Boise State's gymnastics team
captured their second consecutive Western Athletic Conference championship
tonight in Sacramento, California, and they did it in style. The #23
Broncos posted the seventh-highest team score in school history (196.525) to
finish 1.175 points ahead of their closest competitor.
WAC Co-Head Coaches of the Year
Tina Bird and Neil Resnick led their group to wins on vault, bars and beam on
the way to the trophy tonight as the Broncos improved to 20-5 on the season.
Host Sacramento State finished
second with a score of 195.350, Southern Utah was third (195.175), San Jose State took fourth (194.875), Cal State-Fullerton was fifth with a total of
192.975 and Utah State rounded out the field with a score of 192.425.
“We
are so very proud of this team and the rest of our team back home who pushed us
along the way,” exclaimed co-head coach Bird. “It all just came together
tonight and the feeling is magical!”
Boise State was spectacular on uneven bars (49.100) and beam (49.075),
recording season-best performances on both. The Broncos put together a
49.300 on vault, behind only their vault performance from last week on the
all-time school list. The Lady Broncos finished over 49 on all
apparatuses, posting a 49.050 on floor.
“Last
year we backed into a win at WAC Championships with a poor performance on the
beam,” said co-head coach Resnick. “This year we completely dominated that
event, earning a season-high and sealing our second-consecutive WAC title.”
Shaniece Craft notched her second career WAC title on vault with a
career-high 9.925. That puts Craft in a tie for sixth in all-time vault
wins with nine and ranks her seventh all-time for vault scores. It also
upheld the strong Bronco tradition in the event; the 13th consecutive vault
title for Boise State.
Kelsey
Lang won the conference title on beam with a super 9.950, which tied the
conference championship record. That score ranks her fourth-best on the
beam in school history and is the ninth straight conference beam title for the
Broncos.
The Broncos began their first rotation on the floor. Sophomores
Hannah Redmon and Sarah Smith joined Craft and Lang on the All-WAC team with
second place finishes (9.875). Lang put together a solid routine of 9.825.
Freshman
Chelsee Apple finished right behind Craft on the vault (9.90) while Redmon
vaulted to a 9.850 and Yvette Leizorek tied a career best with a 9.825.
Redmon
and sophomore Mallory Dziawura tied for second on the uneven bars with 9.875's.
Katie Tuller tied her career best of 9.825 when it mattered the most to aid the
team victory for Boise State.
Dziawura shattered her career best on beam with a 9.90 to tie for second
and also earn a position on the All-WAC team. Lindsay Kazandjian had
a solid 9.825.
In
their final rotation, the Broncos knew they needed a steady performance to
maintain their pace for a season-best score. A pair of sophomores did more than
that with Dziawura competing in the No. 3 spot for the Broncos and posting a
9.90, shattering her career-best by .075. Dziawura set the bar high, however,
Lang was able to surpass, improving her career-best by .050 to earn the event
title. Dziawura earned sole possession of the second-place spot with her
career-best score as well as her second First-Team All-WAC honor. Kazandjian
earned her first career Second-Team All-WAC honor with her tie for fifth-place
and a 9.825 score. Smith and Jacob tied for 18th-place with their
9.70 scores while Neroes earned a 9.650 to tie for 21st-place on
beam.
Sacramento
State
’s Amber Basgall won the
WAC title on uneven bars with a 9.90, while Thomasina Wallace of San Jose State
was the floor champion, also with a 9.90. Southern Utah's talented Elise
Wheeler won the all-around championships with a 39.325.
Boise
State
improves their Regional
Qualifying score from a 195.215 to a 195.590, which would have ranked them No.
17 in the most recent GymInfo.com poll released on Mar. 16. They now try to
finally clear the wall that is making the NCAA National Championships. To
achieve that goal, Boise State will have to finish at least second in the
Regional on April 4th.
The gymnastics championship also moved
Boise State into a tie for second in the nation in conference
championships with four. Boise State won the WAC title in football and
men's indoor track and also dominated the Pac-10 Conference Championship in
wrestling. BYU (men's cross country, men's indoor track, women's indoor
track, women's soccer and women's swimming) leads with five. Maryland
(field hockey, men's soccer, wrestling and women's basketball),Texas (men's
swimming, men's indoor track, women's volleyball and women's swimming), Utah
(football, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball) and Connecticut
(men's indoor track, women's indoor track, men's basketball and women's
basketball) also have four to join the Broncos in a tie for #2 in the
country.
Minnesota (women's cross country and men's and women's indoor track), Notre Dame
(men's swimming, women's swimming and women's soccer), (Florida State (women's
cross country and men's and women's indoor track), Florida (football,
women's volleyball and women's swimming) and Virginia (men's cross country,
men's swimming and women's swimming) all have three.
The Lady Broncos also pushed Boise State
back to the top of the race for the WAC Commissioner's Cup. Boise State
now has 57.25 points to 54.75 for Utah State. Nevada is in third with
49.75, followed by Idaho (42.00), Fresno State (36.75), Hawai'i (35.75),
Louisiana Tech (35.50), New Mexico State (35.25) and San Jose State with 32.00
points.
The
Lady Broncos also pushed Boise State back to the top of the race for the WAC
Commissioner's Cup. Boise State now has 57.25 points to 54.75 for Utah
State. Nevada is in third with 49.75, followed by Idaho (42.00), Fresno
State (36.75), Hawai'i (35.75), Louisiana Tech (35.50), New Mexico State (35.25)
and San Jose State with 32.00 points.
First-Team
All-WAC:
Chelsee
Apple – Vault
Shaniece
Craft – Vault
Mallory
Dziawura – Bars, Beam
Kelsey
Lang – Beam
Hannah
Redmon – Bars, Floor
Sarah
Smith – Floor
Second-Team
All-WAC:
Lindsay
Kazandjian – Beam
Hannah
Redmon – Vault
Katie
Tuller – Bars
WAC
Co-Head Coaches of the Year:
Neil
Resnick and Tina Bird
WAC
Event Champions:
Shaniece
Craft – Vault
Kelsey
Lang - Beam