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2004
Texas Woman's Gymnastics Season Review
Texas
Woman’s head gymnastics coach Frank
Kudlac’s 2004 squad proved themselves
after being given the daunting task of replacing seven
seniors and six USAG All-Americans. Defending their 2003
USA Gymnastics Collegiate title, the Pioneers placed a
strong second overall behind a tough Centenary squad with
a score of 192.600.
However,
with an unprecedented seven USAG titles under their belts,
the Pioneers shined like the champions they are. They even
took on six Top 20 Division I teams throughout the regular
season, including home/home meets with No. 7 LSU and No.
11 Oklahoma.
Senior Dana
Giametta, junior Erin MacNabb and
sophomore Amber McMeans each earned
All-America recognition on the uneven bars as TWU placed
first on the event with a 48.325 at the USAG Team Championships.
McMeans also earned All-America honors on the balance
beam, giving her national laurels in three of the four
events (she was an All-America on floor in 2003) and
solidifying her position as one of the team’s strongest
all-around performers despite battling injuries most
of the season.
Junior Jennifer
Bolli scored a personal best 9.875 on the floor
during the USAG Championships to become the Pioneers’ 43rd
All-America recipient in 14 seasons. Bolli’s floor
routine was a fan favorite, along with junior Rachel
Goddard’s combination of power and grace. Goddard
tied the school record with a 9.95 on floor during a
regular season home meet with Air Force and BYU.
Kristin
Frogge showed her senior leadership, especially
on the beam as a fixture in that rotation. She just missed
qualifying for All-America with a 9.725 and tied her
career-best 9.825 during a February meet at Centenary.
Other
upperclassmen took charge in their respective events. Two-time
USAG All-America Jessica Brozovich again
dominated the vault and scored a personal best 9.875 when
the Pioneers hosted Kentucky, Missouri & Pennsylvania
for a quad meet in March. Junior Lauren Kondikoff stepped
up in 2004, shattering previous scores on the bars, beam
and floor exercise. Kondikoff even made a respectable debut
on the vault during the pressure packed USAG Finals.
Sophomore Nakia
Westbrook also hit a 9.875 on the vault and
scored a career-high 9.7 on the floor as the Pioneers
hosted then No. 10-LSU and No. 11 Arizona in February.
Classmate Bethany Rehm established herself
as another member of the strong uneven bars rotation
as she was an alternate behind MacNabb for the NCAA Regional
Championships.
A
talented group of newcomers also fueled the team’s
success. Sophomore transfer Addi Hundley was
making significant improvements in each meet until a broken
hand ended her season in February. Freshmen Brenda
Campbell and Catherine Rodriguez were
consistently some of the Pioneers’ top performers
on the beam and vault, respectively. Classmate Thecla
Gavin made an impressive collegiate debut in January
with a 9.8 on the floor exercise. Even more notable, Gavin
was a last-minute substitute for McMeans, who was injured
during her floor exercise warm-up.
The
Pioneers were also successful in the classroom. A conference-best
14 TWU gymnasts were named to the Midwest Independent All-Academic
Team and five received the USAG Scholar-Athlete Award.
Juniors Jennifer Bolli and Erin
MacNabb were each selected to the CoSIDA Academic
All-District First Team and MacNabb became the third Pioneer
to receive national recognition when she was named to the
Academic All-America Third Team.
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