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TWU GYMNASTICS SIGNS THREE FOR 2008 SEASON
 DENTON , Texas (Nov. 16) – Texas Woman's University announced the signing of three gymnasts to National Letters of Intent today.
Caroline Hilpisch, Kristie Costa, and Mollie Blessing all officially committed to TWU this week and will join the Pioneers team in the fall of 2007.
“These are three young ladies who I feel will be outstanding additions to our gymnastics program,” said TWU gymnastics head coach Frank Kudlac. “All three of them fit the criteria that we look for in recruits - first and foremost, they are excellent students, second, they are very strong all-around competitors and third, they all have the desire to improve and progress as gymnasts.”
Hilpisch (pictured at right) will come to TWU from the Stillwater High School Gymnastics team in Stillwater, Minnesota. As a sophomore in 2005, Hilpisch served as Stillwater’s team captain and established herself as an elite high school gymnast. She won the 2005 Minnesota State High School League Championship in vault and floor exercise, tied for 1 st in the all-around, and won the silver medal in beam. For her efforts, she was named to the All-Conference, All-Section, and All-State teams, and won her team’s MVP award. Hilpisch also earned a spot on the 2005 Minnesota Girls Gymnastics Coaches Association “Elite 5” Class AA team recognizing the highest average all-around scores for the season. Last year, as junior, she was again Stillwater’s team captain and earned 2006 All-Conference, All-Section All-State, team MVP, and “Elite 5” honors. Hilpisch currently holds Stillwater school records in floor, bars, beam, and all-around.
“The thing about Caroline that really excites me is her experience in the team atmosphere. For three years now, she has been the team captain for a very successful high school program. She knows how to win as a team and understands the team dynamic very well. Her biggest strengths are on the vault and bars, and I also look for her to contribute in the all-around discipline,” stated Kudlac.
Costa and Blessing (pictured below) are both products of the US Gold/Excite Gymnastics Club in Highland Village, Texas. Under the direction of coach Tina Martin, the duo have been teammates for several years.
“I’m very excited to sign two gymnasts from the US Gold/Excite club. One of our points of emphasis in the recruiting process this year was to get girls from the state of Texas to stay close to home and come to TWU. US Gold/Excite is one of the top club’s in the state, and getting two student-athletes from their program is a major coup for us,” Kudlac elaborated.
Costa is a native of Flower Mound, Texas and attends Flower Mound High School. Her 2005 season was filled with highlights and honors. She finished 4 th place in the beam and 8 th place in the all-around at the 2005 Region III championships. Her efforts at the regional competition earned her a spot as an alternate on the 2005 (Region 3) national team. At the 2005 Level 10 Texas State Championships, she tied for 9 th in the all-around. Costa has continued her success in 2006. At the 2006 Kurt Thomas Invitational, she tied for 1 st place in the beam and finished in 4 th in the all-around competition.
“Kristie is going to make an immediate impact on our team in 2008. She is a tremendously skilled Level 10 gymnast that was sought after by many schools across the country. Her strengths are the floor and beam, but, she really displays no weak event,” Kudlac said.
Blessing calls Plano, Texas home and is a student at Plano Senior High School. She is a 2006 Level 10 Regional III qualifier who finished 10 th on the vault. In 2005, she was a Level 9 Western National Qualifier and placed 4 th in the all-around. In 2004, she was a Level 9 Western National Alternate and won the US Gold Gymnast of the Year and Hardest Worker awards.
“Mollie’s goal in life is to be a nurse, and with the strong nursing program that we have here at TWU, this was a natural fit for her. She is solid gymnasts who can compete in numerous events. I expect her to really provide some critical depth for our team. Another positive about Mollie is that she has been a teammate of Kristie Costa for many years. That should help her (and Kristie) make their transition to college gymnastics much easier,” explained Kudlac.
The 2007 Pioneers gymnastics team, led by senior Courtney Arno and juniors Brisa Fuentes, Jennifer Kingsbury, and Nicole Poling, will host their annual Intrasquad Meet on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m. and then open their 2007 season on the road in Provo, Utah on Jan. 13 with a 7:00 p.m. dual meet against BYU.
 
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