Gymnastics gets win over Stanford on senior night

Oregon+State+senior+gymnasts+Kaitlyn+Yanish%2C+Alexa+McClung%2C+and+Colette+Yamaoka+%28left+to+right%29+posing+for+a+photo+on+senior+night+in+Corvallis%2C+OR%2C+on+February+25%2C+2022.+The+Oregon+State+Beavers+won+the+meet+against+the+Stanford+Cardinal+by+a+score+of+197.225-195.05.

Kayla Jones

Oregon State senior gymnasts Kaitlyn Yanish, Alexa McClung, and Colette Yamaoka (left to right) posing for a photo on senior night in Corvallis, OR, on February 25, 2022. The Oregon State Beavers won the meet against the Stanford Cardinal by a score of 197.225-195.05.

Oregon State gymnastics’ three seniors, Colette Yamaoka, Kaitlyn Yanish, and Alexa McClung, took the floor at Gill for the last time in their collegiate career.

McClung was finally able to perform a floor routine that she had been working on for four years. She said that she was, “extremely grateful for the opportunity that I was given tonight.”

McClung also said that she felt, “the family atmosphere that we’ve created here is absolutely amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

A sentiment echoed by the other seniors and teammate Jade Carey who said that she has learned a lot from the seniors this year.

“I haven’t really had a team growing up so they’ve really taken me and shown me what it means to have a team and have a family,” Carey said

“We spend our whole day in a gym together so we go through the highs and lows with each other and we’re always there to support each other and lift each other up,” said Yamaoka.

Kaitlyn Yanish scored a 9.950 on her last floor routine inside GIll Coliseum. And afterwards, she was overcome with emotion, hugging her teammates and her coaches around her. But with it being her last time, Yanish was just focusing on savoring the moment.

“I was so focused on soaking up every moment I didn’t really have time to be nervous,” Yanish said. “That was probably the most relaxed I’ve felt before a floor routine before and it worked out pretty well.”

Even though it was their last night in Gill, the Beavers have a lot more opportunities ahead of them for success.

“We’re not leaving, we still have more work to do,” Yanish said.

Yamaoka was impressed with her team’s performance bode well for the upcoming weeks. “Just knowing that we can score that well when we do make mistakes is really promising,” she said.

Oregon State has their last conference dual meet versus the Arizona Wildcats, followed by a tri-meet in Denver, and then it is on to the PAC-12 Championships in Salt Lake City.

Yanish said she is ready for the rest of the season.“I think I’m more excited than anything to get the rest of the job done here,” she said.

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