DAVIS, Calif. -- Friday's four-team meet with Sacramento State, Alaska Anchorage and George Washington not only marks a return home for the UC Davis women's gymnastics team, but a return to form for a squad looking to reclaim the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title by season's end. March-in begins at 7 p.m.
UP NEXT
Who: Sacramento State/Alaska Anchorage/George Washington
When: Friday, January 24 • 7 p.m.
Where: The Pavilion (Davis, Calif.)
Live Results: StatBroadcast (http://statb.us/b/284064)
Live Video: Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/ucdavisgymnastics/)
A "confluence of circumstances," as head coach John Lavallee described it, led to a disappointing 187.225 team score in a road dual at Arizona State last weekend. That marks the first time in 10 years the Aggies scored below a 190 in a meet. A short week of practice and a lineup depleted by either illness, injury or recovery from such setbacks ultimately resulted in the dip in production.
"We did a good job making a lot of adjustments, but every once in a while, you have that performance you wish you didn't have," said Lavallee. "Whether you're at full or not, those things happen. Even Tiger duck hooks one into the water every once in a while. We took more of a dip than we would have hoped, but we still have a very good team. We just need to get back on the horse and ride again."
Furthermore, Lavallee entered the 2020 season knowing full well his team's overall health could result in a slower start than usual. For example, Kelley Hebert and Logan Clagg – two MPSF Gymnast of the Year candidates by March – are coming back from injury and mononucleosis, respectively. Hebert has yet to compete on uneven bars while Clagg has not made her collegiate beam debut. Furthermore, each is doing a watered-down version of their full vault as they get back up to full strength. "They're both doing layouts right now. Right off the top, that's a three-tenth difference in your team score," said Lavallee, referring to each gymnast's current vault.
As the Aggies continue to work their way toward 100 percent, expect to see the scores to follow suit. As it is, Hebert was a bright spot in Tempe, scoring 9.850 on beam and a first-place 9.900 on floor exercise. Clagg went 9.800 on floor in her first UC Davis meet one week prior, although as Lavallee says, "the fact that she has been in two gymnastics meets is a miracle." After all, the CCGI alumna from Visalia was not even cleared to practice just two weeks ago.
Expect a competitive meet on Friday, too. GW comes off scores of 193.775 and 193.225 in its first two meets, with the likes of Deja Chambliss and All-EAGL returner Cydney Crasa leading the way last weekend. Sacramento State went 191.725 in a tough home triangular with Arizona and Oregon State on Friday, with Jordyn Brent pacing the action with her second 38.725 all-around effort of the year. Alaska improved to a 192.525 in a home MPSF dual with San Jose State on Saturday. Double All-MPSF honoree and 2019 NCAA Regional qualifier Sophia Hyderally became just the third Seawolf ever to score 9.900 on bars.
2020 SEASON NOTES
CAUSEWAY CUP: UC Davis and Sacramento State will meet at least six times during the 2020 season, although only Friday's quadrangular and the March 7 road dual will count toward the Causeway Cup standings... The Aggies are 6-2 since the two schools agreed to count only "home-and-home" matchups.
HOW YOU START: Two freshmen made their collegiate debuts in Sunday's road dual at Sac State... Rachel Schuelke led off the team on vault (9.350) and beam (9.400), while Petra Engstrom started the floor squad (9.325)... Sophomore Cortney Cunningham made her Aggie floor debut with a 9.575, while senior Cammi Johnson made her first beam lineup appearance at 9.750... Sophomore Shannon Sklow made her bars debut with a 9.600... Freshman Logan Clagg debuted in Week 2, highlighted by a 9.800 on floor... Yet another freshman, Thea Michovsky, made her Aggie debut on bars (9.400) at Arizona State on January 17.
ELITE COMPANY: Kelley Hebert hit a 9.900 on beam for the third time in her career on January 5, then followed with her ninth career 9.9-plus floor score two weeks later at ASU... She shares the school record on each of those two events: 9.925 on beam twice, 9.950 on floor twice... Her 9.900 on beam at Sac State made her just the second Aggie to break a 9.900 in any event of a season opener: Ericka Ruelas first set the school bars record of 9.925 in the Jan. 16, 2000 home dual against San Jose State.
HOMECOMING: While the January 12 NorCal Classic technically served as the team's annual Alumni Day, Friday's visits by UAA means another John Lavallee alumna returns to the Pavilion... Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Famer Tanya Ho begins her third season at the Seawolf helm, the second of which earned MPSF Coach of the Year honors... Of course, Sacramento State competes under the tutelage of a former Aggie: head coach Randy Solorio won three All-America awards for Ray Goldbar in 1980 and 1981 before transferring to Sacramento State.
In fact, the six-member MPSF has four teams with former UC Davis gymnasts on their respective staffs: Carolyn Kampf and Aya Suzuki at UC Davis, Ho at UAA, Solorio at Sac State, and Andi Dolinsky-Webb at Air Force.
RIDE, CAPTAIN, RIDE: Senior Sarah Liddle and junior Kelley Hebert were selected as team captains for the 2020 season, replacing Roxanna Agah and Yasmine Yektaparast... Yektaparast was the first Aggie to repeat in that role during the John Lavallee era (2007-present), although Hebert will now have an opportunity to do the same in 2021.
DECORATED: A total of nine UC Davis gymnasts earned 16 All-MPSF awards, with seven and 13 returning in 2020... Junior Kelley Hebert won four such awards last year, plus her second MPSF Gymnast of the Year nod... Junior Gabby Landess won three, joining Hebert on the all-around first team while adding second-team All-MPSF on both bars and floor... Senior Sarah Liddle and junior Alyssa Ito each claimed honors on both bars and beam in 2019... Cammi Johnson and Cortney Cunningham were All-MPSF winners on vault, with the latter claiming the league's Newcomer of the Year award.
NQS 101: The national-qualifying score, or NQS for short, is calculated by taking the team's (or individual's) top six scores, of which a minimum of three coming from road meets... The highest score of that six is dropped and the remaining five are averaged... The website RoadToNationals.com began calculating this number after Week 6... The top 36 teams in the nation earn NCAA Regional berths while the top MPSF team earns Olympic order (V-UB-BB-FX) at the conference championship meet... In 2019, UC Davis ranked 39th nationally and topped in the MPSF with a 195.215 NQS entering the conference meet, the latter of which granted the Aggies the regular-season championship.
JUST THE SFACTD: Although not limited to faculty members, the Special Faculty Assistant Coach of the Day program invites a key dignitary to serve as an honorary assistant coach for a home meet... The first SFACTD of 2020 was LeShelle May, an award-winning computer engineer and innovator, and the wife of Chancellor Gary May.
ABOUT UC DAVIS: Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
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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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