April 15, 2002

LOGAN, Utah -

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A LOOK BACK AT THE REGIONAL MEET - Utah State gymnastics took sixth at the 2002 NCAA North Central regional competition in Denver, Colo., April 6 with a team score of 193.400. The Aggies ended their season at 7-20. The regional meet marked the first time since 1997 USU finished sixth or lower in regional competition, as the Aggies finished seventh in 1997.

No. 3 Georgia and No. 10 Stanford advanced to the national championship meet April 20, tying for first with identical team scores of 196.125. Host school No. 13 Denver was third with a 196.000, while No. 23 Missouri was fourth (195.000) and Air Force Academy was fifth (193.775).

THE AGGIES AT THE REGIONAL MEET- USU started the meet on vault, posting a 48.450 in the event. Jessenia Abrego led the Aggies, scoring a 9.775. Nicole Kilpatrick and Stephanie Gordon each scored 9.700s, while Kyla Mattioli and Jessica Rands recorded scores of 9.650 and 9.625, respectively. Gordon's 9.700 was a season high.

After taking a bye in the second round, the Aggies scored a 48.400 on bars, their lowest team score in the event since March 2. Freshman Katie Rutherford led USU in the event, posting a 9.750. Nalani Chung scored a 9.725, while Kirra Seeeley scored a 9.700.

The Aggies were sixth after the second complete rotation with a team score of 96.850 to Stanford's 98.375. Georgia was second with a 98.150, Denver and Missouri were tied for third (97.625) and Air Force was fifth (96.900). On beam, USU scored a 48.100, with Seeley's 9.750 leading the Aggies. Rutherford scored a 9.675, while Kilpatrick and Allison Rosenthal each scored 9.600s. Abrego's 9.475 rounded out USU's scoring on beam.

USU sat during the fifth rotation and ended the meet on floor, posting a 48.425, its lowest floor score since Feb. 27 at Boise State. Gordon set another season-high score with a 9.800, while Mattioli and Rosenthal each scored a 9.700. Kilpatrick posted a 9.600, while Abrego's 9.625 was her lowest since a 9.150 against Boise State on Feb. 27.

UTAH STATE REGIONAL HISTORY - This year's trip to the NCAA Regional meet marked the 17th consecutive for the Aggies, and the 24th in Ray Corn's 25 years at USU. USU's best finish at the regional meet came in 1999, when it finished third. The last team to advance to the National Championship meet from regionals was the 1991 squad that finished 12th in the nation.

2002 AGGIES - USU finished the year 7-20 on the season, and posted a season-high score of 195.550 March 22 as it hosted the Western Gymnastics Conference championships.

Senior all-arounder Jessenia Abrego lead the Aggies, and finished the year with three season averages ranked among the top 10 in USU history (vault, floor and all-around). Kirra Seeley posted bars scores of 9.775 or better in six of USU's last seven meets, and averaged a 9.636 on beam in that same time span. Freshman Katie Rutherford scored at least a 9.650 on beam in seven of the last eight meets, and won bars at the WGC meet with a career-best 9.925. Junior all-arounder Nicole Kilpatrick won the vault competition at the WGC meet with a career-best score of 9.925.

A LOOK AT THE WGC CHAMPIONSHIPS - At the Western Gymnastics Conference meet in Logan on March 22, USU posted a 195.550, the 10th-best team score in school history, last set against BYU on Feb. 11, 2000. The Aggies took third to Denver (195.825) and Southern Utah (195.575). Boise State finished fourth (194.900), while Cal State Fullerton was fifth (193.250).

The Aggies crowned two event champions in Nicole Kilpatrick on vault and Katie Rutherford on bars. Each scored a career-best 9.925 on her respective event. Kilpatrick's vault score is the second best in USU history, while Rutherford's score ties for fifth best.

Jessenia Abrego earned first-team all-conference honors on vault, tying for third, on floor, tying for second, and in the all-around, finishing third. Abrego's 9.850 on vault and 9.925 on floor tie for fourth all-time at USU. In addition, her 39.250 all-around score is tied for 10th best in the USU record books.

Kimberly Scharman set a career-high score of 9.750 on beam, while Kyla Mattioli scored a personal-best 9.875 on floor. As a team, the Aggies posted season-high scores on bars (49.025), beam (48.750) and floor (48.950).

HEAD COACH RAY CORN - Utah State's Ray Corn (Northern Colorado '71) completed his 25th year as the Aggies' head coach. Corn's teams own a 339-212-2 regular-season meet record and have participated in postseason competition in 24 of his 25 seasons, including 17 straight trips to the NCAA Midwest Regionals. Aggie squads have competed at the national championships five times. Corn was named NCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1991, was honored as High Country Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times and selected Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2001. Corn's overall record, including postseason action, currently stands at 397-359-2.

A LOOK AT THE 2002 AGGIES - Jessenia Abrego - Senior co-captain from Las Vegas, Nev. ... Earned first-team all-Western Gymnastics Conference honors on vault and floor... Has posted 25 top-three finishes this season (seven times on vault, once on bars, once on beam, 10 times on floor and six times in the all-around), including eight event titles (three vault, one beam, two floor and two all-around)... Her 2002 season-average scores of 9.746 and 9.758 on vault and floor, respectively, are the fourth and sixth-best all-time USU averages in those categories... Career-high all-around score of 39.350 came at the WGC meet (3/22), where she also set her career-best 9.925 score on floor... Season-high 9.875 score in vault came against ASU and SUU (3/8)... Hit a season-high 9.775 on bars four times, most recently at the WGC meet (3/22).

Kristen Bloom - Junior from Ossining, N.Y. ... Sprained an ankle at BYU and will likely not compete the remainder of the year... Season high of 9.875 in the beam came against Utah (2/15)... 2002's best vault performance of 9.700 came at San Jose State (1/26), and she tied it against Utah (2/15)... Owns two top-three finishes this year, taking second and third on beam... An all-arounder in 2000, Bloom competed on just the beam and floor for USU in 2001... Her 9.653 average in 2001 on the beam was the second-best by an Aggie.

Nalani Chung - Freshman from Fort Collins, Colo. ... Her 9.713 bars average in six meets is USU's second-best on the season... Set a career high at Cal State Fullerton (3/15), scoring a 9.825 and taking fourth in the event... Saw her first collegiate action at BYU, posting a 9.550 on bars... Was a Level 10 gymnast at GK's Gymnastics, and an academic all-state selection... Competed at Level 10 regionals in 1998, 1999 and 2001.

Sarah Colson - Freshman from Littleton, Colo. ... Broke her ankle in practice prior to the Western Gymnastics Conference meet (3/22) and did not compete for the remainder of the season... Recorded a 9.600 in the vault at San Jose State (1/26), and tied that score at Cal State Fullerton (3/15)... Competed in floor at BYU (2/22), posting a 9.525... A Level 10 gymnast at Apex Sports Center... Competed for Bear Creek High School, where she earned all-state honors as a junior and senior, and her team won state title her junior year.

Stephanie Gordon - Senior from Spanish Fork, Utah... Her 9.647 floor average is the team's third-best on the year... Season-high on floor came at the NCAA Regional meet, where she scored a team-high 9.800... Recorded a 9.775 on floor at Southern Utah (3/13)... Posted a 9.650 on vault at Southern Utah (3/13)... Competed for the first time this season at San Jose State (1/26), with a 9.600 in the vault... Third-best 2001 season floor average (9.664) on the squad.

Mika Love Houston - Sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev. ... Did not compete after being diagnosed with anemia in early March... Tied her career-best 9.700 score on vault against Boise State (2/27)... Set new career-high marks on floor (9.800) at San Jose State (1/26), and in the all-around (38.800) against Utah (2/15)... Her 9.750 beam score against Utah (2/15) is her season best... Won the all-around against Cal State Fullerton (1/4) with a 38.350... A 9.800 took second in the bars to Kimberly Scharman at San Jose State (1/26)... Has seven top-three finishes this year (twice on bars, once on floor, once on beam and three times in the all-around), and one all-around title... Competed on every event for Utah State in 2001 but saw all-around action just twice... A solid bar worker, she did not score below a 9.700 on the bars in 11 of the last 12 meets of 2001... Notched nine top-three finishes in 2001 (four times on beam, three times on bars and once each on the vault and all-around).

Nicole Kilpatrick - Junior from Ringwood, N.J. ... Her 9.925 vault score at the Western Gymnastics Championship meet (3/22) was the second best in school history and gave her the event title... Also set an all-around season-best 39.000 at the WGC meet... Season-best beam score came against Utah (2/15), with a 9.875... Season-best 9.825 score on bars came at the WGC meet (3/22)... Owns six top-three finishes this year, with two in the all-around, three in the vault and one on beam... Last season, she scored a career and Utah State season-best 39.325 in the all-around against BYU (3/9/01), the fifth-best all-around score in school history... Her 2002 season average of 38.468 in the all-around is 11th at USU.

Kyla Mattioli - Sophomore from Hampton, N.J. ... Her career-high 9.850 vault score came against Boise State (2/27), as she claimed her first event title of the season... Set a new career high on floor (9.750) against Cal State Fullerton (1/4), and tied it at Southern Utah (3/13)... Career-high 9.750 in bars came at San Jose State (1/26)... Has two top-three finishes this season (one vault, one floor)... Season average of 9.696 on vault is second on the team... Won the first vault competition of her career against SUU (3/12/01).

Brittnee Penman - Sophomore from Murray, Utah... Injured her back at Arizona State, and did not return to competition this season... In 2001, she finished in the top three on bars in six meets including winning against Southern Utah (2/2/01) and BYU (3/9/01)... Recorded a season-best 9.900 on the bars to earn a second-place finish against BSU (1/26/01)... Finished the year with a 9.602 season bar average.

Jessica Rands - Freshman from Sammamish, Wash. ... Posted a career-best 9.825 on vault against Boise State (2/27), taking second to teammate Kyla Mattioli in the event... Scored a 9.650 in her first collegiate meet against Utah (2/15), and tied that score a week later at BYU (2/22)... Had orthoscopic surgery on Jan. 7 for a meniscal tear... Level 9 gymnast at Gymnastics East in Seattle, Wash....Won the state floor competition in 2001... Finished third at state in 2000 in floor and vault... Took fourth in vault at 2001 regionals.

Rachel Ropelato - Freshman from Nibley, Utah... Posted a career-best 9.725 on vault at Southern Utah (3/13), taking second among the Aggies... Competed on floor once this season, posting an 8.600 at Arizona State (1/11)... Should see limited action in the vault, floor exercise and uneven bars... A Level 10 gymnast for Tom Olsen at Ten-O Gymnastics in Logan... Two-year Level 9 state champion.

Allison Rosenthal - Junior from Scottsdale, Ariz. ... Against BYU (2/6), she tied her season-high on beam (9.700) set against Cal State Fullerton (1/4)... Recorded season-high on floor at the WGC meet (3/22) with a 9.875... Ranked second on the team in floor average this season (9.690)... Owns three top-three finishes (one beam, two floor), including one event title (beam), this season... She missed the 2001 regional meet with a torn calf muscle... Last season, she did not score below a 9.625 on the floor in 11 of the 12 meets in which she competed... Took second at the conference meet, earning all-Big West accolades.

Katie Rutherford - A freshman from Chappaqua, N.Y. ... Earned the event title on bars at the WGC meet (3/22), scoring 9.925 and tying the fifth-best USU bars score in history... Posted a 9.900 on beam, a new career high, against Boise State (2/27), tying the seventh-best beam score in school history... Has six top-three finishes this season, winning bars twice, taking second on bars twice and claiming third once each on beam and bars... Scored a 9.700 on bars in her first collegiate meet (1/4)... A Level 10 gymnast, she participated in the 2000 US National competition... Was a 2000 state champion in the all-around and beam... Also earned state championships in the uneven bars in 2000 and 2001... A two -time regional bar champion in 1998 and 2000.

Kimberly Scharman - Senior from Salt Lake City, Utah... Won the bars at San Jose State (1/2) with a 9.900, setting a new season and career-high... Set a career best on beam at the Western Gymnastics Conference meet with a 9.750 (3/22)... Has finished in the top three on bars twice this year... Saw limited action on the beam and bars for Utah State in 2001... Recorded a career-high 9.700 on the beam twice while averaging a 9.221 score over seven meets... Scored a then-career-high 9.800 on the bars at the 2001 Big West championships.

Kirra Seeley - Senior co-captain from Kaysville, Utah... Leads the team in season average on bars (9.711) and beam (9.609), entering the regional meet... Set a career-best 9.850 on floor against Arizona State and Southern Utah (3/8), and tied her career-best 9.850 on bars at Southern Utah (3/13)... Also tied her season-high on beam (9.850) at those two meets... Has recorded six top-three finishes this year (three beam, three bars), including two event titles... Sat out the first seven meets of 2001 recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in her right thumb... In 2001, recorded a season-high 9.750 on beam at the Big West Championships (3/24/01).

Kelcy Wathen - Junior co-captain from Salt Lake City, Utah... Had surgery for a torn ACL in December, 2001... Performed as a bar specialist for the Aggies in 2001 but missed the last half of the season with various injuries... Tied her bar career-high at Utah (2/6/01), turning in a 9.800 score... Recorded a 9.775 on the bars three times.