Thursday, April 16, 1998
Team bios
Tiffany Simpson
University of Washington Huskies
This junior from Tempe, Ariz. is one of four returning
All-Americans on the UW squad, and a member of the U.S. National
team for three years. Simpson is one of the most decorated gymnasts
in her school’s history, holding five of the six top all-around
scores ever put up by a Husky gymnast. In the Huskies’ final meet
of the season, she posted two school records – a 9.925 on the beam
and a perfect 10.0 on her floor routine. Simpson’s performance was
no less astounding at the West Regionals, in which she tied for
first in the all-around, finished first on the floor exercise,
second on the beam and fifth on vault to lead the Huskies to the
West Regional title.
Susan Hines
University of Florida Gators
If there were any who doubted the power of Susan Hines, they
learned their lesson at the Southeastern Regionals, in which the
junior from Austin, Texas, ran up a career and team high score of
9.95 on the floor and tied for third in the all-around, helping the
Gators to a second-place finish overall. At the Tiger Invitational,
Hines racked up a perfect 10.0 on vault and a 9.925 on the floor
exercises. She holds the team high marks in the beam (9.875) and
the floor exercise (9.95).
Ellen Casey
Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions
At the NCAA East Regionals, Casey, a junior from Alexandria,
Va., finished fourth on the vault with a score of 9.750. She also
posted a 9.775 on the floor exercises, which was good enough for
fifth place. Last season, she broke her own record on the uneven
bars, scoring a 9.925 – .025 of a point over her previous score.
Casey also holds the team record on the floor with a whopping 9.95.
She is also deadly on the vault, boasting a pike-front vault that
is sure to provide a scoring boost for Penn State.
Amy McClosky
Louisiana State University Tigers
All-American senior McClosky hails from Rockwall, Texas. At the
Southeastern Conference Championships she posted team highs in the
beam and floor, scoring 9.925 and 9.950, respectively. These scores
helped raise the Tigers to a first-place finish in their
conference. At the Southeastern Regional, team captain McClosky
passed out after her beam routine, forcing her to miss competing in
the vault and floor exercise. However, she came back with a
vengeance in the final event, scoring a 9.800 on the uneven bars.
Overall, the Tigers finished third at Regionals. McClosky also
holds the honors of All-SEC in all-around, beam and floor, as well
as being SEC beam champion and on the SEC academic honor roll.
Angela Andersen
Brigham Young University Cougars
Ninth nationally in the all-around, this senior from Orem, Utah,
holds the Cougar record for floor exercises (9.950) and all-around
(39.450). She has been hotter than hot this year, scoring career
bests on the uneven bars (9.925), the balance beam (9.900), floor
exercise (9.950) and in the all-around (39.450). A team captain,
Andersen finished third in the all-around at Midwest Regionals with
a score of 39.025. This is not her first trip to the NCAAs,
however. She qualified as an individual last season, despite the
fact that BYU did not qualify as a team. She should be a force in
the all-around competition, having scored a 39 or better five of
the nine times she has competed this season.
Kim Arnold
University of Georgia Bulldogs
Named 1998 SEC Athlete of the Year, Arnold is a six-time
All-American who ranks No. 1 in the nation on the balance beam,
floor and as an all-arounder. This senior from Portland, Ore., was
the runner-up in the all-around, beam and floor competition at the
Southeast Regionals. She has been torrid of late, hitting a career
high 9.90 on the uneven bars in her last two meets. The floor is
her specialty; she is the only Gym Dog to compete on the floor at
every meet, earning a perfect score in the event twice. She can be
even more dangerous in the floor exercise, where she has added a
difficult double-layout maneuver to her routine. Arnold was also
named All-Academic SEC, carrying a 4.0 GPA during the season.
Traci Sommer
University of Utah Utes
Sommer is the only senior on the Utes’ squad, and one of the
most constant performers the team has. She has not had a fall since
the first meet of the year. The beam is her territory, as she is a
two time All-American in the event, averaging a score of 9.90. This
season, she tied her career high on the beam with a perfect 10.0.
At Regionals, she was a major catalyst in the Utes’ eventual
victory, scoring a 9.875 on her floor routine. This year, Sommer
will not compete in the all-around competition, for which the rest
of the field should be thankful – she has 18 career all-around
scores of 39.00.
Meagan Wright
Arizona State University Sun Devils
This senior from Mesa, Ariz., is an eight-time All-American and
one of four senior co-captains on the Sun Devils’ squad. At the
Midwest Regional, Wright finished eighth on the vault, fifth on the
bars, and tied for first on the balance beam with a career-high
score of 9.90. She holds the ASU school record with a 39.575 in the
all-around and averages a score of 38.925. Last season, Wright
posted a perfect 10.0 on the floor exercise, and won the vault
event at the Midwest Regionals.
Ashley Hutsell
North Carolina State Wolfpack
In this, the Wolfpack’s very first NCAA appearance, senior
Hutsell will try to lead her squad as she has all season. She leads
the team in victories, with six – three on the floor exercises and
three on her signature event, the vault. Hutsell, who hails from
Chesapeake, Va., has finished in the top five in all but one of her
meets this year on the vault. At the Southeast Regionals, she tied
her career best on the uneven bars. An All-EAGL selection for both
vault and floor, she should be a force to be reckoned with.