University of Massachusets Athletics
Nothing Short of Exciting for 2002
January 17, 2002 | Women's Gymnastics
by Joe Galbraith
The Maroon & White
The first word of Dave Kuzara's response when asked about his 2002 women's gymnastics team is almost always the same.
"Depth."
Coming off of a season in which the Minutewomen earned their seventh NCAA regional appearance in eight seasons with Kuzara at the helm, the head coach and assistants May May and Li Li Leung hit the recruiting trail to replace three standout seniors that departed after the 2001 season.
The coaching staff struck gold as they signed six highly talented youngsters to fill the holes left by Jobi Dan'sy, Mary Moore and Kyla Palombini.
In-state prospects Colleen Chesson, Lauren Fannon, Sabrina Farrugia and Toni Maramag, along with Danielle Clarke and Nicole Groccia, combine to form one of the best recruiting classes ever assembled at UMass.
Kuzara will look to his only senior, Tracy Chew, to pave the way for the newcomers. Chew has been one of the most consistent gymnasts in recent Minutewoman history, and emerged as a team leader last season as she finished fourth on vault at the Atlantic 10 Championships.
"Tracy has evolved into a great leader," Kuzara said. "Her experience has been vital to our youngsters. She has led this team throughout the preseason to get them ready for our first meet."
Although she is the lone senior, Chew is not the only Minutewoman with valuable meet experience. Junior Katie Teft leads a group of five third-year gymnasts. Along with Teft, the school's all-time leader on both uneven bars and balance beam, juniors Megan Donoghue, Jen Gendron, Kelly Hanson and Tiffany Slade all saw significant action in 2001.
Donoghue competed in every meet last season, proving to be one of the team's best on the balance beam. Gendron tallied a UMass season-high on floor, while being one of the top Minutewomen in the all-around. Hanson excelled on bars, while Slade worked solidly on floor exercise.
"The depth we have entering this season is evident in our junior and freshman classes," Kuzara said. "We have five juniors and six freshmen, and each of our juniors has performed at high levels and have the experience of college meets. Our experience with Tracy and the juniors should mesh nicely with the young talent we have."
Not to be overlooked, the sophomore class of Michelle Germano and Mellory Giberson offer even more depth to the squad. Germano has worked diligently during the offseason to overcome injuries, and Giberson, the 2001 A-10 Rookie of the Year, looks to challenge the UMass all-around record.
With a solid base of returning gymnasts, fused with an influx of talented newcomers, it's easy to see why Kuzara smiles when he talks about his team.
"The most important aspect of women's college gymnastics is making sure every score counts," Kuzara said. "With only four events, it's vital to get high scores on every event. Where the men have six competitors and count four scores, we have six competitors and five scores count toward the team total. That makes a big difference. It makes depth on each event necessary."
This season, the Minutewomen should have enough depth at each event to compete at every meet.
Vault
The 2002 team looks to improve upon past scores on vault, arguably the most difficult event for the Minutewomen in recent years.
Chew, last year's vault leader, will be expected to shoulder the load for the Minutewomen early in the season on vault. Gendron and Giberson have shown potential, seeing action in nearly every meet last season. Gendron's 9.700 ranked among the conference's top 10, and Giberson showed constant improvement throughout the season.
Inserted into the vault lineup late in the season, Teft made an impact, providing three team-highs in the last four meets.
Incoming freshmen Chesson and Farrugia are expected to provide immediate assistance to this season's lineup, and Kuzara expects both to be among the team's top vaulters by the end of the year.
Uneven Bars
Last season, UMass set a school record on uneven bars with a 49.250 against Yale. This year, the Minutewomen return five of the six gymnasts in that record-setting lineup, including individual record holder Teft, who has posted two scores of 9.950 during her career.
With Teft, this season's lineup will include three of the top 10 uneven bar competitors in school history. Giberson stands tied for fourth all-time, while Hanson is tied for ninth in the school's annuls.
Chew will be among the leaders in this event as well, having earned a spot in the starting lineup in every meet last season.
Battling for spots in the early season lineup on bars will be Gendron, who saw action early in 2001, and freshmen Groccia and Maramag.
Balance Beam
One of the strongest events in recent years for Kuzara's squads, the balance beam may be one of UMass' best events again in 2002.
With five gymnasts returning from a lineup that continued to improve down the stretch last season, totalling a season-high 48.900 at the Atlantic 10 Champion-ships, the Minutewomen might have the deepest beam lineup in more than a decade.
School record holder Teft, along with Donoghue and Chew performed on the beam throughout the 2001 season for UMass. Giberson, however, saw her first career action at the A-10 Championships, where she sizzled with a 9.725.
Freshmen Clarke and Maramag expect to make an immediate impact on beam, and nearly every other Minutewoman is capable of stepping in and performing at a high level on the event.
Floor Exercise
Traditionally the highest scoring event for the Minutewomen, the floor exercise should once again be strong for UMass.
Six gymnasts that saw significant action throughout the 2001 season return this season. Led by Gendron, who recorded the second-highest floor exercise score in the conference last season, and Donoghue, who posted the eighth-best score in school history at the A-10 Championships, the Minutewomen will have more than seven gymnasts ready to step in on floor exercise.
Chew and Slade have raised the difficulty on their routines, while Giberson, Clarke, Fannon and Farrugia will all be ready to compete on the floor.
All-Around
For the first time in Kuzara's tenure at UMass, the Minutewomen have four experienced all-arounders returning.
Chew is one of the most experienced, competing in every event at more than half of the team's meets last season. Gendron, too, has had experience in the all-around, competing six times, and established the school's 10th-best all-around score against West Virginia.
In her only all-around competition, Giberson finished third at the A-10 Championships with the seventh-best score in school history.
Summary
Combining eight gymnasts with meet experience and six talented newcomers, the 2002 edition of UMass women's gymnastics should be nothing short of exciting.
"This team has a chance to be one of the best I've ever had," Kuzara said.
Asked why he believed his squad had such high potential, Kuzara smiled and simply responded, "Depth."
The Maroon & White
The first word of Dave Kuzara's response when asked about his 2002 women's gymnastics team is almost always the same.
"Depth."
Coming off of a season in which the Minutewomen earned their seventh NCAA regional appearance in eight seasons with Kuzara at the helm, the head coach and assistants May May and Li Li Leung hit the recruiting trail to replace three standout seniors that departed after the 2001 season.
The coaching staff struck gold as they signed six highly talented youngsters to fill the holes left by Jobi Dan'sy, Mary Moore and Kyla Palombini.
In-state prospects Colleen Chesson, Lauren Fannon, Sabrina Farrugia and Toni Maramag, along with Danielle Clarke and Nicole Groccia, combine to form one of the best recruiting classes ever assembled at UMass.
Kuzara will look to his only senior, Tracy Chew, to pave the way for the newcomers. Chew has been one of the most consistent gymnasts in recent Minutewoman history, and emerged as a team leader last season as she finished fourth on vault at the Atlantic 10 Championships.
"Tracy has evolved into a great leader," Kuzara said. "Her experience has been vital to our youngsters. She has led this team throughout the preseason to get them ready for our first meet."
Although she is the lone senior, Chew is not the only Minutewoman with valuable meet experience. Junior Katie Teft leads a group of five third-year gymnasts. Along with Teft, the school's all-time leader on both uneven bars and balance beam, juniors Megan Donoghue, Jen Gendron, Kelly Hanson and Tiffany Slade all saw significant action in 2001.
Donoghue competed in every meet last season, proving to be one of the team's best on the balance beam. Gendron tallied a UMass season-high on floor, while being one of the top Minutewomen in the all-around. Hanson excelled on bars, while Slade worked solidly on floor exercise.
"The depth we have entering this season is evident in our junior and freshman classes," Kuzara said. "We have five juniors and six freshmen, and each of our juniors has performed at high levels and have the experience of college meets. Our experience with Tracy and the juniors should mesh nicely with the young talent we have."
Not to be overlooked, the sophomore class of Michelle Germano and Mellory Giberson offer even more depth to the squad. Germano has worked diligently during the offseason to overcome injuries, and Giberson, the 2001 A-10 Rookie of the Year, looks to challenge the UMass all-around record.
With a solid base of returning gymnasts, fused with an influx of talented newcomers, it's easy to see why Kuzara smiles when he talks about his team.
"The most important aspect of women's college gymnastics is making sure every score counts," Kuzara said. "With only four events, it's vital to get high scores on every event. Where the men have six competitors and count four scores, we have six competitors and five scores count toward the team total. That makes a big difference. It makes depth on each event necessary."
This season, the Minutewomen should have enough depth at each event to compete at every meet.
Vault
The 2002 team looks to improve upon past scores on vault, arguably the most difficult event for the Minutewomen in recent years.
Chew, last year's vault leader, will be expected to shoulder the load for the Minutewomen early in the season on vault. Gendron and Giberson have shown potential, seeing action in nearly every meet last season. Gendron's 9.700 ranked among the conference's top 10, and Giberson showed constant improvement throughout the season.
Inserted into the vault lineup late in the season, Teft made an impact, providing three team-highs in the last four meets.
Incoming freshmen Chesson and Farrugia are expected to provide immediate assistance to this season's lineup, and Kuzara expects both to be among the team's top vaulters by the end of the year.
Uneven Bars
Last season, UMass set a school record on uneven bars with a 49.250 against Yale. This year, the Minutewomen return five of the six gymnasts in that record-setting lineup, including individual record holder Teft, who has posted two scores of 9.950 during her career.
With Teft, this season's lineup will include three of the top 10 uneven bar competitors in school history. Giberson stands tied for fourth all-time, while Hanson is tied for ninth in the school's annuls.
Chew will be among the leaders in this event as well, having earned a spot in the starting lineup in every meet last season.
Battling for spots in the early season lineup on bars will be Gendron, who saw action early in 2001, and freshmen Groccia and Maramag.
Balance Beam
One of the strongest events in recent years for Kuzara's squads, the balance beam may be one of UMass' best events again in 2002.
With five gymnasts returning from a lineup that continued to improve down the stretch last season, totalling a season-high 48.900 at the Atlantic 10 Champion-ships, the Minutewomen might have the deepest beam lineup in more than a decade.
School record holder Teft, along with Donoghue and Chew performed on the beam throughout the 2001 season for UMass. Giberson, however, saw her first career action at the A-10 Championships, where she sizzled with a 9.725.
Freshmen Clarke and Maramag expect to make an immediate impact on beam, and nearly every other Minutewoman is capable of stepping in and performing at a high level on the event.
Floor Exercise
Traditionally the highest scoring event for the Minutewomen, the floor exercise should once again be strong for UMass.
Six gymnasts that saw significant action throughout the 2001 season return this season. Led by Gendron, who recorded the second-highest floor exercise score in the conference last season, and Donoghue, who posted the eighth-best score in school history at the A-10 Championships, the Minutewomen will have more than seven gymnasts ready to step in on floor exercise.
Chew and Slade have raised the difficulty on their routines, while Giberson, Clarke, Fannon and Farrugia will all be ready to compete on the floor.
All-Around
For the first time in Kuzara's tenure at UMass, the Minutewomen have four experienced all-arounders returning.
Chew is one of the most experienced, competing in every event at more than half of the team's meets last season. Gendron, too, has had experience in the all-around, competing six times, and established the school's 10th-best all-around score against West Virginia.
In her only all-around competition, Giberson finished third at the A-10 Championships with the seventh-best score in school history.
Summary
Combining eight gymnasts with meet experience and six talented newcomers, the 2002 edition of UMass women's gymnastics should be nothing short of exciting.
"This team has a chance to be one of the best I've ever had," Kuzara said.
Asked why he believed his squad had such high potential, Kuzara smiled and simply responded, "Depth."
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