OPENING PASS

• Sacramento State will make its 2026 season debut when it hosts Alaska Anchorage on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 2 p.m. in The Nest. The start date is the latest the Hornets have begun a season since the 2010 campaign began on Jan. 15.
• Sunday's meet will also be Kids Day. All children 12 and under will receive complimentary admission. The team will also sign autograph posters following the competition.
• This year's Sacramento State roster features 13 returners and four newcomers for third-year head coach Melissa Genovese. The Hornets will be led by a trio of experienced seniors in Kara Houghton, Sarah Lutrel and Rylin Zimmerman. Those three are expected to occupy 10 of the 24 starting positions for the team.
• The Hornets' 2026 schedule includes 12 total meets, including five at home. Along with this week's meet against Alaska Anchorage, Sacramento State will host a four-team meet with UC Davis, Western Michigan and Wisconsin-Whitewater on Jan. 23, duals against UCD (Feb. 15) and William & Mary (Feb. 22) and a tri-meet against Cal and San Jose State (Feb. 27).
• A live stream will be available via overnght.com and live stats will also be provided. Links can be found on hornetsports.com.

OPPONENT PREVIEW

• Alaska Anchorage finished last season with an NQS of 192.435 which ranked 68th nationally. The Seawolves placed fourth at the MPSF Championships, which they hosted, after scoring 191.875.
• UAA returns the bulk of its team from a year but will have to replace Montana Fairbairn who was the team leader on vault and floor. Maribelle Albert is the top returner on vault with an NQS of 9.591, Madelyn Gomez led the team on bars (9.665) and Ariana DeSousa brings back the top NQS on floor (9.758). Hannah Boyd was the top all-arounder a year ago (37.893) and is the top returner on beam (9.575)
• Marie-Sophie Boggasch is in her fifth season as the team's head coach. Boggasch was a four-year letterwinner for Alaska Anchorage between 2013-16.

A LOOK AT THE LAST SEASON

• Sacramento State concluded last season with an NQS of 194.885 which ranked 53rd nationally. The team has improved its final NQS and national ranking each season under Melissa Genovese.
• The team finished in third place at the MPSF Championships after totaling 193.850. Kaitlyn Driessen had the highest individual finish as she tied for fourth on vault.
• Four Hornets combined to earn six all-MPSF honors. Departed senior Emma Morgenthaler was a first team honoree in the all-around. Sarah Lutrel landed on the first team for beam and second team for vault. Athena Jones was second team on beam and floor and Hannah Sitzman was second team on bars. 

EXPERIENCE IS KEY

• The senior trio of Kara Houghton, Sarah Lutrel and Rylin Zimmerman have been fixtures in the Sacramento State lineup throughout their careers. The three have combined to perform 282 routines in the lineup since 2023, including 86 on beam.
•  Houghton has been in the bars lineup in all 37 meets of her career. She has a streak of 31 straight meets on beam and 22 in a row on floor. Lutrel has some lengthy streaks of her own at 28 consecutive starts on vault, 29 on beam and 27 on floor. Zimmerman was in the vault lineup for all 13 meets last season and has made 31 starts in the event during her career.
• Houghton and Lutrel also dot the school top 10 list in multiple events. Houghton holds the school record with a score of 9.975 and is tied for fifth at 9.925 on bars. Lutrel is tied for the school record on beam with a 9.950 and is also tied for third (9.925). Lutrel also ranks second in the all-around in Sacramento State history at 39.425.

LOOK WHO'S BACK

• Sacramento State is slated to add three gymnasts back to the lineup who missed all of last season due to injury. McKenna Carnesi and Jillianne Lastra are both cleared to compete after sitting out the 2025 campaign with a foot and Achilles injury, respectively. Carnesi has yet to compete as a Hornet as she began her collegiate career at Washington in 2023. Lastra was in the Sacramento State lineup in bars in all 13 meets in 2024 where she had a high of 9.900.
• The third member of the trio is redshirt freshman Kristin Rolfe who also suffered an Achilles injury last season. Rolfe is expected to be able to return within the first four weeks of the 2026 season.

NEWS & NOTES

• Ten of the 17 active gymnasts of the Sacramento State roster are underclassmen. That list includes four newcomers to this year's team: SUU transfer Emily Countryman and true freshmen Cady Gaumont, Kayla Herrera and Makayla Townsend.
• The Hornets bring back five gymnast who started at least six meets on bars a year ago, making it the most experienced of the four events for the team. The least experienced event is floor where the team returns just three starters.
• The 2026 roster features gymnasts from six states comprised of nine from California, four from Colorado, two from Arizona and one each from Florida, Illinois and Washington.