OPENING PASS

• For the final time this season, the Sacramento State gymnastics program will compete at The Nest as the team squares off against Cal and San Jose State in a tri-meet on Friday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m. Following the competition, the Hornets will recognize its three seniors who will be making their final appearance at home.
• 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

• Cal enters this week ranked 16th and is coming off a thrilling 196.800-196.750 victory over then-No. 15 North Carolina last weekend. Tonya Paulsson claimed her third first-place finish in the all-around, in addition to an event win on uneven bars, while Annalise Newman-Achee took second in the all-around, along with the vault title.
• The team is coached by Geralen Stack-Easton who is in her first season. A former NCAA individual floor and beam champion, Stack-Easton spent 11 seasons as an assistant at Minnesota prior to coming to Cal.
• The Golden Bears lead the all-time series, 30-9, and will be making their first trip to The Nest since 2019.
• San Jose State is also holding a key top 36 position, standing at 31st. The Spartans most recently scored 196.100 but finished second to Air Force in a three-team home meet which also included UC Davis.
• SJSU has been led by Mikaela Pitts on vaults who has already finished first in three meets and has an average of 9.830 and a high if 9.925.
• Friday night is the first of two meetings between Sacramento State and San Jose State in three days. The Spartans, who are coached by Joanne Bowers, lead the all-time series, 66-54-1.

A LOOK AT THE LAST MEET

• Makayla Townsend, Kara Houghton and Kaitlyn Driessen each won individual event titles and Sacramento State posted its highest score of the season in a 194.550-192.400 victory over William & Mary last Sunday at The Nest.
• Townsend and fellow freshman Cady Gaumont finished 1-2 on vault behind career highs from both. Townsend scored 9.775 while Gaumont received a 9.700. The pair's previous bests were 9.725 and 9.700, respectively. Sacramento State totaled 48.625 during the rotation and built a 1.125 point lead that it would never relinquish.
• In the second rotation, Houghton earned her ninth career win on bars — and first this season — with a 9.775. Jillianne Lastra added a tie for second at 9.700 while Maliyah James tied for fourth at 9.625.
• The Hornets' best score of the night came on beam where they totaled 49.000 for their second-best mark of the season (just off the 49.050 at Oregon State). The rotation began with a 9.825 from Athena Jones who tied for second. Driessen stepped up two gymnasts later to record a career-high 9.875 which is the highest score of the year for a Sacramento State gymnast on beam and matches the team best on any event in 2026. Lexi Frank followed with a 9.800 to take third while Sarah Lutrel and Houghton each scored 9.750 to tie for fourth and give the team the top five marks on beam in the meet.
• The team closed the meet on floor with a score of 48.625. Houghton anchored the lineup with a 9.825 to tie William & Mary's Hannah Burke for the top spot. The share of the victory gives Houghton three first-place finishes this season and five in her career on floor. Jones and Frank tied for fourth place at 9.750.

SENIOR SENDOFF

• Following Friday night's meet, Sacramento State will recognize three key members of its program who will be competing at home for the final time. The trio of Kara Houghton, Sarah Lutrel and Rylin Zimmerman have all played large roles for the team over the last four years, with each starting in the lineup in at least three events.
• Houghton, a native of Parker, Colo., has been a constant on bars, beam and floor during her career. She comes into this week with 44 career routines on bars, 38 on beam and 36 on floor. Houghton needs just two more bar routines to move into the school top 10. She currently owns the school record on bars with a 9.975 set against Air Force in 2024. 
• Lutrel ranks 10th in school history with 31 career all-arounds. Over her four years, she has been in the lineup at least 40 times on vault (41), beam (42) and floor (40). The Citrus Heights, Calif., native is currently third in school history with a career average of 9.76 on vault and is also in the top five on beam and in the all-around.
• Zimmerman has competed on vault, beam and floor. As a sophomore, she set career highs on vault and floor and added a personal best on beam last year after starting the season with a 9.850. She has been in the lineup for 34 meets on vault in her four years. An injury cut her 2026 season short after just three meets and she could return next year.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

• Despite not scoring a season high on any event, Sacramento State managed its highest team total of the season against William & Mary. The Hornets scored at least 48.300 on all four events with a high of 49.000 on beam. The total of 194.550 surpassed the previous best of 194.125 which came in a home quad against UC Davis, Western Michigan and Wisconsin-Whitewater.
• The 49.000 on beam was the second-highest event score of the season, only trailing the 49.050 in that same quad meet. 
• If the Hornets could count its season event highs in one meet, the team has the potential to blow past 195 points. This season the team has scored 48.750 on vault, 48.550 on bars, 49.050 on beam and 48.950 on floor.