Gymnastics Inks Five To National Letters Of Intent
11/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Nov. 25, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's gymnastics team signed five gymnasts to a National Letters of Intent and will join the Spartans for the 2004 season, Michigan State head coach Kathie Klages announced on Nov. 25.
The first signee is Kristin Coleman from Cornwall, Ontario. Coleman has been a member of the Ottawa Gymnastics Club for 10 years, under the direction of Lori Jerullo. She has competed at the Canadian National Open Division, finishing third on the bars and ninth in the all-around. A team member for the upcoming 2003 Canada Games, Coleman was the all-around champion in the 2000 and 2002 Provincial Tour Selection and the 2001 Buckeye Classic.
National floor champion Chayla Hill will join the Spartans in 2002. For the past 11 years, the Hudson, Ohio, native has been a member of Gymnastics World, where Ron and Joan Ganim coach her. She competes at the USAG Level 10 and finished first on the floor at the 2002 U.S. Nationals and 13th on the vault. Hill was named the 2002 Region V Athlete of the Year and has been Gymnastics World's Most Valuable Gymnast for seven straight years.
Victoria Iakounina comes to Michigan State from Dumfries, Va. Under the leadership of her parents, Olga and Guennadi, she has been a member of the Cardinal Gymnastics Center for seven years. Competing at the USAG Level 10, Iakounina placed 18th in the all-around at the U.S. Nationals. She also tallied a sixth-place finish on the vault. Iakounina was second on both the vault and the beam at the regional level and finished the all-around in third-place.
The Spartans will have a Michigan native on the 2004 freshman roster, as Jaclyn O'Brien joins the squad from Hartland. Finishing 10th in the all-around at the 2002 USAG Nationals, O'Brien competes at a Level 10. O'Brein has been a member Geddert's Twisters USA for the past eight years, under the guidance of John and Kathryn Geddert and Sam Buchalter. O'Brien was the Level 10 state champion in 2001 and finished the 2002 Level 10 regionals in second place.
Rounding out the incoming Spartans is Jenna Rivers. A native of Happague, N.Y., Rivers placed first in the all-around at the 2002 Empire Games. Rivers has been a member of the Exper-Tiess Gymnastics Club for the past 10 years, coached by Barbara and Mary Tiess and Caryl Crasa. Rivers was a four-time national qualifier and a regional floor champion.