MPSF CHAMPIONSHIP UP NEXT FOR GYMNASTICS ON SATURDAY

Hornets to meet Southern Utah, UC Davis and Alaska Anchorage

OPENING PASS

The Sacramento State gymnastics team will cap its 2026 season at the MPSF Championships on Saturday, Mar. 21, at America First Event Center in Cedar City, Utah. The meet which is hosted by No. 26 Southern Utah will also include Alaska Anchorage and UC Davis.
A live stream will be available on overnght.com and live stats will be provided. Links can be found on Hornetsports.com.

OPPONENT PREVIEW

Sacramento State has faced all three teams during the season, posting an 0-1 record at SUU, going 2-1 against UC Davis and 2-0 against Alaska Anchorage. The Hornets are second in the MPSF this season with an NQS of 194.006.
Southern Utah enters the meet as a heavy favorite to win its third-straight conference title. The T-Birds are the top-ranked team on every event and have an NQS of 195.995. Niya Randolph has been named the MPSF Gymnast of the Week seven times this year and has an NQS of 39.400 in the all-around. The team is coached by Scotty Bauman who is in his 35th season with the program.
UC Davis is third in the MPSF (192.711 NQS). The Aggies will rely on Amelia Moneymaker who is second in the MPSF all-around standings (39.260 NQS). UC Davis has finished second the last three seasons at the conference meet, including a one-tenth loss to SUU in 2024. Tanya Ho Gomez is in her fourth year as the team's head coach.
Alaska Anchorage comes into the meet with an NQS of 190.971. The Seawolves are coming off their two highest scores of the season, tallying 192.275 and 192.675 in a pair of meets at William & Mary last weekend. Marie-Sophie Boggasch is in sixth year as head coach.

HORNET HISTORY AT THE MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sacramento State joined the MPSF prior to the 2002 season and remained in the conference through 2005. During that initial span, the team claimed the title in 2002, 2003 and 2005. After a stop in the WAC, the Hornets returned to the MPSF in 2014. Since that point, Sacramento State won titles in 2014 and 2016. However, the Hornets have not finished higher than third since 2017.
Last season, Sacramento State scored 193.850 to place third in the meet at Alaska Anchorage. Kaitlyn Driessen tied for fourth place on vault and Sarah Lutrel finished fourth in the all-around for the team's highest finishes.
Three of the team's all-time top 10 scores have come at the MPSF Championships. That includes a 196.300 and 196.125 in meets which were held at The Nest. Those scores rank third and fourth in program history. The highest total for the team at an away MPSF Championship is 195.650 which came in the 2014 victory at UC Davis.

PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME

Senior Sarah Lutrel has recorded her top two all-around totals of the season in the last two meets. Lutrel started the streak with a 39.200 at UC Davis. She most recently had a 39.100 to win the all-around at Washington. During the stretch, Lutrel has scored at least 9.725 in each routine and has five scores of 9.800 or better.
Lutrel began the year as an all-arounder in the first five meets of the year. She was out of the bars lineup for two meets before working her way back in after a pair of exhibitions. Over her four year career, she has now been in the all-around 33 times which ranks 10th in school history.

ENCORE PERFORMANCE

Senior Kara Houghton was announced as a semifinalist for the AAI Award which goes to the top collegiate gymnast in the nation. Houghton has career highs of 9.975 on bars, 9.850 on beam and 9.900 on floor during her four-year career with the Hornets. Others on the list include UCLA's Jordan Chiles, Florida's eMjae Frazier and Utah's Makenna Smith.
Houghton became the first Hornet to earn an MPSF weekly award as she was named the Specialist of the Week following her performance at UC Davis. Houghton finished in first place on bars with a 9.900, tied for second on beam with a 9.850 and tied for third on floor at 9.800. Her bars score was her best of the season and set the high by any Hornet gymnast on the event this year. The Parker, Colo., native also matched her career high on beam which last game on Feb. 23, 2024.
She became a repeat winner this past week after scoring 9.800 on bars, 9.750 on beam and 9.850 on floor at Washington. Her floor score tied her for first place in the event. Houghton has now won five times on floor this season.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

Despite having the bulk of its roster back from last season, Sacramento State will only return 12 of its 24 routines from last season's MPSF Championships. That total includes on two returning vaulters (Lutrel, Lexi Frank), three on bars (Chloe Cohen, Lutrel, Houghton), four on beam (Kaitlyn Driessen, Athena Jones, Lutrel, Houghton) and three on floor (Jones, Lutrel, Houghton).
The team does have four other routines from a year ago on the roster but are unavailable due to injuries.

NEWS & NOTES

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.
The Hornets have used nine different lineups on vault in the first 10 meets of the year. Rose Wilson and Sarah Lutrel are the only members of the team to compete in every meet on vault this season. Sacramento State has also used seven lineups on bars, five on floor and four on beam.