Gymnastics loses regular season finale

Julian Perez

The Sacramento State gymnastics team put forth its second-best performance of the season on Friday, but it was not enough to keep pace with the UC Davis or California.

The Hornets finished with a score of 195.425, but the Golden Bears and Aggies both turned in season high scores with 197.500 and 196.025, respectively.

Cal swept the individual event titles and finished with a school record total score. UC Davis scored their highest meet of the season, surpassing the 196.000 mark for just the third time in school history.

“Cal has been climbing the national ranks all year,” said Sac State head coach Randy Solorio. “Davis hit all of their routines. They’re pretty deep, plus being home gives them a little more comfort. We just weren’t able to finish tonight like I know we can.”

The Hornets started the night on bars, and were able to score a very solid 48.950, a mark that matches their second best of the season, but it still left them behind both the Aggies and the Golden Bears.

The Hornets then moved to the balance beam, where they scored 48.800, behind a career-high, tying 9.850 by sophomore Lauren Rice.

The third rotation took the Hornets to their strongest event, the floor, where they scored 49.225, their second best of the season. That score put them ahead of the Aggies for second place heading into the final rotation, 146.975-146.825.

However, Sac State was let down by a 48.450 on vault, its second lowest score of the season in the event. That mark was surpassed by the Aggies’ season best, 49.200 in the floor exercises, pushing them ahead of the Hornets in the end.

“It was just a mental let-up,” Solorio said. “That’s all it can be because we obviously have the ability and skills.”

Although the Hornets were not able to win the meet, they did finish with the top three all-around gymnasts, with Rice finishing first overall for the second time this season, junior Julia Konner finishing second, and senior Kalliah McCartney in third.

Friday’s meet was the regular season finale for the Hornets, with their next meet being the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships, which they will be hosting at the Nest on Saturday, March 19.

Solorio said he is confident the Hornets can put this meet behind them and focus on improving going into the MPSF championships, which will pit the Hornets against the Aggies for the fourth time this season.

“We’re not going to change too much coming up to this week of training,” Solorio said. “We’re just going to have to be a little more mentally tough. Obviously, being at home is going to give us a big advantage. Comfort is a pretty powerful thing.”