Saturday, January 14
Columbus, OH
1:00 PM
University of Washington
at
Ohio State, Michigan, Kent State
Photo by Susie Boyland
GymDawgs Open Up 2017 Season with Ohio State Quad Meet
January 12, 2017 | Gymnastics
SEATTLE – UW gymnastics will begin its 2017 season on the road this Saturday, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m. PST in Columbus, Ohio as part of a quad meet against No. 22 Ohio State, No. 11 Michigan, and Kent State.
"Our girls have worked incredibly hard this pre-season, I couldn't be more proud of their grit, belief in a new coaching staff, and determination to find excellence," said first year head coach Elise Ray
The Huskies lost only one competing senior (Allison Northey) from the 2016 squad that finished in seventh place at the Pac-12 Championships and ended its season in Salt Lake City, Utah, finishing third at NCAA Regionals.
A new season brings new and old faces to Husky Gymnastics. Ray, after spending five seasons as an assistant coach at Washington, will begin her first season as the head coach for the UW gymnastics team on Saturday. Ray brings with her Caleb Phillips and Chad Wiest as her two assistant coaches. Phillips spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, while Wiest spent three years as an assistant at the University of Illinois. Ray and her staff are optimistic about the 2017 season, as the Huskies have added five newcomers and higher difficulty to go along with an offseason full of hard work and improvement.
"We are all thrilled to start competing," said Ray. "We're focused on one meet at a time, improving with each opportunity. We've prepared with many, many hours of training, so now it's time to start going after our goals, one competition at a time."
The GymDawgs are led by senior captains Alexandra Yacalis and Kaitlyn Duranczyk. Duranczyk, a two-time husky captain, was the Pac-12 Conference bars champion last season, scoring a 9.9 to lead all gymnasts. She was awarded Second-Team All-Pac-12 for bars, posting a total nine top-3 finishes on the event as the lineup anchor for the majority of the season. Yacalis was a mainstay on vault and floor all season long and posted a season-high 9.875 at NCAA Regionals.
"The vote was unanimous amongst the team and coaches for Kait and Alex to lead our team," said Ray "I am very fortunate to have these two amazing young ladies as captains my first year as head coach. They lead through example and through passion, they epitomize what it means to be a captain and a Husky."
Meet Information
UW vs. Ohio St., Michigan, and Kent State in Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. PST
Live Stream Video
UW vs. Ohio St. History
The Huskies and Buckeyes have squared off just twice before – once last season and the other in a seven-team meet at Oregon St. in 1982. Last year OSU outscored the UW 194.275 to 193.725. In 1982, the UW outscored OSU 140.250 to 138.350 as the GymDawgs took third overall.
Scouting the Buckeyes
The No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes return Kaitlyn Hofland, Alexis Mattern, and Jamie Stone, who received second team All-Big Ten honors last season. In total, the Buckeyes return 10 letter winners from a season ago. Ohio St. finished fifth in its regional with a score of 194.775, and tied for fifth at the Big-10 Championships with a 195.875. The Buckeyes season-high score in 2016 was a 196.350 at Rutgers w/ Yale.
UW vs. Michigan History
Washington has faced Michigan three times over the course of Washington gymnastics history, losing all three bouts. The last time the UW faced was in 2012 at the Masters Classic in Nebraska. In that meet, the No. 22 Wolverines upset the UW and placed second with a 195.825. The Huskies finished third with a 194.150.
Scouting the Wolverines
The Michigan gymnastics team comes into this week ranked No. 11 in the nation. In their first meet of the season, Michigan fell to No. 6 Utah with a score of 195.525 to 196.625. The Wolverines return 17 of the 24 routines from a year ago, but Michigan welcomes five freshman and one transfer to their 2017 roster. The Wolverines are led by senior captains Nicole Artz and Talia Chiarelli and head coach Bev Plocki (28th season).
UW vs. Kent State History
Washington has faced Kent State only once, competing against them in the 2003 season at the Nebraska Masters Classic. The GymDawgs went on to place second with a score of 194.850, while Kent State took fourth at 192.900.
Scouting the Golden Flashes
The Kent State gymnastics team is selected as the MAC favorite in the 2017 preseason coaches' poll, and come in ranked 32nd in the NACGC/W preseason coaches' poll. The Golden Flashes are led by junior Rachel Stypinski, the reigning MAC Gymnast of the year, and senior Jordan Hardison. Head coach Brice Biggin enters his 26th season as head coach. In total, Kent State returns 11 letter winners from last season's roster.
Event Previews
Vault – The GymDawgs return three gymnasts who recorded top-3 finishes on vault in 2016. Junior Hailey Burleson scored over a 9.8 in 7 of 12 meets to finish the year. Alex Yacalis and Joslyn Goings were also a big part of the vault lineup throughout the year. Yacalis posted a season high 9.875 at the 2016 NCAA Regionals, while Goings scored six 9.8's or better. Kristyn Hoffa and Monica Riley's return, and the presence of incoming freshman Madison Copiak, will add to the GymDawgs' depth.
Bars – Duranczyk was the lone returning GymDawg to win a bars title in 2016, finishing atop the event seven times. Burleson and Goings both added major releases and have been consistently hitting their routines throughout the preseason. Janae Janik, who missed part of last season to injury, has beautiful lines and will be key contributors to the 2017 bars lineup. Freshmen Evanni Roberson, who won JO Nationals last year, and Copiak will also compete on bars throughout the season.
Beam – The Huskies boast two gymnasts who won beam titles in 2016 – Duranczyk and Goings. Sophomore Malory Rose posted a season high 9.875 in back-to-back meets against Western Michigan and SPU, and looks to be a key member of the beam lineup again this season. Burleson has added a more difficult flight series and is showing nice consistency. Janik will be back on beam this season and will add great depth to the Huskies' lineup. Maya Washington, Madison Copaiak, and Monica Riley will also compete on beam.
Floor – The Huskies return five gymnasts who competed on floor in 2016. Schaefer has continued her steady performance and will lead off the floor lineup. Duranczyk and Burleson have shown improvements throughout the fall. Burleson will anchor Yacalis, who has a difficult (E) tumbling pass and should play a large role in rounding out the floor lineup. Kristyn Hoffa will compete on floor and vault after sitting out all last season with an injury.
All-Around – Goings was all-arounder last season and won three all-around titles in 2016. She posted a season-best 39.375 against UCLA and finished with a 39.075 at the Pac-12 Championships, earning her All-Pac-12 First Team honors for the third time in the all-around. Burleson has improved all off season and will compete in the all-around for the second time this season. Copiak, Riley, and Goings will all compete in three events this season.
Last Time Out
The GymDawgs held their annual Purple & Gold Intrasquad meet on Dec. 5, 2016. It was the first time for the Huskies' five newcomers to compete in front of a crowd and judges.
Next Up
UW heads to Berkeley, Calif., to take on California and San Jose State on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. PT. The meet will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
Notes:
"Our girls have worked incredibly hard this pre-season, I couldn't be more proud of their grit, belief in a new coaching staff, and determination to find excellence," said first year head coach Elise Ray
The Huskies lost only one competing senior (Allison Northey) from the 2016 squad that finished in seventh place at the Pac-12 Championships and ended its season in Salt Lake City, Utah, finishing third at NCAA Regionals.
A new season brings new and old faces to Husky Gymnastics. Ray, after spending five seasons as an assistant coach at Washington, will begin her first season as the head coach for the UW gymnastics team on Saturday. Ray brings with her Caleb Phillips and Chad Wiest as her two assistant coaches. Phillips spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, while Wiest spent three years as an assistant at the University of Illinois. Ray and her staff are optimistic about the 2017 season, as the Huskies have added five newcomers and higher difficulty to go along with an offseason full of hard work and improvement.
"We are all thrilled to start competing," said Ray. "We're focused on one meet at a time, improving with each opportunity. We've prepared with many, many hours of training, so now it's time to start going after our goals, one competition at a time."
The GymDawgs are led by senior captains Alexandra Yacalis and Kaitlyn Duranczyk. Duranczyk, a two-time husky captain, was the Pac-12 Conference bars champion last season, scoring a 9.9 to lead all gymnasts. She was awarded Second-Team All-Pac-12 for bars, posting a total nine top-3 finishes on the event as the lineup anchor for the majority of the season. Yacalis was a mainstay on vault and floor all season long and posted a season-high 9.875 at NCAA Regionals.
"The vote was unanimous amongst the team and coaches for Kait and Alex to lead our team," said Ray "I am very fortunate to have these two amazing young ladies as captains my first year as head coach. They lead through example and through passion, they epitomize what it means to be a captain and a Husky."
Meet Information
UW vs. Ohio St., Michigan, and Kent State in Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. PST
Live Stream Video
UW vs. Ohio St. History
The Huskies and Buckeyes have squared off just twice before – once last season and the other in a seven-team meet at Oregon St. in 1982. Last year OSU outscored the UW 194.275 to 193.725. In 1982, the UW outscored OSU 140.250 to 138.350 as the GymDawgs took third overall.
Scouting the Buckeyes
The No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes return Kaitlyn Hofland, Alexis Mattern, and Jamie Stone, who received second team All-Big Ten honors last season. In total, the Buckeyes return 10 letter winners from a season ago. Ohio St. finished fifth in its regional with a score of 194.775, and tied for fifth at the Big-10 Championships with a 195.875. The Buckeyes season-high score in 2016 was a 196.350 at Rutgers w/ Yale.
UW vs. Michigan History
Washington has faced Michigan three times over the course of Washington gymnastics history, losing all three bouts. The last time the UW faced was in 2012 at the Masters Classic in Nebraska. In that meet, the No. 22 Wolverines upset the UW and placed second with a 195.825. The Huskies finished third with a 194.150.
Scouting the Wolverines
The Michigan gymnastics team comes into this week ranked No. 11 in the nation. In their first meet of the season, Michigan fell to No. 6 Utah with a score of 195.525 to 196.625. The Wolverines return 17 of the 24 routines from a year ago, but Michigan welcomes five freshman and one transfer to their 2017 roster. The Wolverines are led by senior captains Nicole Artz and Talia Chiarelli and head coach Bev Plocki (28th season).
UW vs. Kent State History
Washington has faced Kent State only once, competing against them in the 2003 season at the Nebraska Masters Classic. The GymDawgs went on to place second with a score of 194.850, while Kent State took fourth at 192.900.
Scouting the Golden Flashes
The Kent State gymnastics team is selected as the MAC favorite in the 2017 preseason coaches' poll, and come in ranked 32nd in the NACGC/W preseason coaches' poll. The Golden Flashes are led by junior Rachel Stypinski, the reigning MAC Gymnast of the year, and senior Jordan Hardison. Head coach Brice Biggin enters his 26th season as head coach. In total, Kent State returns 11 letter winners from last season's roster.
Event Previews
Vault – The GymDawgs return three gymnasts who recorded top-3 finishes on vault in 2016. Junior Hailey Burleson scored over a 9.8 in 7 of 12 meets to finish the year. Alex Yacalis and Joslyn Goings were also a big part of the vault lineup throughout the year. Yacalis posted a season high 9.875 at the 2016 NCAA Regionals, while Goings scored six 9.8's or better. Kristyn Hoffa and Monica Riley's return, and the presence of incoming freshman Madison Copiak, will add to the GymDawgs' depth.
Bars – Duranczyk was the lone returning GymDawg to win a bars title in 2016, finishing atop the event seven times. Burleson and Goings both added major releases and have been consistently hitting their routines throughout the preseason. Janae Janik, who missed part of last season to injury, has beautiful lines and will be key contributors to the 2017 bars lineup. Freshmen Evanni Roberson, who won JO Nationals last year, and Copiak will also compete on bars throughout the season.
Beam – The Huskies boast two gymnasts who won beam titles in 2016 – Duranczyk and Goings. Sophomore Malory Rose posted a season high 9.875 in back-to-back meets against Western Michigan and SPU, and looks to be a key member of the beam lineup again this season. Burleson has added a more difficult flight series and is showing nice consistency. Janik will be back on beam this season and will add great depth to the Huskies' lineup. Maya Washington, Madison Copaiak, and Monica Riley will also compete on beam.
Floor – The Huskies return five gymnasts who competed on floor in 2016. Schaefer has continued her steady performance and will lead off the floor lineup. Duranczyk and Burleson have shown improvements throughout the fall. Burleson will anchor Yacalis, who has a difficult (E) tumbling pass and should play a large role in rounding out the floor lineup. Kristyn Hoffa will compete on floor and vault after sitting out all last season with an injury.
All-Around – Goings was all-arounder last season and won three all-around titles in 2016. She posted a season-best 39.375 against UCLA and finished with a 39.075 at the Pac-12 Championships, earning her All-Pac-12 First Team honors for the third time in the all-around. Burleson has improved all off season and will compete in the all-around for the second time this season. Copiak, Riley, and Goings will all compete in three events this season.
Last Time Out
The GymDawgs held their annual Purple & Gold Intrasquad meet on Dec. 5, 2016. It was the first time for the Huskies' five newcomers to compete in front of a crowd and judges.
Next Up
UW heads to Berkeley, Calif., to take on California and San Jose State on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. PT. The meet will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
Notes:
- The GymDawgs three seniors on the 2016 squad, All-Pac-12 Second Team bars and Pac-12 bars champion Kaitlyn Duranczyk, senior Janae Janik, and senior Alexandra Yacalis. Senior Jessica Nesis serving as a student coach for the GymDawgs this season.
- UW's freshman class consists of five gymnasts: Madison Copiak (Calgary, AB), Michaela Nelson (Montgomery Village, MD), Evanni Roberson (Puyallup, WA), Haley Roy (Tacoma, WA), and Maya Washington (San Jose, CA)
- UW head coach Elise Ray is in her 1st season as head coach with the Huskies.
- The Huskies added assistant coaches Caleb Phillips and Chad Wiest to their 2017 coaching staff. Phillips spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, while Wiest spent three years as an assistant at the University of Illinois.
- The Huskies took seventh place at the 2016 Pac-12 Championships with a 195.300. The GymDawgs' season-high score in 2016 was a 196.650, recorded against Denver and Seattle Pacific.
Players Mentioned
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