SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State gymnastics team scored a season-best 194.125 in a tightly-contested four-team meet on Friday night at The Nest. The Hornets finished in third place overall but were just .65 points off of the winning score by UC Davis. The Aggies finished in first at 194.775 while Wester Michigan was second (194.525) and Wisconsin-Whitewater fourth (191.725).
 
Sacramento State had the highest team scores among the four teams on vault and beam but was forced to count falls on bars and floor. Individually, the Hornets accounted for six top three finishes.
 
The team had a narrow lead after the first rotation with a vault score of 48.750. Rose Wilson and Rylin Zimmerman each received 9.800s to tie for second place while Sarah Lutrel scored 9.750 to tie for fifth.  All three scores set or tied the season high for the team this season.
 
Sacramento State encountered immediate trouble on bars with a fall in its first routine. After a 9.650 from freshman Makayla Townsend, the team had a second fall. From there, the Hornets picked up back-to-back 9.825s from Jillianne Lastra and Kara Houghton and a 9.750 from McKenna Carensi. Lastra and Houghton tied for second place overall. Forced to count a fall, the team finished with a total of 48.125 on bars and found itself more than a half-point behind UC Davis at the midway point of the meet.
 
The Hornets narrowed the deficit in the third rotation with a season-high 49.050 on beam which left them .025 outside the school top 10. All six gymnasts scored 9.775 or better led by a leadoff 9.850 from Athena Jones who finished in second place. Houghton was third with a 9.800 while Kaitlyn Driessen and Lexi Frank (performing in the lineup for the first time in her career) each scored 9.800 to tie for fourth.
 
Sacramento State entered the final rotation in second place, trailing Western Michigan by a tenth of a point and leading UC Davis by .05 points. The three teams traded the lead throughout the final rotation with the Hornets on floor, the Broncos on beam and UC Davis on vault. UC Davis quickly compiled a 48.700 on vault and was able to watch the other two teams in their final event. WMU scored 48.675 while Sacramento State tallied 48.200 to secure the win for the Aggies. The Hornets were led by a pair of 9.750s from Zimmerman and Kaela Copeland and still had a chance to win the meet until a fall on the final pass of the last routine dashed their hopes.
 
The team will next compete on Friday, Jan. 30, in a quad meet at Boise State which includes Air Force and Utah State.
 
Team Results
1. UC Davis 194.775
2. Western Michigan 194.525
3. Sacramento State 194.125
4. Wisconsin-Whitewater 191.725
 
Vault
1. Juliette Rider, UWW, 9.850; T2. Rose Wilson, Rylin Zimmerman 9.800; T5. Sarah Lutrel 9.750; T9. Lexi Frank 9.725; T17. Makayla Townsend 9.675; 23. Athena Jones 9.575.
 
Bars
1. Reese Samuelson, WMU, 9.850; T2. Jillianne Lastra, Kara Houghton 9.825; T10. McKenna Carnesi 9.750; 16. Makayla Townsend 9.650; 21. Maliyah James 9.075; 22. Sarah Lutrel 8.850.
 
Beam
1. Amelia Moneymaker, UCD, 9.900; 2. Athena Jones 9.850; 3. Kara Houghton 9.825; T4. Kaitlyn Driessen, Lexi Frank 9.800; T7. Kaela Copeland, Sarah Lutrel 9.775.
 
Floor
1. Amelia Moneymaker, UCD, 9.875; T6. Kaela Copeland, Rylin Zimmerman 9.750; T8. Sarah Lutrel 9.725; T11. Athena Jones 9.700; 22. Lexi Frank 9.275; 23. Kara Houghton 9.225.
 
All-Around
1. Amelia Moneymaker 39.275; 2. Sarah Lutrel 38.100.