Gymnastics team prepares for season opener
After a short holiday hiatus, the women’s gymnastics team headed back to the gym to prepare for the season’s opener against Ohio State on Jan. 8.
The No. 18-ranked Buckeyes will gauge how good coach Rob Drass’ No. 16-ranked team actually is.
Although only rated fourth among Big Ten teams for the year, Ohio State is still dangerous. Armed with second-team All-American sophomore Rebecca Best, who earned second-team All-American status as a freshman after finishing sixth on floor exercise at last year’s NCAA Championships, and returning team captain senior Hillary Dow, the Buckeyes look capable to continue their already steady ascent in recent years to become one of the nation’s foremost programs. Moreover, the Big Ten listed both Best and Dow as “Gymnasts To Watch” in the conference.
In preparation for the showdown with Ohio State, the Tigers resumed practices on Dec. 27. According to sophomore Tara Foster’s online journal, she and her fellow teammates worked out at their local area gyms to keep their bodies somewhat limber before returning from break.
Recent addition freshman Sandra Ostad from Oslo, Norway began practicing with the team for the first time with the restart of practices. The 19-year-old Ostad is an uneven bars and balance beam specialist and was Norway’s national champion in both events in 2007 and 2008.
Also noteworthy, sophomore Allie Heizelman was the recipient of an honorable mention for the sixth annual Coach Wooden Citizen Cup. The Cup is available to both collegiate and professional athletes and Heizelman was only one of two gymnasts to be nominated for the award.