Temple University Athletics
Senior Nina Oteri
Highlights From Women's Gymnastics Intrasquad Meet
12.14.09 | Women's Gymnastics
2010 squad offers a preview of their potential
PHILADELPHIA – The Temple University women's gymnastics team hosted its first of two official intrasquad competitions on Saturday, Dec 12, 2009 inside the training gym at Pearson Hall. The team split into two, with the Cherry team facing the White team in a friendly head-to-head competition, and allowed for this young squad to show fourth-year head coach Aaron Murphy and third-year assistant Caitlin Council their readiness at this point of the preseason. From the looks of the afternoon competition, the Owls are ready to mirror the 2009 record-breaking season.
The afternoon started on the vault, with the Owls showing a nice variety of vaults, including sophomore Lexi Uscatu's handspring front-pike; layout Yurchenkos from freshman Jean Alban and sophomore Corrine Williams; powerful handspring front-tucks from sophomore Lexi Ahrem, freshman Brittany Clark, and junior co-captain Marissa Oxenford. Sophomore Kaity Watson—returning USAG all-American on vault from 2009—showed an excellent Yurchenko layout-half, a vault that should score big with its 10.0 start value.
On the uneven bars, junior co-captain Kathryn Ho swung a smooth giant-blind, front giant-half to bail handstand and finished with a nice giant-full to double tuck dismount. Watson maneuvered through a tricky giant-full, giant-blind, piked jaeger combo; senior Danielle Viens performed a healy-straddle back but missed the planned toe-shoot to high bar connection before showing a good fight when her giant-full didn't go over the top before her double tuck dismount. Danielle's younger sister Kirstie—a junior transfer from Louisiana State University—swung an aggressive giant-full, giant-half, bail handstand combo. Senior Nina Oteri was her usual clean self with a bail-handstand that landed straight on top of the bar, en route to a nice free-hip to split handstand toe-on front tuck dismount. Clark caught her piked jaeger and landed a trick double tuck half-out dismount.
Two gymnasts on the comeback trail—junior Chelsea Troutman and freshman Ebony Grant—caught difficult Pak saltos to highlight their routines. Troutman has long been touted as a major score contributor to the team, but untimely injuries during her first two seasons have caused her to see limited action in the lineup. Grant, who is coming off of an ACL tear in her knee, has been cleared to train and is coming along quite nicely according to the coaching staff.
One of the keys to the Cherry and White's success in 2009 was the aggressive manner in which the team attacked the balance beam, often a make it or break it event in women's gymnastics. While there were a couple of mistakes here and there, this team appears to work the apparatus with the consistency of last year, showing major improvements on form and completing tricky jump combinations with no question of body position and connections.
Leading off the event was Watson, who nailed a back handspring-layout stepout; switch-leap to gainer back handspring and swing through front-full off of the side. Alban connected her back tuck out of a switch-leap; nailed a back handspring-layout; straddle jump –straddle ¾, and roundoff 1.5 dismount.
Freshman Meg Walch stuck a front-tuck mount; Ho performed a nice back handspring-layout stepout and cat leap to switch straddle side jump. Kirstie Viens showed excellent position during her split-full and switch-leap to split ¾ jumps before nailing a front-full dismount. Williams—a virtual rock on balance beam during the 2009 season—did not let a fall on a switch-leap, straddle-half, standing layout stepout get in the way of her back handspring-layout and stuck double-full dismount. Oteri rounded out the field with a picture perfect routine; highlighted by her back handspring-back handspring-layout combo; switch leap to wolf-full and stuck rudi dismount.
Heading into the final event of the afternoon, the floor exercise, the Owls showed no signs of fatigue, and proved this by hitting routines packed with difficult tumbling and combinations. Alban showed a stylish routine highlighted by a clean back 2.5 mount; switch-ring leap to tour-jete half; front layout to front-full and 1.5 punch front layout dismount. Oxenford mounted with a clean double tuck and stuck a nice whip-half to front-full dismount. Walch opened with a nicely rotated front double-full; Clark tumbled a sky-high double pike mount to set up Kirstie Viens' difficult routine highlighted by a double tuck second pass. Kirstie will have to wait until the 2011 season to compete due to NCAA regulations for transferred athletes, but if her training continues at the pace its at during this preaseaon, she should be a force to reckon with in the competitive ECAC conference.
Closing out the afternoon was Oteri, who tumbled a huge double tuck opening pass and rudi dismount; and 2009 second team USAG All-American on floor exercise, Corrine Williams, who nailed her opening 2.5 punch front mount.
The women's gymnastics team will host one more intrasquad to prepare for the 2010 season on Saturday, January 9 at 1:00 pm prior to their Friday, January 15 opener at the University of Maryland. The Owls will be well into the season before hosting the first of two home meets inside McGonigle Hall, The Liberty Classic on Saturday, February 6.
The afternoon started on the vault, with the Owls showing a nice variety of vaults, including sophomore Lexi Uscatu's handspring front-pike; layout Yurchenkos from freshman Jean Alban and sophomore Corrine Williams; powerful handspring front-tucks from sophomore Lexi Ahrem, freshman Brittany Clark, and junior co-captain Marissa Oxenford. Sophomore Kaity Watson—returning USAG all-American on vault from 2009—showed an excellent Yurchenko layout-half, a vault that should score big with its 10.0 start value.
On the uneven bars, junior co-captain Kathryn Ho swung a smooth giant-blind, front giant-half to bail handstand and finished with a nice giant-full to double tuck dismount. Watson maneuvered through a tricky giant-full, giant-blind, piked jaeger combo; senior Danielle Viens performed a healy-straddle back but missed the planned toe-shoot to high bar connection before showing a good fight when her giant-full didn't go over the top before her double tuck dismount. Danielle's younger sister Kirstie—a junior transfer from Louisiana State University—swung an aggressive giant-full, giant-half, bail handstand combo. Senior Nina Oteri was her usual clean self with a bail-handstand that landed straight on top of the bar, en route to a nice free-hip to split handstand toe-on front tuck dismount. Clark caught her piked jaeger and landed a trick double tuck half-out dismount.
Two gymnasts on the comeback trail—junior Chelsea Troutman and freshman Ebony Grant—caught difficult Pak saltos to highlight their routines. Troutman has long been touted as a major score contributor to the team, but untimely injuries during her first two seasons have caused her to see limited action in the lineup. Grant, who is coming off of an ACL tear in her knee, has been cleared to train and is coming along quite nicely according to the coaching staff.
One of the keys to the Cherry and White's success in 2009 was the aggressive manner in which the team attacked the balance beam, often a make it or break it event in women's gymnastics. While there were a couple of mistakes here and there, this team appears to work the apparatus with the consistency of last year, showing major improvements on form and completing tricky jump combinations with no question of body position and connections.
Leading off the event was Watson, who nailed a back handspring-layout stepout; switch-leap to gainer back handspring and swing through front-full off of the side. Alban connected her back tuck out of a switch-leap; nailed a back handspring-layout; straddle jump –straddle ¾, and roundoff 1.5 dismount.
Freshman Meg Walch stuck a front-tuck mount; Ho performed a nice back handspring-layout stepout and cat leap to switch straddle side jump. Kirstie Viens showed excellent position during her split-full and switch-leap to split ¾ jumps before nailing a front-full dismount. Williams—a virtual rock on balance beam during the 2009 season—did not let a fall on a switch-leap, straddle-half, standing layout stepout get in the way of her back handspring-layout and stuck double-full dismount. Oteri rounded out the field with a picture perfect routine; highlighted by her back handspring-back handspring-layout combo; switch leap to wolf-full and stuck rudi dismount.
Heading into the final event of the afternoon, the floor exercise, the Owls showed no signs of fatigue, and proved this by hitting routines packed with difficult tumbling and combinations. Alban showed a stylish routine highlighted by a clean back 2.5 mount; switch-ring leap to tour-jete half; front layout to front-full and 1.5 punch front layout dismount. Oxenford mounted with a clean double tuck and stuck a nice whip-half to front-full dismount. Walch opened with a nicely rotated front double-full; Clark tumbled a sky-high double pike mount to set up Kirstie Viens' difficult routine highlighted by a double tuck second pass. Kirstie will have to wait until the 2011 season to compete due to NCAA regulations for transferred athletes, but if her training continues at the pace its at during this preaseaon, she should be a force to reckon with in the competitive ECAC conference.
Closing out the afternoon was Oteri, who tumbled a huge double tuck opening pass and rudi dismount; and 2009 second team USAG All-American on floor exercise, Corrine Williams, who nailed her opening 2.5 punch front mount.
The women's gymnastics team will host one more intrasquad to prepare for the 2010 season on Saturday, January 9 at 1:00 pm prior to their Friday, January 15 opener at the University of Maryland. The Owls will be well into the season before hosting the first of two home meets inside McGonigle Hall, The Liberty Classic on Saturday, February 6.
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