BOISE -- Cougar sophomore Kelly Parkinson earned second-team All-America honors in the all-around and floor exercise but BYU was unable to advance into the team finals of the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships being conducted at The Pavilion on the campus of Boise State University.
Competing in its seventh NCAA Championships, BYU placed sixth in the first session of the team preliminary competition Thursday, with only the top three teams from each session qualifying for Friday's Super 6 Team Finals. Advancing from session 1 were perennial gymnastics powers Georgia, Utah and Alabama. Session 2 qualifiers were its top three teams, UCLA, Nebraska and Michigan.
Two-time defending national champion Georgia placed first in the afternoon session at 196.775, followed by Utah at 196.125, Alabama at 196.075, Louisiana State at 194.950, Oregon State at 194.750 and BYU at 195.500. UCLA won the evening session with a 197.250, followed by Nebraska at 196.0, Michigan at 195.925, Penn State at 195.350, Iowa State at 195.325 and West Virginia at 194.175.
"We needed to have our best meet to have a chance to move on but that just didn't happen," BYU coach Brad Cattermole. "We made some mistakes but we did some good things too. I was really proud of the kids. I thought they gave it their all and fought to the end. Kelly (Parkinson) had a good meet in the all-around."
Parkinson earned All-America status by finishing tied for fifth in the all-around with a 39.10 score and tied for seventh on floor with a 9.850 performance. Three other Cougars nearly earned All-America honors. Junior Angie Hickman (9.825 on vault) and senior Leah Niepraschk and sophomore Mindi Hilton (9.800 on bars) each finished just one spot and only .025 points from the required top-eight placement. Competing in session 2, Nebraska's Heather Brink won the all-around title with a 39.6. BYU junior Kim Little finished 15th in the session 1 all-around at 38.350 while senior Denice Pauga placed 18th at 37.775.
BYU opened the meet on the floor exercise and recorded a 48.725 with Parkinson leading the way with a 9.850. Little added a 9.775 and Marisa Cosgrave a 9.725 as BYU finished the first rotation in second place behind Louisiana State (49.0 on vault).
The Cougars moved to vault in the second rotation and finished the rotation with a brief lead as BYU and Oregon State were the only two schools to compete in both of the first two rotations. BYU scored 48.875 on vault for a 97.600 total as previous leader LSU sat out with a bye. Hickman provided BYU's top vault with a 9.825 effort, while Denice Pauga, Little and Parkinson each added 9.8 vaults.
With BYU sitting out the third rotation with a bye, the Cougars dropped to fifth as each school completed its second event of the meet. Utah took the overall lead at 98.150, followed by Georgia at 98.000, LSU at 97.850 and Alabama at 97.775. BYU trailed at 97.600 with Oregon State at 96.875.
In the fourth rotation, BYU's Leah Niepraschk and Mindi Hilton tallied 9.8 routines and Parkinson a 9.775 to help the Cougars earn a 48.575 bars score. With then meet-leading Utah and Georgia both sitting out with a bye, BYU moved into second place temporarily at 146.175, moving ahead of LSU, who dropped to 146.025 after a 48.175 total on beam. Alabama held the lead at 146.875.
BYU entered its last event, the balance beam, in the meet's fifth rotation but did not have enough to secure a third-place finish and a spot in Friday's team finals. Jeni Thomas led BYU with a 9.725 and Karen Nielsen added a 9.700 but the Cougars could only manage a 48.325 team score and a meet total of 194.500. Georgia scored a session-high 49.425 on vault to seal first place and Utah delivered the session's best beam score, a 49.050, to edge Alabama for second place.
MEET SCORES:Team
Session 1
1. Georgia, 196.775
2. Utah, 196.125
3. Alabama, 196.075
4. Louisiana State, 194.950
5. Oregon State, 194.500
6. BYU, 194.500
BYU Event Scores:
Floor, 48.725
Vault, 48.875
Bars, 48.575
Beam, 48.325
Session 2
1. UCLA, 197.250
2. Nebraska, 196.000
3. Michigan, 195.925
4. Penn State, 195.350
5. Iowa State, 195.325
6. West Virginia, 194.175
Floor Exercise (Session 1 Only)
1. Suzanne Sears, Georgia, 9.900
Talya Vexler, Georgia, 9.900
Kristen Sterner, Alabama, 9.900
Denise Jones, Utah, 9.900
BYU Floor Scores:
7. Kelly Parkinson, 9.850
25. Kim Little, 9.775
34. Marisa Cosgrave, 9.725
39. Brooke Craig, 9.700
40. Candace Cosgrave, 9.675
Denice Pauga, 9.675
Vault (Session 1 Only)
1. Monica Fammer, Georgia, 9.900
Kristi Lichey, Georgia, 9.900
Suzanne Sears, Georgia, 9.900
Katie Hornecker, Alabama, 9.900
Andree Pickens, Alabama, 9.900
Gabi Weller, Towson, 9.900
BYU Vault Scores:
13. Angie Hickman, 9.825
15. Denice Pauga, 9.800
Kelly Parkinson, 9.800
Kim Little, 9.800
38. Mindi Hilton, 9.650
42. Hilary Johnson, 9.475
Uneven Bars (Session 1 Only)
1. Kathleen Schrieves, Georgia, 9.900
2. Natalie Barrington, Alabama, 9.875
3. Andree Pickens, Alabama, 9.850
Kristen Sterner, Alabama, 9.850
Dara Stewart, Alabama, 9.850
Jenny Schmidt, Utah, 9.850
BYU Bars Scores:
11. Leah Niepraschk, 9.800
Mindi Hilton, 9.800
14. Kelly Parkinson, 9.775
30. Kim Little, 9.700
39. Jeni Thomas, 9.500
42. Denice Pauga, 8.650
Balance Beam (Session 1 Only)
1. Kristi Lichey, Georgia, 9.850
Deidra Graham, Utah, 9.850
3. Amanda Curry, Georgia, 9.825
Talya Vexler, Georgia, 9.825
Denise Jones, Utah, 9.825
Angelika Schatton, Utah, 9.825
BYU Beam Scores:
19. Jeni Thomas, 9.725
22. Karen Nielsen, 9.700
25. Kelly Parkinson, 9.675
27. Denice Pauga, 9.650
33. Brooke Craig, 9.575
41. Kim Little, 9.075
All-Around Champion: Heather Brink, Nebraska, 39.600
All-Around (Session 1 Only)
1. Kristi Lichey, Georgia, 39.400
Denise Jones, Utah, 39.400
3. Andree Pickens, Alabama, 39.375
4. Deidra Graham, Utah, 39.275
BYU All-Around Scores:
5. Kelly Parkinson, 39.100
15. Denice Pauga, 38.350
18. Kim Little, 37.775
BYU hopes to qualify for nationals Saturday when it competes as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Region 6 meet in Athens, Ga.
After qualifying with the 10th best regional qualifying score, the Cougars were seeded out of their own region and assigned to Region 6, which is being hosted by the nation's third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
The Cougars finished the regular season with a regional qualifying score of 195.585. The top 12 teams in the nation were seeded into the six NCAA regionals. In addition to Georgia, BYU will join Maryland, North Carolina State, Towson State and George Washington in the region 6 meet.
"We're pleased with the selection to go to Georgia," BYU head coach Brad Cattermole said. "Of all the places we could have gone, we were hoping it would be Georgia. It's a good place to compete and a nice area of the country. I feel like we're getting to the point where we're ready for that kind of meet. Plus, Georgia always runs a good meet."
The top two finishers in each of the six regional meets will advance to the NCAA national meet April 13-15 in Boise, Idaho.
NCAA Regional meets are as follows:
Region 1 at Oregon St
UCLA
Oklahoma
Stanford
Washington
Oregon State
Boise State
Region 2 at Minnesota
Utah
West Virginia
Minnesota
Denver
Utah State
Southern Utah
Region 3 at Arizona
Nebraska
LSU
Arizona State
Arizona
Missouri
Illinois-Chicago
Region 4 at Alabama
Alabama
Iowa State
C. Michigan
Kent State
Michigan State
Ohio State
Region 5 at Penn State
Michigan
Florida
Penn State
New Hampshire
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Region 6 at Georgia
Georgia
BYU
Maryland
N.C. State
Towson State
George Washington
BYU Gymnasts To Watch
Denice Pauga o 5-6 o Senior o Lethbridge, Alberta
o A great performer and solid all-arounder, the senior returns after missing the entire year last season with a broken hand.
o She has set career highs this year on bars, floor and the all-around and has the team's second best scores on bars and beam.
Kim Little o 5-3 o Junior o Fremont, Calif.
o A strong gymnast with great athletic ability, she has set career bests this year on bars, beam, floor and in the all-around.
o Kim has BYU's best score this year on beam and shares the BYU record on floor with teammate Kelly Parkinson.
Kelly Parkinson o 5-2 o Sophomore o Houston, Texas
o A dynamic, fun-to-watch gymnast who has very nice form, she set career highs this year in every event and the all-around.
o She is the BYU all-around record holder and shares the floor record with teammate Kim Little. She has BYU's top scores this season on vault, floor and in the all-around.
BYU Individual Season Highs
* BYU record
VAULT
1. Kelly Parkinson 9.900
2. Kelly Parkinson 9.875
3. Angie Hickman 9.850
Kim Little 9.850
Kelly Parkinson
BARS
1. Leah Niepraschk 9.950*
2. Denice Pauga 9.925
3. Leah Niepraschk 9.900
Mindi Hilton 9.900
Denice Pauga 9.900
BEAM
1. Kim Little 9.925
2. Denice Pauga 9.900
3. Denice Pauga 9.875
Kelly Parkinson 9.875
FLOOR
1. Kelly Parkinson 9.950*
Kim Little 9.950*
2. Marisa Cosgrave 9.900
Kim Little 9.900
Kelly Parkinson 9.900
Denice Pauga 9.900
ALL-AROUND
1. Kelly Parkinson 39.550*
2. Kelly Parkinson 39.475
3. Kim Little 39.400
BYU Team Season Highs
Vault 49.050*
Bars 49.425*
Beam 49.000
Floor 49.375
Total 196.525*
BYU Team All-Time Records
Vault 49.050
Bars 49.425
Beam 49.150
Floor 49.500
TOTAL 196.525
BYU's 2000 SEASON
MEET-BY-MEET SCORES
Oregon State 1/14/00
Vault 48.500
Bars 48.400
Beam 45.650
Floor 48.825
TOTAL 191.375
Rocky Mountain Open 1/20/00
Vault 48.550
Bars 48.975
Beam 47.950
Floor 48.000
TOTAL 193.475
Iowa State 1/28/00
Vault 47.925
Bars 48.600
Beam 48.600
Floor 49.050
TOTAL 194.175
University of Utah 2/4/00
Vault 48.750
Bars 48.900
Beam 48.825
Floor 49.325
TOTAL 195.800
Utah State 2/11/00
Vault 48.850
Bars 48.800
Beam 48.825
Floor 48.975
TOTAL 195.450
Stanford 2/21/00
Vault 48.600
Bars 49.275
Beam 48.875
Floor 48.675
TOTAL 195.425
Utah State 2/24/00
Vault 48.750
Bars 49.400
Beam 48.500
Floor 48.950
TOTAL 195.600
Southern Utah 2/29/00
Vault 48.750
Bars 48.275
Beam 48.300
Floor 48.925
TOTAL 194.250
Shanico Invitational 3/3/00
Vault 49.050
Bars 49.000
Beam 47.800
Floor 49.125
TOTAL 194.975
Southern Utah 3/10/00
Vault 48.900
Bars 49.425
Beam 48.850
Floor 49.350
TOTAL 196.525
Nebraska 3/13/00
Vault 48.500
Bars 48.325
Beam 48.475
Floor 49.025
TOTAL 194.325
Utah 3/18/00
Vault 49.000
Bars 48.275
Beam 49.000
Floor 49.375
TOTAL 195.650
BYU's 2000 SEASON
MEET-BY-MEET RECAP
BYU Loses First Meet Of Season To Oregon State
PROVO -- The BYU women's gymnastics team lost its first meet of the season to No. 12 Oregon State 191.500 to 191.375 Friday in front of 1,542 fans in the Marriott Center in Provo.
The Cougars started the meet by jumping ahead of the Beavers 96.900 to 95.100 after two rotations. But the Cougars scored a 45.650 on the beam opening the door for Oregon State to take the victory.
The meet also marked the return of Cougars senior Denice Pauga. Pauga missed the 1999 season because of a broken hand suffered in a preseason workout. But there was little sign of rust as she won the all-around title with a score of 38.900 finishing just ahead of Oregon State's Annie Campbell (38.700) and fellow-Cougar Kim Little (38.225). Pauga also won the floor exercise with a 9.85.
Joining Pauga with a win was sophomore Kelly Parkinson who won the vault with a score of 9.875. BYU senior Leak Niepraschk tied finished the uneven bars tied with Oregon State's Stephanie Bychowski at 9.80. Bychowski and her teammate Tiffani White
tied for the win on bars with a 9.75.
BYU Places Second At Rocky Mountain Open
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Led by sophomore Kelly Parkinson, the BYU women's gymnastics team finished second in the team competition of the Rocky Mountain Open held Saturday at the Air Force Academy.
Parkinson scored a 39.175 in the all-around competition, finishing just .025 points behind winner Jennifer Ebdon from the University of Denver. The University of Denver won the team competition with a score of 194.300. BYU came in second with a score of 193.475 and Air Force and CS-Sacramento finished with scores of 189.800 and 188.725, respectively.
Finishing behind Ebdon and Parkinson in the all-around were Jennifer White (38.925) and Melanie Schiff (38.625) both from the University of Denver.
Besides her impressive showing in the all-around, Parkinson also won the floor exercise with a 9.800. She was in the top five in every event except the balance beam.
Junior Kim Little and senior Denice Pauga also finished sixth and seventh in the all-around with scores of 38.425 and 38.250, respectively. Pauga also tied for the win on the uneven bars with a score of 9.925.
BYU Women's Gymnastics Team Defeats Iowa State In Dual Meet
AMES -- Led by a strong effort by the balance beam team, the BYU women's gymnastics team defeated Iowa State 194.175 to 193.975 in a dual meet at Iowa State Friday.
The Cougars had an impressive performance on the balance beam hitting all six routines for a score of 48.600. BYU was led on the beam by senior Denice Pauga with a 9.850.
Iowa State led after two rotations, 97.950 to 96.525, but with the strong showing on beam and a 49.050 score on the floor exercise, the Cougars pulled off the victory.
Iowa State's Betsy Hamm won the all-around with a score of 39.225. Kelly Parkinson was second in the all-around with a 39.175 score and Pauga finished with 39.050.
Parkinson led the Cougars on vault and on the floor, scoring 9.850 and 9.875, respectively. Pauga led the Cougars on the uneven bars as well as the beam.
Cougars Nearly End Utah's 20-Year Winning Streak
SALT LAKE -- Despite giving Utah its closest regular season meet in the past 20 years, BYU's No. 20-ranked women's gymnastics team lost to 4th-ranked Utah, 196.300-195.800, in the Huntsman Center Friday night.
With the win, Utah has won 154 straight regular season meets since last losing in 1979 to Cal-State Fullerton. BYU received its highest score of the season while forcing the Utes to come from behind during the final rotation.
The Cougars were steady in the first two rotations, scoring 48.900 on bars and 48.750 on vault. After scoring a 49.325 on the floor, the Cougars took a 146.975-146.775 advantage into the final rotation but could not hold on despite scoring a 48.825 on balance beam as the Utes delivered one great performance after the other for a 49.525 on floor.
Utah's Deidra Graham won the all-around with a 39.550 and the Utes Denise Jones finished second with a 39.450. BYU's Kim Little and Jeni Thomas placed third and fourth at 39.150 and 38.975, respectively.
Aggies Edge Cougars in Women's Gymnastics
LOGAN, Utah -- BYU's women's gymnastics team scored well for the second straight meet but again fell just shy of victory against an in-state foe as Utah State edged the Cougars, 195.550-195.450, in front of more than 2,500 fans in Logan.
The Cougars, who moved from 20th to 14th in the rankings after a 196.300-195.800 loss at Utah last week, scored over 195 for the third time this season after only surpassing the score twice all of last year. The Cougars lost both meets to Utah State last season.
Like last week's meet at Utah, where the Cougars led after the third rotation only to be edged out in the end, BYU again competed well only to lose a third-rotation advantage to some good floor scores by the Aggies. BYU was consistent and did not score below a 48.800 in any rotation as Coach Brad Cattermole's squad tallied a 48.800 on bars, 48.850 on vault, 48.975 on floor and a 48.825 on beam. It was not enough, however, as Utah State was able to ride the momentum of the home crowd and comeback for the win with the best score of the night -- a 49.100 on the floor exercise -- to close out the meet. The Aggies also received scores of 48.675 on vault, 49.050 on bars and 48.725 on beam.
BYU's Kim Little (39.275) and Kelly Parkinson (39.250 placed 2nd and 3rd in the all-around. Event winners included Little on floor (9.875) and beam (9.925), and Little and Parkinson on vault (9.850).
BYU Women's Gymnastics Loses To No. 9 Stanford
PALO ALTO -- Despite a strong all-around performance by sophomore Kelly Parkinson, the 12th-ranked BYU women's gymnastics team fell to No. 9 Stanford 197.050 to 195.425 in a dual meet Monday.
Parkinson scored a season-high 39.475 in the all-around to place second behind Stanford's Larissa Fontaine. Fontaine, who is currently 7th in the nation with a 39.392 all-around average, finished the meet with a 39.825. Fontaine also scored a perfect 10.0 on the floor exercise.
Fontaine won every individual event, but the Cougars had several gymnasts finish second. Parkinson and junior Kim Little finished tied for second on the vault with a 9.825 and senior Denice Pauga also finished second on the uneven bars.
Parkinson also finished third in three events including the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Marisa Cosgrave and Parkinson each scored season-highs of 9.900 on the floor in helping the Cougars reach the 195 mark for the third consecutive meet.
BYU Women's Gymnastics Defeats Utah State In Dual Meet
PROVO -- Led by an outstanding performance by senior Denice Pauga, the BYU women's gymnastics team defeated Utah State 195.600 to 194.250 in a dual meet Thursday at the Smith Fieldhouse.
Pauga, a senior from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, finished the night with a career-high all-around score of 39.325. BYU sophomore Kelly Parkinson finished the night with an all-around score of 39.275 to end the night just behind Pauga.
Another highlight of the night was in uneven bars where BYU senior Leah Niepraschk tied a school-record by scoring a 9.950. She scored a 9.950 last season at the Cat Classic in Missouri and is one of only four gymnasts in BYU history to score that high on the bars.
BYU Loses at Southern Utah
CEDAR CITY -- Despite having the individual event winner in all four events, BYU lost to Southern Utah 194.425 - 194.250 in Cedar City.
Cougar sophomore Kelly Parkinson won the vault and tied for the win on bars and the floor. BYU senior Denice Pauga won beam with a score of 9.850.
Parkinson finished second in the all-around competition with a score of 38.900. Southern Utah's Caycee Overstreet finished the night with a score of 38.950. Pauga finished fourth with a 38.750.
The match with the Thunderbirds was the first match since Jan. 28 that the Cougars didn't score over 195. They scored a season-high 195.800 Feb. 4 at Utah.
BYU senior Leah Niepraschk continued her success on the uneven bars by scoring a 9.875 to tie with Parkinson for the event title.
BYU Women's Gymnastics Finishes Third In Shanico Invitational
CORVALLIS -- In a four-team meet that included three teams in the top 25, the No. 10 BYU women's gymnastics team finished third behind host Oregon State and No. 5 Nebraska in the Shanico Invitational held Friday in Corvallis, Ore.
Oregon State, ranked 24th in the country, won the meet with a score of 196.975 while the Husker scored a 196.800. The Cougars finished third with a score of 194.975. Seattle Pacific, a Division II team, finished fourth with a team score of 188.875.
The Cougars were led by senior Denice Pauga and sophomore Kelly Parkinson. Pauga finished the night third in the all-around competition, scoring a 39.300. Parkinson, who tied a BYU all-around record earlier in the season, finished the night with a score of 39.150 to finish fifth in the all-around.
The meet saw thirteen scores of 9.900 or higher, including two scores of 9.900 for Parkinson, one on vault and one for the floor exercise. Nebraska's Heather Brink, the all-around winner with a 39.550, had 9.950 scores in both vault and floor.
BYU Women's Gymnastics Team Sets All-Time Record In Win Over Southern Utah
PROVO -- Led by a record performance in the all-around by sophomore Kelly Parkinson, the BYU women's gymnastics team set a school record for team score, defeating Southern Utah 196.525 to 193.750 Friday in the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo.
The Cougars broke the old team record of 196.375 that was set in 1997 in a home meet against Utah without the services of senior co-captain Denice Pauga who was out of the lineup due to a sore neck.
Parkinson broke the all-around record of 39.475 that she tied earlier this season by finishing with an all-around score of 39.550. Her lowest score on the night was a 9.825 which she scored on the balance beam. She scored a 9.950 on the floor to tie teammate Kim Little for the event title.
On uneven bars, the Cougars set a team record by scoring a 49.425. BYU didn't count a score lower than a 9.875 in uneven bars.
The Thunderbirds were led by Suzi Clark and Caycee Overstreet. Each finished the night with an all-around score of 38.900. Heather Slack also won the balance beam competition for Southern Utah with a score of 9.875.
BYU Loses To No. 5 Nebraska In Last Regular Season Road Meet
LINCOLN -- In its last road meet of the season until regionals, the BYU women's gymnastics team lost to No. 5 Nebraska 196.775 to 194.325 in a dual meet Monday in Lincoln.
The Huskers finished the night with winners in every event. Amy Ringo won the all-around with a score of 39.225. BYU sophomore Kelly Parkinson led the Cougars with an all-around score of 38.175 to finish third.
Nebraska's Heather Brink had the high event score of the night, scoring a perfect 10.00 on the vault to win the event. Parkinson finished tied for third on vault with a score of 9.800.
Senior Leah Niepraschk and sophomore Mindi Hilton tied for fourth on the uneven bars with a score of 9.825. On the floor exercise Parkinson and junior Kim Little tied for fourth with a score of 9.875.
The Cougars will host their final meet of the season Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center. They will host a three-team meet with Southern Utah and the University of Utah. It will be the third time the Cougars have competed with the Thunderbirds and the second with the Utes.
BYU Places Second In Three-Team Meet
PROVO -- Led by a career-high performance by junior Kim Little, the No. 11 BYU women's gymnastics team placed second in the a three-team meet with a team score of 195.650. Utah won the meet with a season-high score of 197.200 and Southern Utah placed third with a score of 193.300.
Little, who suffered a thumb injury Friday during practice, was questionable for the meet but finished with a career-high all-around score of 39.400.
Little also tied a personal best 9.875 on the uneven bars, despite having to start over because of a loose cable on the bars that forced her stop. She scored the 9.875 after starting over at the end of the lineup. Little was also the only event winner for the Cougars by scoring a 9.950 on the floor exercise to win the event.
Sophomore Kelly Parkinson, who set the all-around school record of 39.550 a week ago, had another strong meet, scoring a 39.375 in the all-around. She tied for third on the floor with a 9.900.
Utah's Deidra Graham won the all-around with a score of 39.575. Caycee Overstreet finished with a 38.975 to lead the Thunderbirds.
