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Women's Gymnastics Hosts Sacramento State This Friday

Jan. 24, 2018

Weekly Release

This Week:Fri., January 26
Sacramento State The Event Center San Jose, Calif.
7:00 p.m. PT
Mountain West Network

Live scoring -

Live video stream - http://player.watchstadium.com/webapp/sanjose/index.html#/live/121332?school=121&live_section=1&archive_section=1

The San José State women's gymnastics team hosts the first of four meets for 2018 season this Friday, January 26, as Sacramento State visits The Event Center. The Spartans are coming off a 194.275 last Friday in a meet at Utah State with Sacramento State. Three Spartans won individual titles at the meet - Ellie Pascoe-Long on vault (9.825) and floor (9.850); Stephanie Relova on beam (9.875) and Kaitlin Won in the all-around (39.075).

National Rankings Ranking AVG

San José State 39th 194.375

Sacramento State 54th 192.550

THIS YEAR'S MEETINGS - This is the third consecutive meet for the Spartans and Hornets. The two teams competed at the NorCal Classic on January 8, where the Spartans scored a 194.475 to 192.875 for the Hornets. The teams competed last week at Utah State with SJSU finishing second at 194.275 and the Hornets third at 193.275.. The teams will also compete against each other two more times this season - February 16 in Sacramento and March 24 at the Mountain Pacific Sport Federation Championships.

SPARTAN HEAD COACH - Spartan head coach Wayne Wright is in his 17th 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 15th 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 - This week, two Spartans were honored by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for their performances last week. Kaitlin Won was named the MPSF Gymnast of the Week, while Ellie Pascoe-Long was honored as the MPSF Specialist of the Week.

Won captured the all-around title at the Utah State meet with a season-best 39.075 at the meet. She finished second on the balance beam as she tied her career high with a 9.850. Won added a 9.800 on floor, 9.725 on bars and 9.700 on vault. Her routines helped the beam team to the 7th-best beam score in school history with a 48.975. This is her first award this season and fourth of her career.

Pascoe-Long had the meet of her career as she won her first two career event titles. She scored a career-best 9.825 on vault to win the event. She also tied her career high with a 9.850 on floor to tie for first with two Utah State gymnasts. This is her first award this season and second of her career.

FOUR TITLES AT UTAH STATE-SACRAMENTO STATE MEET - Three Spartans won four individual titles at Utah State/Sacramento State meet on January 19. Ellie Pascoe-Long won her first two career even titles with a career-best 9.825 on vault and tied her career high on floor at 9.850. Stephanie Relova recorded a career-best 9.875 to win the beam. Kaitlin Won in the all-around (39.075).

BEST SEASON-OPENING SCORE - The Spartans began the 2018 season at the NorCal Classic on January 8 (at Stanford, Maples Pavilion) by scoring the program's best opening-meet score with a 194.475. The team broke the record of 194.300, set by the 2012 squad at Stanford (Burnham Pavilion).The only other Spartan team to score a 194.000 or better in an opening meet was the 2015 team with a 194.050 at the NorCal Classic at UC Davis.

FOUR EVENTS, FOUR SJSU LEADERS AT NORCAL CLASSIC - In a true team effort at the NorCal Classic on January 8, four different Spartans led the team on each apparatus. Kaprece Nadonza led the team on vault with a career-best 9.750. Kaitlin Won tied her career high on bars with a 9.875. Stephanie Relova had the best beam score at 9.775, while Taylor Chan led the floor team with a 9.875.

ALL-AROUNDERS - Senior Kaitlin Won and sophomore Taylor Chan compete in the all-around for the Spartans. Won has scored a 39.000 or better in the first two meets of the season. She captured the all-around title at the January 19 meet with a 39.075. Chan is in her first season competing in the all-around and had a season-best 38.700 at the Utah State/Sacramento State meet.

HOME MEETS - The Spartans host four regular-season meets in 2018. The first home meet is this Friday, January 26, against Sacramento State at 7 p.m. The second home meet features top-25 teams Boise State and Iowa State on Friday, February 9, at 7 p.m. UC Davis visits The Event Center on Friday, February 23, at 7 p.m. The final home meet of the season is Sunday, March 4, with Air Force, Central Michigan and Seattle Pacific beginning at 2 p.m. That will also be Senior Day and Alumni Day.

Fans can purchase tickets at the door or from the Spartan Ticket Office at (408) 924-SJTX (7589). Ticket prices are $8 for adults; youth (12 & under) $5; and youth in club gear $3.

MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS MARCH 24 - San José State will compete at the 2018 MPSF Championships on Saturday, March 24, at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. The meet begins at 6 p.m. MT, and features Air Force, Alaska Anchorage, UC Davis, Sacramento State, Seattle Pacific and the Spartans.

UP NEXT - The Spartans travel up Interstate 80 to compete at UC Davis on Friday, February 2, at 7 p.m. The meet features the Aggies, Seattle Pacific, Stanford and the Spartans.