This Week: vs. Iowa State
The Gophers renew their border rivalry with the Iowa State Cyclones with a home meet on Sat., Feb. 7. The meet will begin at 6 p.m., and will be webcast on www.gophersports.com.

On the National Scene
Minnesota moved up three spots in the national rankings this week, and currently sits at No. 18. In the event rankings, the Gophers are currently listed at No. 34 on vault, No. 11 on bars, No. 15 on beam, and No. 32 on floor.

All around competitors Carmelina Carabajal and Alexis Russell are tied no No. 23 nationally in the all around with average scores of 39.200. Carabajal is also among the top 25 nationally on beam, where she’s tied for No. 20 with an average of 9.831.

In the Big Ten Rankings
Minnesota is currently the top-ranked team in the Big Ten on uneven bars, where they rank No. 11 nationally.

Individually, Russell and Carabajal are ranked second in the Big Ten with all around averages of 39.200. Carabajal is also listed among the top 10 in the Big Ten on vault (No. 3), beam (tied for No. 1), and floor (No. 9). Russell is also listed at No. 7 on floor.

Two Gophers are listed in the top 10 in the conference in the bars rankings, as Kristin Furukawa is ranked No. 3 this week, and Yuri Nagai is tied for No. 7.

In addition to Carabajal’s No. 1 beam ranking, Jamie Bullock is also at the top of the conference rankings, coming in at No. 3 this week.

Steady Improvement
Minnesota recorded its best team scores of the season on beam, floor, and total score in last weekend’s meet. In total score, Minnesota bettered its previous high by more than a full point, earning a 195.675 at Oklahoma.

Carabajal Wins Again
After recording the top all around score of her career with a 39.350 at Oklahoma, Carmelina Carabajal won her third all around title of the season. Carabajal has won the all around in three of four meets in 2009. Carabajal also has a vault title and two beam titles to her name this year.

Beam Team Comes Through Again
In last weekend’s meet, three Gopher gymnasts set career-high marks on beam. Senior Angela Walker had her personal-best mark with a 9.900 to tie for first place. Sophomore Jamie Bullock set her best mark with a 9.875, which placed her in a tie for third place. Alexis Russell had her best score of 9.825. In addition to the three career-best scores, Carmelina Carabajal tied her best score of the season with a 9.900 to tie with Walker for first place.

All together, the beam team scored a 39.275. The beam score was the best for the program since scoring a 49.500 to set the school record at Arizona State on March 12, 2004.

Carabajal and Walker Accomplish Rare Feat
Carmelina Carabajal and Angela Walker each scored a 9.900 on beam last weekend, marking the first time since the 2005 season that two Gopher gymnasts have scored a 9.900 or better on the same event at the same meet. The last pair to accomplish the feat was Carolyn Yernberg (9.975) and Laura Johnson (9.900) on floor against Arkansas (1/8/05).

The last time two Gophers scored a 9.900 or better on beam at the same meet was when Mary Skokut (9.975) and Alicia Opsahl (9.900) did so at Arizona State on March 12, 2004.

Sophomore Sensations
Four members of the sophomore class stepped up and set personal-best marks last weekend. Kendra Elm had her best vault score (9.525) as well as her best floor score (9.775). Yuri Nagai recorded a fall on floor on Jan. 24, but rebounded to score her career-high floor score at Oklahoma with a 9.775. Jamie Bullock has been showing constant improvement on beam, and set a personal-best score for the third week in a row, earning a 9.875 at Oklahoma. Julie Kinal tied her best bars score with a 9.725.

Carabajal and Russell Carry Load
Carmelina Carabajal and Alexis Russell account for one-third of the team’s routines (eight of 24), and at Oklahoma last week, the pair combined for 40.2 percent of the team’s final score. Together, the duo tallied 78.575 points for the Gophers.

Last Meet Recap: at Oklahoma
The No. 21 University of Minnesota women’s gymnastics team lost to No. 7 Oklahoma, but scored its best score of the season with a 195.675. The score betters the team's previous high score of 194.425 by more than a full point. Highlighting the meet for Minnesota were Carmelina Carabajal and Alexis Russell, who each set personal best marks in the all around, and finished first and second, respectively in the all around competition.

Minnesota competed on the uneven bars in the first rotation, earned a team score of 48.925. Kristin Furukawa was the team’s top scorer on bars for the second week in a row. Furukawa, a sophomore, earned a 9.85 to place second.

On the vault, Carabajal was the top performer for the Golden Gophers, earning a 9.85 to tie for second place overall. The score was Carabajal’s best on vault this season. As a team, Minnesota compiled a score of 48.575.

In the third rotation, Minnesota competed on floor exercise, where Russell led the way for the Golden Gophers. Russell tied for fourth place overall with a 9.825, her career-best floor score. Minnesota’s team score on floor was 48.900, the best floor score of the year.

Minnesota shined on beam, earning its best team event score of the 2009 season. The Gophers tallied a 49.275 on beam, led by Carabajal and fellow senior Angela Walker, who each got marks of 9.9 to tie for first place. Sophomore Jamie Bullock was also in the top three, tying for third place with a 9.875, also setting a career-best score.

In the all around competition, Carabajal was the champion, tallying the best all around score of her collegiate career with a 39.35. Russell earned her best-ever all around score as well, compiling a 39.225 to place second in the all around competition.

About Iowa State
The No. 20 Cyclones are 0-4 this season, but have faced tough competition in four top-20 ranked teams. Last weekend, Iowa State lost to Michigan by a score of 193.900-195.875. Iowa State’s top team score this season is a 195.225.

Coming Up Next Week: Best of Minnesota
The Gophers welcome the other three collegiate women’s gymnastics teams in the state of Minnesota for the annual Best of Minnesota Meet. Competing along side the Gophers will be Gustavus, Hamline and Winona State. The meet on Feb. 14 will start at 6 p.m., and will be webcast on www.gophersports.com.