Jan. 26, 2017
This Week:
Sat., January 28 Metroplex Challenge
Bowling Green, Central Michigan, George Washington
Fort Worth Convention Center Arena, Fort Worth, Texas 6:45 p.m. CST
*Live video stream - http://www.flogymnastics.com
*Available for a fee of $19.97 monthly or $147 yearly.
The San José State women's gymnastics team travels to the Lone Star State this weekend to compete in the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. The Spartans will compete against Bowling Green, Central Michigan and George Washington beginning at 6:45 p.m. Central Time at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena. Tickets are $20 at the door.
National Rankings - Team Scores
George Washington 18th 195.592
Central Michigan 37th 193.892
San José State 47th 193.067
Bowling Green 52nd 192.642
San José State last faced Central Michigan on March 9, 2012, in a tri-meet at Washington. CMU scored a 195.300, while the Spartans had a 194.425.
The Spartans competed against Bowling Green during the 2005 season. The two teams were part of a quad meet hosted by Cal State Fullerton. SJSU won the meet with a 193.025, while BGSU had a 192.250.
This will be the first meeting between the Spartans and George this century.
The Spartans are coming off its best meet of the season with a 193.875 at California with Washington last Saturday. The bars team posted the best score of the night with a 49.025, tying for the sixth-best score in school history. Rachel Heinl, Stephanie Relova and Kaitlin Won each scored a 9.825 to lead the team. Kaprece Nadonza added a season-best 9.800, followed by Kendal Watts also with a season-best 9.750 and Haleigh Shepard at 9.675.
HEAD COACH
Spartan head coach Wayne Wright is in his 16th year at the helm of the program. He has coached all seven San José State regional qualifying teams and taken three individual competitors to the NCAA Championships.
Wright is assisted by associate head coach Shella Martinez who is in her 13th season with the Spartans. She is primarily responsible for the beam team and is the team's recruiting coordinator. Former Spartan Alise Blackwell joined the Spartan coaching staff in 2015 as an assistant coach and is the team's bars coach.
MPSF WEEKLY HONORS
Taylor Chan was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Women's Gymnastics Freshman of the Week on January 17 for her performances last week at the NorCal Classic and at Sacramento State.
In her first collegiate meet at the NorCal Classic, Chan tied for sixth on floor with a 9.775. She added a 9.775 on vault and a 9.575 on beam.
At Sacramento State on January 13, Chan tied for first on vault with a 9.775 to win her first collegiate event. She tied for second on floor with a season-best 9.825.
From Coquitlam, British Columbia, Chan joined the Spartan team this season after competing for TAG Sports Center. She was named the 2016 Sandra Hartley National Stream Athlete of the Year from Gymnastics BC.
HEINL TOP BARS PERFORMER
Senior Rachel Heinl has started her final season off with three strong performances on bars. She started the season with a 9.850 at the NorCal Classic, then a 9.800 at Sacramento State and a 9.825 at Cal with Washington. She is currently number one in the MPSF on bars with a 9.825 average.
WON, CHAN TOP FLOOR SCORES
Kaitlin Won and Taylor Chan are tied for second in the MPSF standings on floor with a 9.817 average. Won has scored a 9.800 or better in all three meets on floor. Chan has the highest score on floor for the Spartans this season with a 9.850 last weekend at the meet with California and Washington.
ALL-AROUNDER
Junior Kaitlin Won is the team's only all-around performer currently. She has a 38.750 average in the all-around and scored a season-high 39.075 last Saturday at California. That was her first 39.000+ score since her freshman year after having her sophomore year ended early due to a concussion.
HOME MEETS
The Spartans host three regular-season meets in 2017. The first home meet is Friday, February 3, against UC Davis, followed by Friday, February 10, against Sacramento State. Both meets begin at 7 p.m. The final meet featuring the Spartan seniors and alumni is Sunday, March 5, against Utah State, beginning at 2 p.m.
MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS MARCH 18
San José State will host the MPSF Championships on Saturday, March 18, at The Event Center beginning at 6 p.m. Teams competing include Air Force, Alaska Anchorage, UC Davis, Sacramento State, Seattle Pacific and the Spartans.
Tickets are on sale for the championships at the Spartan Ticket Office. Prices are $10 for adults, $8 for youth 18-and-under, $6 for groups of 10 more bought prior to the meet through the Spartan Ticket Office and $5 for SJSU students with a Tower Card the day of the meet.
Call the Spartan Ticket Office at (408) 924-SJTX (7589) for more information.
UP NEXT
The Spartans host the first of three regular-season meets on Friday, February 3, as the team welcomes UC Davis to The Event Center. The teams will march in at 7 p.m., followed by the first rotation.