RUTGERS at BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 23, 2019 • Noon ET • Big Ten Network
Rec Hall • University Park, Pa.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After 12 regular season meets, Rutgers gymnastics is set to compete in the noon session of the Big Ten Championships Saturday at Penn State. The meet will take place on podium inside Rec Hall and broadcast on Big Ten Network with Dean Linke and Alina Weinstein on the call. This will be the Scarlet Knights' fifth appearance in the Big Ten Championships, including hosting at the RAC in 2017.
 
RU will start on balance beam and rotate with Maryland, Michigan State and No. 23 Ohio State.
 
"The team is very excited and I think prepared," head coach Umme Salim-Beasley said. "They are not treating this meet any different than any other we've competed, knowing we have to do the same job. With it being the culminating event this year, they are so proud of what they have been able to achieve so far and want to go out one last time as a team and show everyone what we are capable of doing. We've always said that our best gymnastics is yet to come, and we hope to put our best routines on display this weekend."
 
Top Rutgers Scores at Big Ten Championships
Team: 194.775 (2016)
All-Around: 39.025 – Belle Huang (2018)
Vault: 9.875 – Claire Jones (2017)
Uneven Bars: 9.875 – Makenzey Shank (2016)
Balance Beam: 9.850 – Makenzey Shank (2017)
Floor Exercise: 9.875 – Riahanah Ali (2016), Claire Jones (2015), Libby Groden (2015)
All-Championship Team: Claire Jones (vault, 2017), Makenzey Shank (balance beam, 2017), Riahanah Ali (floor exercise, 2016)
 
RUTGERS MEET PREVIEW
The Scarlet Knights head into the meet after posting two of their top three scores of the season the last two outings. RU posted a 194.825 at Cornell last Sunday, scoring a 195.175 the time before at Kent State for the best road mark in 2019. The top number this season of 196.050 was set Feb. 9 in a win over then-No. 25 Penn State over the RAC. Rutgers also topped then-No. 22 Ohio State at the Big Five meet for a second Big Ten victory, owning a combined two regular season Big Ten wins in the previous four seasons.
 
The Scarlet Knights have recorded a 194 or better in each of the past eight meets and in nine of the last 10.
 
Sophomore Belle Huang was named Second Team All-Big Ten earlier this week to become the second RU gymnast to earn the honor (Libby Groden, 2017). The all-arounder has topped the 39-mark four times so far this season with a career-high 39.300, holding a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 39.015. She leads the Scarlet Knights with an RQS of 9.885 on floor exercise, ranked No. 52 nationally among 491 qualifiers, and 9.835 on balance beam. Senior Riahanah Ali (9.775) paces the team on vault and sophomore Shannon Farrell (9.835) is first on uneven bars.
 
Huang tied the school record of 9.925 on balance beam on Feb. 9 and Farrell posted the best uneven bars score since 2003 with a 9.925 on March 8.
 
As a team, Rutgers is ranked No. 38 nationally on floor exercise with an RQS of 49.040. That lineup has produced five showing of 49.000 or better. In addition, vault holds an RQS of 48.810.
 
Huang has competed all-around every meet this year, while Amoresano has the last 11 with a high of 39.050. She won uneven bars last week for her fourth first-place. Huang has eight top finishes, while senior Jenna Rizkalla has five, Ali four, Farrell three, junior Kaitlyn Hall two and freshman Kiera Doherty-Herwitz one.
 
This will be the second podium meet of the season for RU, scoring a 194.650 at Elevate the Stage on Feb. 23. The Scarlet Knights last traveled to Penn State for the 2016 Big Five meet.


COACH SALIM-BEASLEY Q&A
On consistency: "I really feel like it comes from the way that we train. Our practices really emphasize consistency and if you're not consistent, you just don't make it into our lineup. Everything is based on the number of routines that they hit during the week. That forces them to really focus in on every turn that they take. It has been so competitive in the gym that even one miss on a routine could be the difference between competing or not. That mindset of training all year has helped build the consistency, which has brought more confidence."
 
On starting on balance beam: "I believe we have started on beam only one other time this year. We will try to get them into the mindset during the week of where we will start and practice that way. With beam this week, we want to stay as relaxed as possible. You need so much focus to get up and do a routine aggressively without mistakes. Staying calm will be our biggest key."
 
UP NEXT
The Scarlet Knights will await NCAA Regional selections, which will be announced Monday.
 
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's gymnastics, follow the program on Twitter (@RUGymnastics), Facebook (/RUGymnastics), Instagram (@rutgersgymnastics) and Snapchat (rutgersgym).