Cal State Fullerton senior Kelly Mathiasen brought home the individual
titles on balance beam and floor exercise to pace a solid all-around effort
from the Titan women’s gymnastics team as they defeated Utah State
and Illinois-Chicago on Sunday afternoon at Titan Gym.
The Titans won the meet with a team score of 193.875, finishing ahead
of the second-place Aggies (192.050) and third-place Flames (191.700).
Utah State led after the first rotation, scoring a 48.125 on floor exercise
to Cal State Fullerton’s 47.850 on the vault. The Titans rebounded
to take a .25 lead after two rotations as Fullerton shined on bars while
the Aggies were merely average on vault.
Cal State Fullerton increased its lead after three rotations despite having
to count a 9.325 on the balance beam. The Aggies hit on its first four
routines on the uneven bars, with the first four gymnasts scoring no lower
than a 9.80. However Utah State’s score in the event was hurt by
an 8.95 and an 8.60 in the final two routines.
The Titans clinched the meet in their final event on the floor, scoring
a meet-best 48.850 in the event while Utah State struggled to a 47.275
on the beam.
Mathiasen finished third in the all-around with a score of 38.850. Utah
State’s Meagan Nelson (39.175) and Nicole Kilpatrick (39.075) finished
1-2 in the all-around. Illinois-Chicago’s Jennifer O’Neil (9.875)
and Atlin Mitchell (9.850) finished 1-2 in the vault, while Mathiasen
finished third in the event for the Titans with a 9.825. The Aggies’
Jessica Parenti won the uneven bars with a score of 9.925.
Cal State Fullerton sophomore Kim Runciman set a new career high with
a 9.85 on the balance beam while fellow sophomore Kristen Parker tied
her career high on the beam with a 9.825.
The Titans return to action on Friday (Jan. 17) as they host national
power UCLA in a dual meet at Titan Gym at 7 p.m.
