 9.788 on beam and 9.800 on floor. Morgenthaler has finished first in the all-around three times this year and has also added a win on beam. During her four seasons, she has won 15 individual event and all-around titles.

GETTING YOUNGER

• Against Southern Utah, four of the team's competitive routines and one exhibition came from freshmen. The night saw Kaitlyn Driessen compete on vault and beam, Maliyah James on bars and Lexi Frank on vault as well an exhibition on floor.
• Sixteen of the 24 routines in the lineup are scheduled to return next year as only seniors Simone Dumas-Guzman (floor), Grace Gilman (vault, beam, floor) and Emma Morgenthaler (all-around) were in the lineup. The team could have had a heavier impact on underclassmen this season if it wasn't for injuries to sophomore McKenna Carnesi, redshirt freshman Chloe Cohen and true freshman Kristin Rolfe.

NEWS & NOTES

• The Hornets had a rare off night on beam against SUU. The same week that the team cracked the top 25 in NQS on the event, Sacramento State scored 48.375 on the event. The team has scored 48.800 or better in every meet this season except the two against the Thunderbirds.
• Sacramento State has still yet to compete the same lineup in consecutive meets this season.

REMEMBERING RANDY

• Longtime Sacramento State gymnastics coach Randy Solorio passed away on Feb. 5 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Randy served the campus for nearly 40 years as an assistant coach, head coach and kinesiology instructor. The team will wear temporary tattoos for the remainder the year which will have a green and gold ribbon as well as Randy's initials.
• A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, Mar. 9, at the Sacramento State Alumni Center. The event will begin following the team's meet against Eastern Michigan which starts at 2 p.m.