OPENING PASS

• Fresh off a home victory over UC Davis last Sunday, the Sacramento State gymnastics team will face a first-time  foe as it welcomes William & Mary to The Nest on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. The Tribe, which competes at UC Davis on Friday night, will be the second first-time opponent for the Hornets this season joining Wisconson-Whitewater.
• This week's meet will also serve as faculty and staff appreciation night.
• A live stream will be available on overght.com and live stats will also be provided. Links can be found on hornetsports.com.

OPPONENT PREVIEW

• William & Mary is 0-9 on the year and enters this week with an NQS of 191.325 which ranks 68th nationally. 
• The Tribe is coming off a season-high 192.000 but finished in third place in a tri-meet at George Washington which also included New Hampshire. Hannah Burke tied for second on floor with a season-high tying 9.825. 
• Burke leads the team this season with averages of 9.656 on vault and 9.762 on floor. Catherine Bare has the highest average on bars at 9.675 while Sophia Summers leads William & Mary on beam at 9.737.
• Senior Michelle Ngo is a Sacramento native who trained at Elevate Gymnastics in Elk Grove and graduated from Pleasant Grove HS.
• Kelsey Mann is in her seventh season as the head coach at William & Mary. A former all-arounder at North Carolina State (2004-08), Mann guided the Tribe to its most wins in program history last season.

A LOOK AT THE LAST MEET

• Led by a win on floor from Kara Houghton and eight other top three showings, the Sacramento State gymnastics team defeated UC Davis, 193.625-192.225, last Sunday at The Nest.
• The Hornets outscored the Aggies on three of the four events on the way to evening the season series, 1-1, and the all-time series, 63-63.
• Sacramento State scored 48.500 on vault during the first rotation and was led by Rose Wilson and Sarah Lutrel who scored 9.750 to tie for second. The team extended its lead to 1.5 points during the second rotation with a 48.100 on bars. Houghton placed second overall with a 9.725 and Jillianne Lastra added a 9.700 to take third place.
• Athena Jones, Kaela Copeland and Houghton each received a 9.775 on beam to tie for third place during the third rotation. The trio helped the team overcome counting a fall and maintained over a point advantage heading into the final rotation.
• Sacramento State's highest score of the night came on floor with a 48.875. The final three gymnasts in the lineup scored 9.8 or better. The first came from Jones who tallied a 9.800 to place fourth overall. Sarah Lutrel followed with a 9.825 to take third while Houghton anchored the lineup with a 9.875. Her score was the highest by a Hornet this season on any event.

LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

• Senior Kara Houghton led or tied for the team lead in all three of her events in the team's win over UC Davis. Houghton began with a 9.725 to take second place on bars. She followed with one of the team's three 9.775 on beam to tie for third and ended with a season-high 9.875 on floor.
• The Parker, Colo., native paces the team this season with a bars average of 9.779. She is also third on the team on beam (9.629) and second among regulars on floor (9.717).
• Houghton has now been in the lineup in all three events in 27 consecutive meets dating back to 2024 and has competed on bars in all 43 meets of her career. With three more routines she will move into the top 10 foor most routines performed in school history on bars. The all-time record is held by Natalie Codondon who had 55 bar routines between 1995-98.

ADD IT UP

• Through the early portion of the 2026 season, Sacramento State has shown it has the ability to contend with the top tier teams in the country. Taking the top event scores in the four meets, the Hornets have the ability to score at least 195.300. This season, Sacramento State has already scored 48.750 on vault, 48.550 on bars, 49.050 on beam and 48.950 on floor.

NEWS & NOTES

• Houghton became the first Hornet to win mulitiple event titles on the same event this season as she had two crowns on floor. 
• Ten of the team's 24 routines against UC Davis came from freshmen or sophomores. 
• Sarah Lutrel had her streak of 11 consecutive all-arounds come to a close against the Aggies as she did not compete on bars.
• 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.