BYU Women's Gymnastics Set to Compete Saturday at NCAA Regional in Georgia

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.