Aggie Gymnasts Rank 24 in the Nation

THIS WEEK - No. 24 Utah State gymnastics (8-9) hosts its final home meet of the season on Friday, March 14. The Aggies take on NC State at 7 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. USU will honor its 2003 seniors following the meet.

NEXT WEEK - The Aggies travel to No. 16 Ohio State for a 5 p.m. MST meet on March 22. Ohio State defeated USU in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Feb. 28, 196.375-195.275.

LOOKING AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE - North Carolina State (15-4) has an RQS of 194.670 and an average score of 194.892. The Wolfpack posted its highest score of the season on March 7, 196.200, in its final home meet of 2003. The team also scored a season-high 48.900 on vault. USU is 0-1 against NC State, with the teams' first-ever meeting coming on Feb. 14 in Raleigh, N.C. The Wolfpack won that meet, 195.575, while USU was second (194.350) and William and Mary and Rhode Island took third and fourth.

USU RANKED 24TH - Going into Monday's meet with Southern Utah and No. 25 Central Michigan, USU's regional qualifying score (RQS) stood at 195.20, up 0.47 from last week. The Aggies moved from No. 27 to No. 24 nationally. Following Monday's meet, USU's RQS stands at 195.30, which would move it to 23rd.

RQS EXPLAINED - The regional qualifying score (RQS) is the factor by which teams are invited to the NCAA Regional competition. To figure the RQS, take the team's top six scores, three of which must be from away meets. Throw out the high score and average the remaining five.

SPECTRUM, SWEET SPECTRUM - USU is averaging 195.710 at home through its first four meets of the year. The Aggies' lowest home score is 195.275, which came against Ohio State on Feb. 28.

ABOVE-AVERAGE ALL-AROUND - In 25 years of gymnastics at USU, just Christy Denson ended the season with an all-around average better than 39.00 (1999). Were the 2003 season to end today, all three all-arounders, Meagan Nelson, Nicole Kilpatrick and Jessica Parenti, would end the year with all-around averages better than 39.00. Nelson stands at 39.220, Kilpatrick has 39.138 and Parenti is at 39.036.

NELSON TIES SEASON ALL-AROUND RECORD - Freshman Meagan Nelson has nine all-around scores better than 39.00 this season, tying the mark set by Christy Denson in 2000. Additionally, Nelson is the first gymnast in Utah State history to score more than 39.00 in the all-around in seven consecutive meets.

TOPS IN THE WGC - USU is the only Western Gymnastics Conference team ranked among the top 30. Boise State is 32nd, Southern Utah is 37th and Cal State Fullerton is 40th this week.

ALL-AROUND STRENGTH - Utah State's all-around corps - Nicole Kilpatrick, Meagan Nelson and Jessica Parenti - has posted 27 combined all-around scores. All but five of those scores have bettered 39.00. The three have a combined all-around average of 39.131.

TOP 10 LISTS CHANGING RAPIDLY - In 2003, the Aggies have set 23 new scores on the USU all-time individual top scores lists, more than any other single year in history. USU has nine scores on the vault list, improving upon 1997 when the team set three new scores. On bars USU added four scores in 2000 and 1999, respectively, as opposed to the five this season. On beam, Utah State has put four four scores on the list this season; in 1997, the team added five top 10s.

NELSON, KILPATRICK TOP 40 NATIONALLY... - Meagan Nelson and Nicole Kilpatrick are 30th and 37th, respectively, in the national all-around rankings.

...AND TOP 10 AT USU - The freshman-senior all-around duo has also claimed six of the top 10 all-around scores in USU history this season. Nelson (39.500, 39.350) and Kilpatrick (39.475, 39.375, 39.350, 39.325) join former Aggies Christy Denson (four spots) and Shannon Passe (one) on the list.

REGIONAL RANKINGS - The Aggies remained at seventh in the North Central region this week. USU's team bars is third, floor is sixth and vault and beam are seventh. All-arounders Meagan Nelson, Nicole Kilpatrick and Jessica Parenti are ranked sixth, ninth and 11th, respectively.

CONSISTENT TEAM BARS WORK - Utah State scored at least 49.025 on the bars in each meet from Feb. 7-28, the first time the Aggies have scored that well in the event in the last seven years. Additionally, USU has set the top two bars scores in history this season. Since 1996, USU put together consecutive team bars scores better than 49.000 just twice - in 1999 and 2000.

REGIONAL STRENGTH - Seven North Central region teams are ranked in the top 25, but just two - Utah (seventh) and Denver (13th) are among the top 18 in the nation. Minnesota (19), Iowa (20), Iowa State (21), BYU (22) and Utah State (24) are packed into the low end of the top 25.

BEST SCORES EVER - Never before has USU scored better than 195.00 seven times in a season. In both 1997 and 1999, the Aggies reached the 195.00 mark twice in their first eight meets, but it took at least 11 before they managed to post four. Last year, USU had just two team scores of 195.00 or better.

KILPATRICK STEADY ON FLOOR - Senior Nicole Kilpatrick hasn't scored below 9.80 on floor this season, and has been above 9.875 in the last four meets. In that span, she is averaging 9.913.

AGGIES REWRITING TEAM SCORE HISTORY - USU's 196.150 against Utah was its best home score ever, and is the second-best score in USU history, while the 195.925 set Feb. 21 against BYU is the fifth-highest score in history. The last time USU had two top-five scores was in 1997.

CMU/SUU RECAP - The meet's top three all-around performances led No. 24 Utah State to a win against Southern Utah and No. 25 Central Michigan Monday, three days after USU took fourth to SUU and CMU at Brigham Young. The Aggies scored 195.850, SUU was second (195.375) and the Chippewas were third (195.075). Freshman Meagan Nelson won her third all-around title of the season with a 39.35. Nicole Kilpatrick was second (39.325) and Jessica Parenti finished third (39.250). Nelson tied former Aggie Christy Denson with a school-record ninth all-around score better than 39.00 this season. Kilpatrick and Liesel Kohler (9.875) tied for the floor title, leading USU to 49.100 on the event. Rachel Ropelato set a career high with a 9.900 on vault, winning the event title. Nelson won the bars title (9.850).

HEAD COACH RAY CORN - Ray Corn (Northern Colorado '71) is in his 26th year as the Aggies' head coach. Corn's teams own a 349-220-2 regular-season meet record and have participated in postseason competition 24 times, including 17 straight trips to the NCAA Regionals. USU has competed at the national championship meet five times. Corn was named NCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1991, was honored as High Country Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times and selected Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2001. Corn's overall record, including postseason action, currently stands at 407-359-2. He's assisted by Mark Lee and Ernestine Russell.