Gymnast Bios • Veronique Leclerc
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GYMNAST BIOS • VERONIQUE LECLERC UTAH: Former Canadian National Team member is a four-time NCAA All-American (3 bars, 1 vault) … 18 career victories … has VERONIQUE LECLERC “hit” 116-132 career routines. 2003–Utah’s top individual finisher at the NCAA Championships Senior, 5’1" placed third on bars … first-team All-American on bars and second- St. Hubert, Quebec team All-American on vault … 9.90 on bars first night of NCAA Andre-Laurendeau HS Championships was tied for first in session and second overall … tied Anthropology/Exercise & Sport Science for sixth on vault in first day of NCAA competition (9.875) … “hit” June 23, 1981 6-7 routines at nationals … regular on vault, bars and floor went all- around four times, scoring season-best 39.425 score vs. ASU on Jan. 24 … two regular season victories on bars (vs. Utah State and LSU) … 9.95 bar score vs. USU was career best … “hit” 43-50 routines... NACGC Scholastic All-American. 2002–Second-team All-American on bars … “hit” all six routines at nationals and peaked in Super Six, scoring 9.90 on vault and bars and 9.80 on beam … Super Six bars score tied for third and vault score tied for fourth … went all-around nine times, winning at LSU (39.275) … season all-around best was 39.525 on Jan. 18 … set or tied career highs on bars (9.95) and beam (9.90) … 7 wins (1 all- around, 3 vault, 2 bars, 1 beam) … “hit” 43-49 routines. 2001–Second-team All-American on bars … scored a 9.85 on vault in Super Six … NCAA region vault runner-up … best freshman all- around debut score in school history (39.675) came in final regular season meet ... 39.675 tied seventh best all-around score ever at Utah ... 8 victories (all on vault) ... five 9.90 bar scores … competed on floor in last two regular season meets ... won vault and tied for second on bars in first collegiate meet ... “hit” 30-33 routines ... NACGC Scholastic All-American (3.80 GPA). CLUB/HIGH SCHOOL: Five-year member of Canada’s National Team ... ninth all-around at 2000 Canadian Olympic Trials ... won all-around, vault and beam and was second on bars at 1997 Elite Canada ... 1997 Canadian uneven bar champion was also fourth all- around and second on vault ... 28th all-around at 1997 World Cham- pionships in Lausanne, Switzerland ... placed second on bars at 1998 Commonwealth Games (Canada won bronze medal) ... won all- around and bars at 1995 Canada Games ... 1998 Athlete of the Year by Canadian Gymnastics Federation ... trained at Gym-Richelieu (coaches Michel Charron and Galina Larchina.) ... graduated from Andre-Laurendeau High School. PERSONAL: Daughter of Charlotte Cote and Andre Leclerc ... two siblings (one brother, one sister) are both musicians ... fluent in French and English ... anthropology and exercise and sport science major ... born June 23, 1981. Nickname: V Did You Know: My family speaks French Leclerc’s Career Highs A-A 39.675 vs. Brigham Young, Mar. 23, 2001 Three Words that Describe Me: Friendly, funky, Frenchy Vault 9.975 vs. Oregon State, Mar. 10, 2001 Favorite Color: Orange Bars 9.950 vs. Brigham Young, Mar. 23, 2002 Favorite Food: Seafood 9.950 vs. Utah State, Feb. 7, 2003 Favorite Musician: Bob Marley Beam 9.900 vs. Washington, Feb. 8, 2002 Favorite Subject in School: Anthropology 9.900 vs. UCLA, Jan. 10, 2003 Favorite Book: Tuesdays with Maurie Floor 9.950 vs. Brigham Young, Mar. 23, 2001 Favorite Person in History: Martin Luther King Jr. Favorite Event: Bars 10-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM 21 GYMNAST BIOS • MELISSA VITUJ UTAH: Eight-time All-American was voted team co-captain … national contender on all four events and in the all-around … 28 MELISSA VITUJ career victories … has “hit” 146-155 (94%) of her career routines … crowd-pleaser loves to compete. Senior, 5’0" 2003–First-team All-American on floor for third straight year … Ada, Mich. second-team All-American in the all-around was ninth overall with a Forest Hills Central HS 39.325 … ninth on floor in event finals … team-high 39.375 all- Health Promotion and Education around score in Super Six team finals … NCAA North Central May 2, 1982 Region Gymnast of the Year … region champion on vault (9.90) and floor (9.925) … went all-around in every meet … team’s co-MVP led Utah with 22 wins … twice scored career-best 39.675 in the all- around … won all-around, vault, beam and floor vs. LSU … set or tied career marks on every apparatus: vault (9.95), bars (9.875), beam (9.975) and floor (9.975) … “hit” 57-60 routines. 2002–Three-time All-American was first team on floor and second team on vault and beam … 9.90 on floor both nights of team competi- tion at NCAA Championships … won first-ever collegiate all-around competition, scoring 39.575 vs. Arizona on Jan. 18 … season-high 39.625 on Mar. 23 … 5 wins … “hit” 49-53 routines. 2001–Sensational freshman earned first-team All-America honors on beam and floor and second-team status on vault … finished third in the nation on beam and ninth on floor … scored 9.90 on floor both nights of team competition at nationals … “hit” all 8 routines at NCAA Championships … three-event regular “hit” her first 20 routines ... won floor exercise competition at Minnesota ... “hit” 40- 42 routines… NACGC Scholastic All-American. CLUB, HIGH SCHOOL: Won balance beam and placed second on floor and vault and fifth in all-around at the 1999 Junior Olympic Level 10 nationals ... 1998 Level 10 J.O. national champ on beam and floor ... at 1999 region 5 meet, won all-around, beam and floor titles ... won region titles on beam and floor in 1998 ... three-year member of region 5 Junior Olympic National Champion team (1997-99) ... trained for Kentwood USA Gymnastics (coach John Figueroa) ... graduated from Forest Hills Central High School, where she earned four letters in cross country. PERSONAL: Daughter of Carol and Bill Vituj (pronounced vee toy) ... one brother (Chris) ... skill on beam is named after her (the “Vituj” features a wolf one and a half jump) ... enjoys hiking, camping, water sports and rollercoasters … once played guest mascot at a Utah men’s basketball game and dunked a basketball off a mini-tramp as “Baby Swoop” … health promotion and education major ... nickname is Mel … full name is Melissa Lynn Vituj ... born May 2, 1982. Vituj’s Career Highs A-A 39.675 vs. Utah State, Feb. 7, 2003 Nickname: Mel 39.675 vs. LSU, Mar. 14, 2003 Three Words that Describe Me: Happy, energetic, adventurous Vault 9.950 vs. Brigham Young, Mar. 1, 2002 Did You Know: I have flown (piloted) a jet airplane 9.950 vs. LSU, Mar. 14, 2003 Hobbies: Rock climbing, hiking (in Utah), water sports Bars 9.875 vs. Arizona State, Jan. 24, 2003 9.875 vs. Oregon State, Feb. 21, 2003 Favorite Color: Red 9.875 vs. Michigan, Feb. 28, 2003 Favorite Food: Dill pickles 9.875 vs. Brigham Young, Mar. 28, 2003 Favorite Book: All five Harry Potter books Beam 9.975 vs. Utah State, Feb. 7, 2003 Favorite Person in History: Mary Lou Retton 9.975 vs. Washington, Mar. 7, 2003 Floor 9.975 vs. Arizona State, Jan. 24, 2003 Favorite Amusement Park Ride: Rollercoasters 9.975 vs. Utah State, Feb. 7, 2003 Favorite Gymnast: (Former Ute) Linda Kardos-Wood 9.975 vs. Brigham Young, Mar. 28, 2003 22 10-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM GYMNAST BIOS • ANNABETH EBERLE UTAH: Former U.S. National Team member and three-time All- American is a phenomenal talent … voted Ute co-captain … one of ANNABETH EBERLE the nation’s best all-arounders and a potential NCAA finalist on all four events … 25 career wins … has “hit” 91-103 career routines … Junior, 5’5" extremely powerful. Reno, Nev. 2003–Sensational sophomore season culminated with first-team All- Galena HS America honors in the all-around (fourth-tie) and vault (sixth) … Exercise & Sport Science/Physical Therapy second-team All-American on bars … 39.475 all-around score on first April 14, 1983 night of NCAA Championships tied for second in session and 9.95 on vault tied for first … scored 39.275 in all-around in Super Six team finals … 9.95 on vault both nights of team competition at NCAA’s and 9.8565 in individual event finals … NCAA North Central Region all-around champion (39.45) … team co-MVP competed all-around in every meet and career-best 39.750 is tied for fourth in school history … twice scored 10.0 on floor … recorded career highs on every event: 9.975 vault, 9.950 bars, 9.950 beam, 10.0 floor … 20 victories was second on team … “hit” 55-59 routines. 2002–All-arounder peaked in postseason competition, “hitting” all 12 routines at regionals and nationals … NCAA West Region vault champion had season-best 9.925 … sixth all-around at regionals with season-best 39.325 … scored 39.075 in opening session of NCAA Championships (11th) and improved to 39.225 in Super Six … won very first collegiate vault … 5 total wins (3 on vault, 1 on bars, 1 on floor) … “hit” 36-44 routines. CLUB/HIGH SCHOOL: Seven-year U.S. National Team member … finished eighth all-around and third on beam at 1999 World Championships Trials … 19th all-around at 2000 USA Gymnastics Championships … won vault at 2000 Bluewater Invitational in Canada … also competed for U.S. team at meet in the Netherlands in 2000 … trained under coach Derick Moellenbeck at Starz Gymnastics … member of National Honor Society.