Raise their rank; Three victories in a row for the Oregon State gymnastics team, as the No. 14 Beavers take down San Jose at Gill Coliseum, 197.500 to 192.850, on Friday night.
”It’s exciting, as coaches it’s getting to watch their potential they have,” said head coach Tanya Chaplin, “they have worked hard to stay close together, and it is now down to helping them get their fit.”
Fresh off a home win, 196.400 to 194.200 against BYU, the Beavers returned to a roaring Gill Coliseum, to take on the San Jose Spartans.
To start the meet on vault, the Beavers came out to impress with a highlight performance by Sophia Esposito, coming oh so close to a perfect 10 with a 9.925 score.
“I knew it was better than last week, but I didn’t know it was that much better,” said Esposito.
With the Beavers’ best efforts to take the lead, two gymnasts came down with at least a 9.775 score. The Beavers took a one-point lead with the Spartans keeping it close with a score of 49.275 to 48.500, OSU ahead.
Moving over to bars, the Beavers had an impressive run, with five 9.825 or greater scores in a row. Francesca Caso and Natalie Briones with 9.825, while Taylor Devries, Jennifer McMillian, and Sage Thompson with 9.850. Alas, Jade Carey furthered her legacy with a perfect 10 off the bars from one judge, securing a 9.975.
“Of course, we all wanna get a 10, but it’s important that we improve every week,” said Carey.
After wrapping up beam, OSU led with a score of 98.625 to 96.900. Lauren Letzsch and Jennifer McMillan put high numbers on the board for the Beavers, both being an inch away from a 10 with a 9.900 score. Another rotation for the Beavers with an average of at least a 9.800 score for their competing gymnasts.
“All we can control is the routines we put out there, but we have to focus in on our routines, and not get caught up in the scores, so when we get to the postseason, we can push all the way,” said Chaplin.
To round their meet on the floor, OSU would pull away with a dominating finish to their night at Gill. The final score of 197.500 to 192.850, setting the Beavers’ season-high overall score.
“They were really aggressive in their attack, you see what you see in the gym,” said Chaplin, “we are just gonna keep climbing each week.”
OSU will return to Gill Coliseum at the start of February, with their next meet being on Friday, February 7 against the University of California at Davis and the University of Alaska Anchorage.