April 8, 2006

Fayetteville, Ark.- The UIC women's gymnastics team makes their seventh all-time NCAA Regional appearance this Saturday, as the Flames head to the 2006 NCAA South Central Regional at the University of Arkansas' Barnhill Arena.

UIC FLAMES

at the 2006 NCAA South Central Regional Championships

(Florida, UCLA, Arkansas, Illinois, Southeast Missouri State)

Barnhill Arena - University of Arkansas

Saturday, April 8 - 7:00 p.m.

FLAMES HEAD TO FAYETTEVILLE FOR NCAA SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL THIS SATURDAY:

After a one-year hiatus from NCAA postseason competition as a team, the UIC women's gymnastics makes its fourth South Central Regional appearance in the last five years when it makes its way to the University of Arkansas' Barnhill Arena on Saturday night.

WELCOME BACK

UIC makes its return to the NCAA South Central Regional after missing the postseason by .08 of a point last season. Prior to last season's near-miss, UIC had made three consecutive trips to the NCAA South Central Regional. The Flames will be making their seventh all-time trip to the NCAA Regional Championships this Saturday, all of which have been made under the guidance of Peter and Mary Jansson.

MEUNIER ON THE MONEY

Senior Veronique Meunier (Hull, Quebec/Secondaire de l'ile) has provided veteran leadership and critical scoring as one of UIC's top all-arounders this season. The Midwest Independent Conference Co-Senior Gymnast of the Year, Meunier has made big strides this season as a consistent force at the top of all-around rankings.

ZANDRE IS A SIGHT TO Z

Freshman Zandre Labuschagne (Klerksdorp, South Africa/Technical/Intec College) has provided experience beyond her years during her collegiate rookie campaign. Labuschagne came to UIC with a stellar gymnastics resume that included a spot at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The sole gymnast to represent South Africa at the 2004 Olympics and the first artistic gymnast to represent South Africa in an Olympic competition in 44 years, Labuschagne has shown why she was so highly-touted with all-around tallies above 38.0 in the final four meets of the season, helping her become the second-ranked all-arounder in the Midwest Independent Conference in terms of Regional Qualifying Score (38.555) while maintaining the best all-around total average in the league (38.447).

YOUNG GUNS

After losing 14 routines to graduation and another two before the season, UIC has depended on its youth. The youngsters have responded, with sophomore Jamie Buckley (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant) and freshman Beth Kliver (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) proving to be strong vault scorers, and true freshmen Sarah Jane Mayhan (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) and Ashley Thurston (Sylva, N.C./Smoky Mountain) giving UIC stability on beam and bars, respectively. Following an injury to freshman Annie Kachman (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles), who was the team's leading all-arounder in the first part of the season, rookie Zandre Labuschagne stepped in to become the Flames' all-around stud.

INJURY UPDATE

In addition to losing significant scoring to graduation prior to the start of the 2006 season, the Flames also lost two key contributors for significant amounts of the season. Freshman Annie Kachman was lost after the San Jose State Triangular with a serious thigh injury. Senior Regine Charron (Hull, Quebec/Secondaire de l'ile) was lost after March 5th fall on bars against Illinois State that injured a wrist. Both have made huge progress and could be available by time the regional meet is set to start.

BACK TO THE BARN

This Saturday won't be the first time that the Flames have competed at the home of the Ladybacks. UIC opened the 2004 season at Barnhill Arena against Arkansas, Minnesota and West Virginia on Jan. 10, 2004.

JESSIE STEPS UP

One of this season's breakout stars on the UIC women's gymnastics team has been junior Jessie Jaworowicz (Roscoe, Ill./Keith School). Like her older sister, Jackie, who worked her way from floor exercise specialist to an all-around talent that was named NCAA South Central Co-Gymnast of the Year in 2005, Jessie has worked her way into a top-scoring threat in three events (UB, BB, FX) after beginning her career as a beam stalwart. Jessie elevated her floor exercise routine enough to achieve a career-best 9.8 twice this year. The younger Jaworowicz is working on vault skills that she will hone this off-season to reach all-around status as a senior in 2007.

RACHAEL RATES AMONG THE BEST FOR UIC

Junior Rachael Zelinski (Worthington, Ohio/Worthington) continued to show off her magnificent skills on balance beam and floor exercise during her third collegiate campaign. One of Zelinski's biggest season highlights occurred when she turned in a career-high 9.9 on floor against Minnesota on Jan. 21st, winning the event title against a tough Gophers squad.

Peter Jansson & Mary Jansson

Finishing off their 16th season at the helm of the UIC women's gymnastics program are Peter and Mary Jansson. The husband-and-wife coaching duo have brought UIC to new heights since their arrival to campus in the 1990-91 season, guiding the Flames to their first-ever NCAA Regional berth in 1995 and picking up six more bids afterward. Every modern school record, team and individual, have been set under the Janssons, who have also guided UIC to nine conference championships.