Gymnastics Team Faces a Challenge

Lynn Rogers has been so successful in the last 20 seasons as the Cal State Fullerton women’s gymnastics coach that winning conference championships has become almost routine.

This time, however, Fullerton’s Big West championship streak is in jeopardy. The Titans have won the last three titles, but Utah State will be favored Saturday when the Aggies host the conference meet in Logan.

“They’re clearly the team to beat,” Rogers said. “For us to win this time, Utah State is going to have to open the door. But I still think we’ll compete well, and we’ll see what happens.”

The Titans would be heavily favored if it were not for injuries. Junior Alexis Lott, who shared Big West gymnast of the year honors in 1995, was sidelined for the season in October because of torn knee ligaments. Sophomore Holly Tennison went out in December with the same type of injury. Then junior Natalie Meyer was hurt in February, ending her season.

Some coaches might have buried their heads in their hands at that point, but Rogers and associate head coach Julie Knight have persevered, and the team has done well. Fullerton finished 7-3 for the regular season. The losses came in the UCLA Invitational in February to UCLA, Arizona and Brigham Young. The Titans beat UCLA at home in the season opener.

The Titans had their best team score of the season in their final dual meet, a victory over San Jose State, and Rogers was encouraged.

The national rankings have Fullerton 37th, with Utah State tied for 19th.

“We’ve had several kids step up this season and do better than we anticipated, which we really needed because of the injuries,” said Rogers, who pointed to sophomores Michele Lotta and Staci Henry, as well as freshmen Courtney Bogart and Sara Taylor.

“Lotta has gotten all four events going well, and she’s come a long way in the all-around. Henry is a walk-on, and we have her up second on the beam now, which is really a demanding spot for a freshman. But they’ve all done well. It speaks to the spirit of these kids. They have been able to put all the problems behind them and not give up on their goals.”

Cristi Clifford, the only senior on the team, will be among the top contenders for the all-around title. She has the top score of the season entering the meet, and will try to bounce back from a disappointing performance last season.

“The wheels fell off for her last year, and there were some signs of it happening again, but she’s a fighter and has come back strong,” Rogers said. “She was a lot more aggressive in our last meet, and I expect her to do well. I think she’ll qualify for the nationals.”

Freshman Katy Maty also will be a contender for conference titles in the floor exercise, beam and uneven bars, although her vault hurts her in the all-around.

Rogers says his team’s chances of qualifying for the NCAA West Regional April 13 at UCLA are good.

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Fullerton’s softball team had a 20-9 record last week going into its PONY Invitational tournament, but Coach Judi Garman was concerned that her team wasn’t playing up to its capabilities.

“Maybe the tournament will inspire us, and get us going again,” said Garman.

It apparently did. The Titans won five consecutive games before losing to second-ranked Washington, 1-0, in the semifinals Sunday, improving their record to 25-10.

While Garman was disappointed by the loss, she was encouraged overall. “We had been struggling going into the tournament, so we have to be pleased to come out 5-1 against this level of competition. I think our players know now that they can play with anyone. Maybe this tournament will make believers out of them.”

Fullerton, ranked seventh, defeated fifth-ranked Fresno State, 1-0, in one of three victories in the preliminary round, then won against Northwestern, 4-0, and ninth-ranked Southwestern Louisiana, 3-2, in the championship bracket.

“I think we have a great attitude right now, and the tournament helped,” third baseman Traci Fischer said. “I’m pleased with the way we’re playing. I really want to see us get back to the World Series.”

Fischer had the game-winning hit in the victory over Southwestern Louisiana Saturday night, then had two of Fullerton’s four hits against Washington.

“The defense and the pitching did really well in the tournament,” Garman said. “We just need to take charge earlier in the game offensively.”

The Titans return to Big West Conference play this weekend with doubleheaders at Pacific Friday and San Jose State Saturday.

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Coach Ardeshir Asgari was pleased with the performance of his three wrestlers in last weekend’s NCAA Division I championships in Minneapolis, especially 118-pounder Orlando deCastroverde.

A junior, deCastroverde finished with a 4-2 record, tying for ninth place. Fullerton’s Darryl Christian (142 pounds) and Carl Sharamitaro (150), both sophomores, were 0-2, but Asgari thought they showed promise in the meet.