TUCSON, Ariz.-The University of Arizona women's gymnastics team defeated San Jose State, 194.025-188.100, Friday night in front of a crowd of 975, in the McKale Center. The UA set a season-high total (194.025), and the Cats also posted season-high scores in all four events. Sophomore Randi Liljenquist led the Wildcat charge, winning the second-consecutive all-around title of her career. Arizona improved to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-10, while San Jose State dropped to 0-2 on the season.

Arizona never trailed during the meet, and the Cats scored a season-high team score of 48.075 on vault, a 48.900 on bars, a 48.025 on beam and a 49.025 on floor--the new No. 9 score on the UA's all-time top-10 list. Four Wildcat gymnasts set career-high scores during the meet, and Arizona swept the top-three individual spots on bars, beam, floor and in the all-around.

Individually for the Wildcats, sophomore Randi Liljenquist scored a new career-high 39.125 in the all-around, giving her the second all-around title of her career for the second week in a row. Liljenquist scored a career-high 9.650 on vault (fourth place), and she tied her career-high 9.825 on bars (second place). She also took the beam title with a 9.750, and she closed out the meet with a career-high 9.900 on floor and a first-place finish.

Freshman Nikki Beyschau looked impressive for the Cats, setting three career highs for the meet. She tied for second on vault (9.675) and took third on bars (9.800). Beyschau scored a career-high 9.700 on beam for second place, recorded a career-high 9.825 on floor for another second-place finish, and she took second in the all-around with a new career-high 39.000.

In her only event of the evening, senior All-American Heidi Hornbeek returned to lineup after sitting out the last meet with an ankle injury and took the bars title with a season-high 9.850. Junior Kara Fry tied her season-high 9.775 on bars (fourth place), scored a season-high 9.625 on beam (third place), tied her season-high 9.800 on floor (third place), and she scored a season-high 38.750 in all-around (third place).

Junior Nicci Filchner scored a season-high 9.650 on vault, while fellow junior Mary Reiss tied for second on vault with a season-high 9.675. Reiss set a career-high 9.775 on floor and tied for fourth place. Junior Heather Straccia set a career-best 9.525 on vault, and senior Kiernan Andrews landed in fifth place on beam with a 9.550.

Arizona heads to Denver, Colo., for a "Super Bowl Sunday tri-meet when the Wildcats battle the No. 12 Denver Pioneers and the No. 15 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. The UA returns to the McKale Center for a tri-meet on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m., when the Wildcats square off against the California Golden Bears and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.

Arizona Gymnastics
Arizona vs. San Jose State
McKale Center
January 28, 2000


Team Scores     Vault   Uneven Bars     Balance Beam    Floor   Totals
ARIZONA         48.075  48.900          48.025          49.025  194.025
San Jose State  47.450  45.925          46.750          47.975  188.100


Top scorers

Vault
1.      Danielle Albright       San Jose State  9.750
2.      Mary Reiss              Arizona         9.675
2.      Nikki Beyschau          Arizona         9.675

Uneven Bars
1.      Heidi Hornbeek          Arizona         9.850
2.      Randi Liljenquist       Arizona         9.825
3.      Nikki Beyschau          Arizona         9.800

Balance Beam
1.      Randi Liljenquist       Arizona         9.750
2.      Nikki Beyschau          Arizona         9.700
3.      Kara Fry                Arizona         9.625

Floor Exercise
1.      Randi Liljenquist       Arizona         9.900
2.      Nikki Beyschau          Arizona         9.825
3.      Kara Fry                Arizona         9.800

All-Around
1.      Randi Liljenquist       Arizona         39.125
2.      Nikki Beyschau          Arizona         39.000 
3.      Kara Fry                Arizona         38.750