Jan. 9, 2008

FULLERTON, CA - The Cal State Fullerton women's gymnastics team opens its 2008 regular season with an action packed weekend against a pair of Western Athletic Conference foes. The Titans travel to San Jose State for a Friday night (Jan. 11) dual meet beginning at 7 p.m. in San Jose before heading a little further north to take on Sacramento State on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 13) at 2 p.m.

TITANS PICKED FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL: Fullerton was picked to finish fifth out of six teams in the Western Athletic Conference in 2008 according to a vote of the league's coaches released on Monday. The Titans, who received 14 points, finished just ahead of San Jose State in sixth place with 12 points. Two-time defending conference champion Sacramento State and last year's runner-up Southern Utah stand tied atop the poll with 27 points each, but the Thunderbirds picked up three first-place votes to the Hornets' one. Boise State and Utah State also each received a first-place vote and tied for third in the coaches poll with 23 points overall.

2008 Preseason Gymnastics Coaches Poll
1. (tie) Southern Utah (3) - 27
1. (tie) Sacramento State (1) - 27
3. (tie) Boise State (1) - 23
3. (tie) Utah State (1) - 23
5. Cal State Fullerton - 14
6. San Jose State - 12

IN THE RANKINGS: Cal State Fullerton, San Jose State, and Sacramento State are all listed among those receiving votes in the 2008 preseason national coaches poll released on Dec. 16. Overall, five of Fullerton's opponents this season are ranked in the top 15 (UCLA - #4, Alabama - #6, Oregon State - #11, Arizona - #12, and Arkansas - #14) with seven other schools receiving votes. The complete preseason poll can be viewed by clicking here.

A LOOK AT THE TITANS: Cal State Fullerton returns eight letter winners and welcomes eight new faces to the roster for the 2008 campaign after finishing 8-7 overall and 4-1 against WAC foes last season. The Titans are coming off a fifth-place finish at the WAC Championships with a score of 193.625. Sophomore Shannon Kawada earned all-conference second-team honors on bars while 10 student-athletes were honored for their performance in the classroom, earning berths to either the Academic All-WAC or NACGC-W Academic All-America lists.

MISS SMARTY PANTS: Excelling in the gym is great, but succeeding in the classroom is of the utmost importance to Head Coach Jill Hicks - and her teams have not let her down. In Hicks' two seasons with the program, nine different gymnasts have been named to the Academic All-WAC teams a total of 13 times and eight student-athletes have been named to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches Academic All-America honor roll 11 times.

ABOUT THE COACH: The Titans are led by second-year head coach Jill Hicks, who was voted the 2007 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in her inaugural season. The fourth head coach in the history of the program, Hicks helped lead Fullerton to wins in three of its first four meets and an upset of No. 21 Arizona State. Hicks spent one year as an assistant coach for the Titans in 2006 in her return to coaching after spending 14 years as an assistant at Oregon State and the following four years as a coach and choreographer at the National Gymnastics Training Center in Aliso Viejo. Hicks, who is married to the Titans' sixth-year head wrestling coach, Dan Hicks, helped the Beavers to nine consecutive NCAA appearances and helped produce 33 All-Americans and five national champions.

YOUTH IS SERVED: Of the 16 gymnasts on the roster for the 2008 season, 12 of those student-athletes are underclassmen - half of those freshmen.

UP TO THE TASK?: A young Titans program will face a daunting schedule in 2008 as the slate features nine opponents that advanced to regional competition, including its yearly home-and-home with NCAA nationals regular UCLA, which finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in 2007. Five of those nine opponents finished among the final top 25 with the remaining four ranked no lower than No. 34 in the nation based on its finish at the NCAA Championships, its finish at regionals, and a team's regional qualifying score.

ALL AMERICA ROSTER: Perhaps historically known for a more California-centric roster in the past, Cal State Fullerton's second-year head coach Jill Hicks has gone outside the state borders to assemble this year's roster. Of the 16 student-athletes, 10 hail from outside of California - including freshman Alaina Baker, who travelled over 1,700 miles from her home in Oak Grove, Missouri, to compete for the Titans.

LOOKING AHEAD: After opening the season on the road, Cal State Fullerton returns home to Titan Gym for its next two meets. The Titans will host UCLA, Brown, and Wisconsin-Eau Claire in their home opener on Sunday, Jan. 20, before welcoming Utah State to Orange County on Sunday, Jan. 27. Both meets are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.