DAVIS, Calif. -- The 2020 UC Davis women's gymnastics season kicks off in the first of three meetings with local rival Sacramento State in the month of January alone: the first Causeway Cup dual this Sunday, the NorCal Classic at the Pavilion on January 12, and the second Causeway Cup meeting in Davis on January 24.

UP NEXT
Who: Sacramento State
When: Sunday, January 5 • 2 p.m.
Where: The Nest (Sacramento, Calif.) 
Live Results: StatBroadcast (http://www.hornetsports.com/links/22b0ud)

Head coach John Lavallee returns six of his eight All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honorees from last year's squad, including two-time Gymnast of the Year Kelley Hebert. Hebert, senior Sarah Liddle, junior Alyssa Ito and junior Gabby Landess each captured multiple All-MPSF nods plus an "Outstanding Contribution Award," the team's year-end accolade given in lieu of the more common MVP or Most Inspirational honors. 

Sophomore Cortney Cunningham captured the MPSF Newcomer of the Year award along with second-team All-MPSF acclaim on vault, while senior Cammi Johnson also made the all-conference first team on vault. Both should see an increase in their overall repertoires this season, especially with Hebert and Ito still returning from preseason injuries. Landess' ability across all four events is also particularly valuable with fellow junior Kyla Kessler still on the mend from her 2019 injury.

Also experiencing a delayed start to the 2020 season will be freshman Logan Clagg. The Visalia, California, native was one of the Aggies' all-arounders during the Blue-Gold intrasquad exhibition in December, but has been sidelined by illness during the week leading up to the season opener. Clagg began competing at Level 10 as a 10-year-old at Central California Gymnastics Institute, eventually qualifying for back-to-back Junior Olympics National Championships in 2017 and 2018.

According to Lavallee, the team's overall health status will reshape the look of the Aggies, at least in the early going. "It's going to create some opportunities for some folks who a month ago didn't think there would be opportunities. It's why I tell every team: if you think you're out of the lineup, you're crazy. This is gymnastics. Everything can and does happen."

As such, expect to see a few Aggie rookies to see action during the early going due to the injury-plagued roster. Also among the freshmen and former J.O. nationals competitors is Thea Michovsky, a four-time Region 1 qualifier from Gymnastics Zone and Dream Xtreme. Her name alone should ring a bell to Aggie gymnastics fans: her older sister, Yonni Michovska, was an NCAA regional qualifier and two-time All-MPSF honoree for UC Davis from 2014-17.

Michovsky could open the season in as many as three events, while Petra Engstrom will look for lineup spots on beam and floor. Rachel Schuelke-Lombardi readies herself for the beam squad. Engstrom qualified for the Level 10 regionals there times for Coastal Gymnastics Academy, while Schuelke-Lombardi posted high finishes at four Region 1 meets for West Coast Elite and Wildfire clubs.

Sophomore returners Shannon Sklow and Shanae Oishi will see added action as well in 2020. Sklow made a memorable floor debut in exhibition during early March, then earned her first lineup slot a week ater in the home finale on March 15. Oishi redshirted the 2018 season, then made three exhibition appearances on bars last year.

In managing his team's injuries and youth, Lavallee plans on working very strategically in the first part of the season – a collegiate gymnastics version of "load management" in many ways. However, his expectations for his program remain consistent. "We will put the team on the floor that we feel gives us the best opportunity to score as many points as we can. It comes down to who is ready and what they're ready for. We have to be smart about the people who are ready to rock and roll, and about the younger, more inexperienced folks who are getting their feet wet. We don't want to make them jump into the deep end right away. We have to temper that pace so we can launch ourselves on the right trajectory. Sometimes people start with too much, and it takes them a while to recover mentally and emotionally. We need to be aware of that."

The Aggies' home opener will feature the five Northern California programs: No. 8 California, No. 21 Stanford, Sacramento State, San Jose State and UC Davis. Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/2MASg6L. 

The NorCal Classic features two of the four WCGA preseason top 25 teams on the 2020 schedule: UC Davis will travel to No. 20 Arizona State five days later, Cal will come back to the Pavilion on March 13 in a quad meet with Michigan State and Brown. No. 16 Boise State hosts the Aggies, Hornets and Utah State on February 21. 
 

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MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE: Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit this site for more information.

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