Feb. 24, 2003

LOGAN, Utah -

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THIS WEEK - No. 22 Utah State gymnastics (6-5) hosts No. 14 Ohio State at 11 a.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, instead of at 7 p.m. as previously announced.

NEXT WEEK - The Aggies are at Brigham Young in a 7 p.m. meet on Friday, March 6. USU defeated BYU in Logan on Feb. 21, 195.925-195.625.

LOOKING AT OHIO STATE - No. 14 Ohio State is 5-4 on the season. The Buckeyes lost to No. 18 Penn State Saturday, 195.875-195.325. Freshman Shelby Warner won the all-around Saturday, as OSU set a season best on bars, 49.125. OSU's best score on the season is 195.875, set against Michigan State on Jan. 25. Head coach Larry Cox is in his 23rd year, with a career record of 237-132-2. The Buckeyes' average score this season is 194.744, while their RQS stands at 195.490. Freshman Jill Weber has been a consistent performer for Ohio State, with a season-high all-around score of 39.400. Ohio State holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams will meet in Columbus, Ohio, on March 22.

USU RANKED 22ND - USU's RQS of 194.730 moved the Aggies from No. 26 nationally (by average last week) to No. 22. The RQS is determined by a team's top six scores, three of which must be from away meets. The high score is thrown out and the remaining five are averaged.

NELSON TOPS 39.00 IN SEVEN STRAIGHT - Freshman Meagan Nelson is the first gymnast in Utah State history to score more than 39.00 in the all-around in seven consecutive meets. The school record for 39.00-plus all-around scores in a season is nine, set by Christy Denson in 2000.

KILPATRICK FINISHES AMONG TOP THREE IN EVERY MEET - USU senior Nicole Kilpatrick is the only Aggie to record a top three finish in at least one event of every meet this season. She was USU's only gymnast to finish among the top three against No. 4 Utah on Feb. 7. Kilpatrick owns 18 top-three finishes, including six event titles.

NELSON, KILPATRICK TOP 25 ALL-AROUNDERS - Meagan Nelson and Nicole Kilpatrick are 19th and 21st, respectively, in the national all-around rankings. Regionally, Nelson is fifth and Kilpatrick is sixth.

REGIONAL RANKINGS - The Aggies are currently fifth in the North Central region. USU's team vault is sixth, while bars is third, beam is fifth and floor is sixth. All-arounders Meagan Nelson and Nicole Kilpatrick are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.

TOUGH OPPONENTS - Six of USU's opponents this season - Utah (5), Ohio State (14), Oklahoma (19), Central Michigan (24), NC State (26) and BYU (30) - are ranked among the top 30 this week.

CONSISTENT TEAM BARS WORK CONTINUES - Utah State has scored at least 49.025 on the bars in each of its last four meets, the first time the Aggies have scored that well in the event in the last seven years. Additionally, USU has set the top two bars scores in history this season. Since 1996, USU put together consecutive team bars scores better than 49.000 just twice - in 1999 and 2000.

GREAT AVERAGES - Halfway through the season, each of USU's event averages is ranked among the top three in school history. Bars (48.796) is above the 1999 team's 48.791 average, beam (48.368) and floor (48.825) are second all-time and vault is the third-best average in USU history (48.560).

BEST SEASON START IN SEVEN YEARS - Never before has USU scored better than 195.00 four times in its first seven meets. In both 1997 and 1999, the Aggies reached the 195 mark twice in their first eight meets, but it took at least 11 before they managed to post four. Last year, USU had just two team scores of 195.00 or better.

AGGIES REWRITING TEAM SCORE HISTORY - USU's 196.150 against Utah was its best home score ever, and is the second-best score in USU history, while the 195.925 set Feb. 21 against BYU is the fifth-highest score in history. The last time USU had two top-five scores was in 1997.

BYU RECAP - For the third meet this season three Utah State gymnasts - Nicole Kilpatrick, Meagan Nelson and Jessica Parenti - scored better than 39.000 in the all-around as the Aggies edged BYU 195.925-195.625. USU's score is the fifth-best in school history and the third-best all-time in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. BYU led the meet, 98.050-97.875, after the first two rotations. USU gained the lead after the third rotation, 146.95-146.875. The Aggies' bars score (49.325) was their second-best bars score in USU history, behind their 49.425 set earlier this season against Utah. USU also tied the eighth-best beam score ever (49.075). Kilpatrick won the all-around (39.350), while Nelson was second (39.300) and Parenti took third (39.250). Nelson tied her career-best bars score (9.850) and set a new career high on beam (9.925). Parenti tied her career scores on bars (9.925) and floor (9.775). Utah State freshman Liesel Kohler (floor) and sophomore Rachel Ropelato (bars) each scored 9.900, new career highs.

HEAD COACH RAY CORN - Ray Corn (Northern Colorado '71) is in his 26th year as the Aggies' head coach. Corn's teams own a 349-216-2 regular-season meet record and have participated in postseason competition 24 times, including 17 straight trips to the NCAA Regionals. USU has competed at the national championship meet 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 407-355-2. He's assisted by Mark Lee and Ernestine Russell.

A LOOK AT THE 2002 AGGIES - ASHLEY BARR - Freshman from Littleton, Colo... Career bests of 9.850 on bars and 9.775 on floor came at NC State (2/14)... Scored a 9.800 on beam against Boise State (1/24)... Career bars high of 9.325 came against Utah (2/7)... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Lindy Franzini, Vinici Liera and Enis Hudson at Colorado Gymnastics Institute... A 2002 Level 10 national qualifier... Second in the all-around at the state Level 10 competition in 2002... Won the 2002 state Level 10 title on floor, finished third on vault, fifth on bars and eighth on beam... Finished second on bars and sixth in the all-around at 2002 regional competition... Graduated from Cherry Creek High with a 3.6 GPA.

NALANI CHUNG - Sophomore from Fort Collins, Colo... Set a career high on bars (9.900) against Utah (2/7), her season debut... Competed in six meets in 2002, posting a 9.713 bars average in that span... Set a career-best at Cal State Fullerton (3/15/02), where she scored a 9.825 and took fourth in the event... Her first collegiate action came at BYU, where she scored 9.550.

SARAH COLSON - Sophomore from Littleton, Colo... Suffered a stress fracture after the meet at Oklahoma... Had a career-best vault at Oklahoma (1/19), with a 9.650... Broke her ankle in practice prior to the 2002 Western Gymnastics meet and did not participate the rest of the season.

NICOLE KILPATRICK - Senior from Ringwood, N.J... Owns 18 top-three finishes on the year... Only Aggie to finish among the top three against Utah... Has already improved upon four career-best scores this season, including bars (9.875) and all-around (39.475) against Utah (2/7)... Career-best beam score (9.95) was against Boise State (1/24), and ties the school record shared by Tina Ellis (2001) and Krissy Richards (1997)... 9.925 floor score, reached twice, ties the fifth-best in USU history... Has six event titles (two vault, one beam, one floor, two all-around) this season... All-around score against Utah tied the fourth-best in USU history... 9.925 vault score at the 2002 Western Gymnastics Conference meet (3/22/02) was the second-best score in school history and gave her the event title... 2002 season average of 38.468 in the all-around is 11th all-time at USU.

LIESEL KOHLER - Freshman from Watsonville, Calif... Scored 9.900 on floor against BYU (2/21)... Career-best 9.825 on beam came against Utah (2/7)... Is just one of two Aggies besides all-arounders (Kilpatrick, Nelson, Parenti) to post a top-three finish on the year... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Javier Vargas at Elite Gymnastics Academy in Salinas, Calif... A 2002 graduate of Monterey Bay Academy (La Selva Beach, Calif.) with a 3.75 GPA.

RACHAEL MANDY - Freshman from Fargo, N.D... Tore her ACL in practice prior in December, and will redshirt this season... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Amy Sahli and Kelli Dronen at American Gold Gymnastics in Fargo... 1999 and 2000 Level 10 state champion... Took second at 2001 state... Qualified for regional competition seven consecutive years, once at Level 9 and six times at Level 10... Won the 2001 regional vault championship and took second in 1999.

KYLA MATTIOLI - Junior from Hampton, N.J... A career-best 9.850 vault score against Boise State (2/27/02) claimed the event title... Career high on floor (9.750) at Cal State Fullerton (2/4/02), was tied at Southern Utah (3/13/02)... Career-best 9.750 on bars at San Jose State (1/26/02)... Vault average of 9.696.

MEAGAN NELSON - Freshman from Las Vegas, Nev... All-around scores in first seven meets were better than 39.000, including 39.500 against Boise State (1/24), the third-best all-around score in USU history... Has 20 top-three finishes on the year... Against Boise State, she set career high on floor (9.950), second-best score ever at USU... Beam score (9.925), set against BYU (2/21) ties the fourth-best score in USU history... Eight event titles on the season (vault, beam, three floor, three all-around)... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast for Cassie Rice and Jill Enritta at GymCats Gymnastics in Las Vegas... An eight-time state champion, she has titles in the Level 10 bars, vault, floor and all-around... Took second at the 2001 state meet in the all-around... Finished 11th at Level 10 nationals as a senior.

JESSICA PARENTI - Freshman from Glendora, Calif.... Became just the second freshman in USU history - and the second this season - to score better than 39.00 in an all-around debut, with 39.275 against Utah (2/7)... Tied her career bests on bars (9.925), beam (9.875) and floor (9.775) against BYU (2/21)... Set career highs bars and beam against Utah (2/7)... Won the bars title at CS Fullerton (1/12), with a 9.925, which tied the sixth-best bars score in school history... Has five event titles this season (four bars, one beam)... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast at Charter Oak Gliders for Lisa Muellers and Jay Wells... Three-time nationals competitor (1999-2001)... Second at 2000 nationals in bars, beam and the all-around... Finished second on beam and third in bars at 2001 national competition... Glendora High valedictorian (class of 540), she graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

JESSICA RANDS - Sophomore from Sammamish, Wash... Scored a career-best 9.825 on vault against Boise State (2/2/02).

RACHEL ROPELATO - Sophomore from Nibley, Utah... Set career bests on bars (9.900) and floor (9.025) against BYU (2/21)... Career-high score on vault (9.850) came against Boise State (1/24)... One of two Aggies besides all-arounders (Kilpatrick, Nelson, Parenti) to record a top-three finish on the year... Has one event title on the year, tying teammate Meagan Nelson on vault against Boise... Two top-three finishes on season.

ALLISON ROSENTHAL - Senior from Scottsdale, Ariz... Posted career-high beam score against Boise State (1/24) with a 9.775... Tied her top career floor score of 9.875 for the fourth time at Western Gymnastics Conference meet (3/22/02)... Ranked second on the team in floor average, ending the year with a 9.690... Had three top-three finishes, including an event title (beam).

KATIE RUTHERFORD - Sophomore co-captain from Chappaqua, N.Y... Keeps improving on career vault scores in 2003, with a 9.700 at NC State (2/14)... Also tied her career high on bars (9.925) against the Utes this season... Earned bars title at the WGC meet (3/22/02), scoring 9.925 and tying the fifth-best bars score at USU... Career-best 9.900 on beam tied the seventh-best beam score in school history... Only freshman to compete in all 14 meets for the Aggies in 2002.

KIMBERLY SCHARMAN - Senior co-captain from Salt Lake City, Utah... Has not competed in 2003... Set a career best on beam at the Western Gymnastics Conference meet on March 22 with a 9.750... Finished in the top three on bars twice as a junior.

ASHLEY YOUNG - Freshman from Longmont, Colo... Set career highs on vault (9.650), beam (9.825) and floor (9.700) against Boise State (1/24)... Competed as a Level 10 gymnast Richard Villarela and Blythe Baca at Berthoud School of Gymnastics... Was the 2001 regional vault champion... Also finished fifth on bars and sixth in the all-around at the 2001 regionals... A 2001 national qualifier... Graduated with a 3.7 grade point average from Skyline High.