Gymnast Profiles Meet the Utes Jessica Duke Senior • 5’4” • Sandy, Utah • The Waterford School Olympus School of Gymnastics UTAH: A starter on bars since her freshman CLUB/HIGH SCHOOL: International Elite year, she has competed on all four events at qualifier in 2000 … 2000 Junior Olympics na- various times of her career … 85-90 in career tional all-around champion … 10th in the all- routines and 10-of-10 in NCAA Champion- around at the 2003 J.O. Championships and ships routines… two career victories … 14th in 2004 … competed for Region I team member of Utah’s Student Athlete Advisory that took first at both the 2003 and ’04 J.O. Council (SAAC). Championships … sixth on bars and eighth 2007–Earned second-team All-America on floor at the 2004 J.O.’s … won floor and honors on the bars by scoring a career-best placed third on bars and fifth in the all-around 9.90 … missed a spot in NCAA event finals at the 2003 Utah-Moscow Games in Mos- by one place (tied for fifth session II of the cow, Russia … trained at Olympus School of opening night of the NCAA Championships) Gymnastics under coaches Mary Wright (also … swung bars to count in every meet … com- a Ute volunteer coach) and Ryan Kirkham … peted in the all-around in the first three meets, graduated from The Waterford School. scoring a career-best 39.00 in the opener Gymnast Profiles against UCLA … hit 31-33 routines … made PERSONAL: Daughter of Joy and Jeff Duke the Athletics Academic Honor Roll. … both parents graduated from BYU … three 2006–Scored a 9.80 on both vault and bars in brothers (David, Daniel, Matthew) and two NCAA Super Six competition … hit all four sisters (Jamie, Madeline) … family and con- routines at nationals … went all-around in sumer studies major … full name is Jessica the season opener at UCLA … won the floor Marie Duke … born Oct. 5, 1985 in Illinois. exercise at Washington with a 9.85 … hit 35- 38 routines. Catching up with Jessica Duke’s Career Highs 2005–Went the entire season, including Miles from home: 10 four routines at the national championships, All-Around 38.525 vs. UCLA, Jan. 7, 2006 Nicknames: Jessie, Dukie without a fall … scored a 9.85 on vault and a Vault 9.925 vs. Arizona State, Mar. 18, 2005 You may not know: My dad was the student 9.825 on bars (tying her season high) in the Bars 9.90 vs. Michigan, Feb. 11, 2006 body president at BYU. NCAA Super Six … cracked the vault lineup 9.90 at NCAA Championships, Apr. 26, 2007 Beam 9.675 vs. UCLA, Jan. 12, 2007 Gymnast I pretended to be as a child: one month into the season and earned a start- ing job on bars by the midway point … won 9.675 vs. Minnesota, Jan. 27, 2007 Amanda Borden Floor 9.85 vs. Washington, Jan. 13, 2006 vault vs. Arizona State with career-best 9.925 Favorite skill to perform: Full-out dismount 9.85 vs. SUU/USU, Jan. 27, 2006 on bars. … had three 9.90-or-better vault scores … hit 9.85 vs. Oregon State, Mar. 10, 2006 Favorite non-U of U team: Manchester 19-19 routines. United Favorite food: Sushi Favorite movie: Garden State Favorite gymnasts: Gritt Hofmann, Shannon Bowles, Ashley Postell 24 1 0 - T I M E N A T I O N A L C H A M P I O N S Meet the Utes Katie Kivisto Senior • 5’0” • Boca Raton, Fla. • Pope John Paul II HS American Twisters UTAH: Emerged as a vocal team leader a CLUB/HIGH SCHOOL: Five-year Inter- year ago … a bar specialist for her first two national Elite gymnast competed for the U.S. years, she made the floor lineup in 2007 ... Senior National Team from 2001-02 … 11th will try out for a starting position on bars, in the all-around at the 2001 USA Gymnas- beam and floor… 32-38 in career routines … tics Championships … member of the USA member of Utah’s Student Athlete Mentors Junior National Team from 1999-2000 … (SAMS). 1999 J.O. floor exercise champion … third in Gymnast Profiles 2007–Utah’s Most Inspirational Gymnast the all-around at 1999 J.O. Championships … overcame an elbow injury to earn a starting placed third all-around and first on beam at spot on the floor … Utah’s very first competi- the Puerto Cup … trained for the late Tim and tor of the NCAA Super Six scored a 9.775 on Toni Rand at American Twisters. the floor … received a 9.80 the first night of NCAA competition … tied her career high PERSONAL: Daughter of Sharon and Jussi with a 9.825 on floor at NCAA Regionals Kivisto … last name is pronounced ka-viss- … competed twice on bars before an elbow toe … younger sisters Brigitte and Hanna injury took her out of the rotation … hit 9-11 both compete in gymnastics (Brigette is a routines, including all nine floor routines sophomore at Yale) … has a skill on balance … made the Dean’s List and the Athletics beam named after her (the Kivisto) … double Academic Honor Roll … 4.0 GPA spring se- major in psychology and political science … mester … NACGC Scholastic All-American. full name is Katia Helena Kivisto … born 2006–Season ended prematurely when she Dec. 10, 1985. dislocated her elbow in uneven bar warm-ups Catching up with Katie on Mar. 10 … season-best 9.85 at Michigan Kivisto’s Career Highs on Feb. 11 … hit 5-6 routines (all on bars as Bars 9.90 vs. Brigham Young, Feb. 11, 2005 Miles from home: 2,050 the lead-off competitor) … only fall came in the season opener. Beam 9.70 vs. Utah State, Jan. 14, 2005 You may not know: My dad was born in Floor 9.825 vs. Minnesota, Jan. 27, 2007 2005–Began the season as the second com- Finland 9.825 vs. Arizona State, Mar. 23, 2007 I started gymnastics at age: 2 petitor on bars, but soon developed into a 9.825 at NCAA Regionals, Apr. 14, 2007 Gymnast I pretended to be as a child: high-scoring lead-off … 9.825 score on bars Shannon Miller in the NCAA Super Six … competed on bars Favorite non U of U sports team: Miami in every meet and made the starting lineup Heat twice on beam and four times on floor … Career goal: Attorney placed second on bars vs. BYU, scoring a Favorite food: Steak career-best 9.90 … hit 18-21 routines, includ- Favorite subject in school: Pyschology ing `14-15 on bars. Favorite animal: Penguin Favorite gymnast: Jana Beiger 1 0 - T I M E N A T I O N A L C H A M P I O N S 25 Meet the Utes Ashley Postell Senior • 5’2” • Burke, Va. • Alpha Omega HS Capital Gymnastics NTC UTAH: Owns 15 All-America awards (the to a foot injury suffered during the NCAA most possible) in her first three years – in- Super Six warm-ups (did compete on bars and cluding 13 first-team citations … 2007 NCAA tied for third) … despite the injury, she went balance beam champion … fierce competi- all-around and scored a 39.325 in the Super tor has never been beaten head-to-head in Six … NCAA North Central Region Gym- NCAA all-around competition – winning her nast of the Year … won the NCAA regional session all three years, only to finish second bar championship with a 9.925 … career twice (2006 and 2007), and third in 2005 … all-around best of 39.775 on Mar. 11 ties the Utah’s Most Valuable Performer all three fifth-best mark in school history … won the years has led the Utes in victories since her all-around in her very first college meet vs. freshman year … 73 career victories includes UCLA and her 39.625 score set a Ute fresh- 19 all-around wins … has hit 161-174 career man record for best all-around debut … two routines. 10.0 scores on the balance beam in back-to- 2007–Spectacular postseason culminated back weeks was a Utah first … team-best in an NCAA balance beam championship, 23 victories included seven all-around wins Gymnast Profiles a silver medal in the all-around and five … completed her first 43 collegiate routines All-America awards (four first team) … also without a fall before a miscue on floor in placed third on floor and seventh on bars at the final regular season meet … hit 56-58 nationals … second-team vault All-American routines … voted Utah’s co-MVP. … did not lose a head-to-head all-around competition at nationals, winning the evening CLUB/HIGH SCHOOL: 2002 World Bal- session on Thursday (39.60) and scoring a ance Beam Champion …U.S. Senior National Catching up with Ashley 39.65 in the Super Six … recorded six wins Team member from 1998-2004 competed at over the three-day course of the NCAA both the 2002 and 2003 World Champion- Miles from home: 1,832 Championships – placing first on bars, beam ships … 2003 U.S. champion on floor exer- Nicknames: Ash, Potty and in the all-around on day one; floor and cise also placed second on beam and fourth Family note: My brother played football at all-around in the Super Six; and beam during in the all-around and on bars at the 2003 USA Duquesne University and has professional event finals … three-time NCAA West Re- Championships … trained for coaches Tatiana aspirations gional champion won the all-around, bars and Perskaia, Victor Vetrov and Marina Gerasi- Gymnast I pretended to be as a child: beam, while placing second on the floor … mova at Capital Gymnastics NTC … home Dominique Dawes three best all-around scores of the year came schooled (received degree from Alpha Omega Favorite skill to perform: Omilianchik (back in the postseason: 39.675 at regionals, 39.60 High School).