Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
By NANCY MORGAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 22, 2001
Ashley Shible (East Lake) had an impressive freshman year for the University of Denver gymnastics team.
Even so, Shible, 19, plans to outdo herself next season.
Finishing in a tie for seventh in the vault at the NCAA Champion-
ships in May earned Shible second-team All-American recognition. Denver, making its first NCAA appearance, placed 12th. Shible contributes her vaulting success to coach Viktor Savitski at the Geminni School of Gymnastics in Oldsmar.
The two developed "The Shible" -- a half-on, half-off front tuck vault with either a full or half-twist landing. The signature move resulted in Shible capturing national titles in 1999 and 2000 in Level 10 competition.
"I was so excited about our team finish," Shible said of Denver's NCAA performance. "We have great team comraderie, and it's getting better. "Competing at the college level is so much fun, even though it is very competitive," she said. "I focus on the team, and that keeps the pressure off me individually."
Shible missed advancing to the vault finals by a mere 0.05 points, which would have made her the first gymnast in the school's history to do so.
"Ashley had a terrific season," said Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart, the Pioneers' third-year coach. "To win the all-around at the NCAA North Central Regional Championships, to help qualify us to the championships was a big thing. For Ashley to earn second-team All-American on vault is huge."
Kutcher-Rinehart sees only more triumphs for Shible. The rising sophomore agrees.
"I want to improve in all the events," Shible said. "Who knows, maybe I can be All-American in other events or even in the all-around."
To achieve such lofty goals, she returned to Denver after just a week home in Palm Harbor. Ankle surgery shortly after the conclusion of the season also prompted Shible to continue her rehab program at school.
"I had a bone spur that bothered me some during the season, so I had it scoped about seven weeks ago," she said. "I'm doing some tumbling now and working on the bars. It's going very well."
Shible wasted no time making her mark at the NCAA Division I school.
She capped off her fourth vault title with a perfect 10 against Utah State midway through the season. Combined with career-high balance beam and floor exercise scores and fifth on uneven bars and balance beam, a school record in the all-around was established.
Shible went on to capture seven all-around championships, breaking Denver's all-around record three times and capturing 23 total titles.
"Ashley was a highly-recruited athlete and is a great competitor," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "She's mentally strong, and we knew she had no boundaries to her abilities. The sky's the limit for her. Ashley's not done with her improvements and achievements by any stretch of the imagination."
Following the NCAA Championships, the Pioneers were honored by the state's House and Senate with a joint resolution. The resolution included recognition of Shible's achievements. "The team is back on campus and we're working out," Shible said. "It's important to maintain our skills, become more consistent with what we know and learn new skills. We want to do even better next season."
TENNIS: Nigel Mitten (Thom Howard Academy) was named a student athlete of the week at UNC-Greensboro in April after his three consecutive singles victories helped the Spartans capture the top position in the Southern Conference.
Mitten completed his senior year with an 11-14 record at the No. 2 spot and was 17-2 in doubles. In his four-year career, he was 61-50 in singles and 63-25 in doubles.
UNC-Greensboro senior Christine Weber (Countryside/Louisiana State) was 5-17 at No. 1 and 14-5 in No. 2 doubles.
Teammates Ashley Rimel (Northside Christian) was 2-21 in No. 2 singles and Amanda Eutzler (CCC) 4-13in No. 4, 5 and 6. The Spartans were 15-5 overall and tied for first in the Southern Conference with a 9-1 record.
Gina Craig (Canterbury) was one of three players at UNC-Charlotte to record double-figure wins.
It was the second season for the sophomore to earn 10 victories in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Craig was 8-6 in No. 2 doubles.
Danny McCain (Canterbury) completed his third year for the Michigan Wolverines with a 10-7 record in No. 3 singles and a 6-8 mark in No. 2 doubles.
The team made its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships, but it lost in the first round to Kentucky.
ICE SKATING: Nicole Purdy (East Lake/UCF) left recently for a three-month tour through Japan with Disney on Ice's 75th anniversary show.
While in high school, Purdy qualified for national pairs skating three times with partner Josiah Modes. Purdy trained at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar.
BASEBALL: Gulf Coast League Rangers right-handed pitcher Nick Masset (PP/SPJC) combined with two relievers for a no-hitter.
Masset, an eighth-round draft choice of the Texas Rangers last year, underwent elbow surgery a season ago.
Tyler Banks (Dunedin/SPJC) signed as a free agent last month with the Florida Marlins. The right-handed pitcher is 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA in 14 innings with Melbourne in the Gulf Coast Rookie League.
Former pitcher George Tsamis (Countryside/Stetson), the first-year manager of the New Jersey Jackals, was selected to guide the east squad in this month's Independent Northern League All-Star game in Winnipeg.
Tsamis, an ex-Minnesota Twin, had a 10-year professional career. Pitcher Grant Abrams (Tarpon Springs/SPJC) is 1-0 in 10 innings with the Jamestown Jammers in the Short A New York-Penn League. Jamestown is an Atlanta Braves affiliate.
Andrew Beattie (Clearwater) is hitting .308 in 52 games with the Mudville Nine in the California League.
Beattie has 62 hits and 26 RBI for the Cincinnati Reds' A advanced team.
While with the Reds' AA Chatanooga Lookouts last month, he connected for three home runs in 48 at-bats. A short stint with the AAA Louisville RiverBats last month resulted in the outfielder hitting .222 in 7 games.
Left-hander John Killalea (Seminole) signed with the St. Louis Cardinals this month and is with Johnson City in the Appalachian Rookie League.
Bryan Bass (Seminole) is playing for the Baltimore Orioles' Sarasota affiliate in the Gulf Coast Rookie League. The shortstop, the 31st draft choice, signed in early July.
Third baseman Corey Slavik (Boca Ciega/Wake Forest) is hitting .407, including four home runs, for the Chicago Cubs' Boise A team in the Northwest League.
- News for this column may be faxed to Nancy Morgan, 445-4119, e-mailed to
namgamma@gte.net, or sent to 710 Court St. Clearwater, Fla. 33756. Please include your phone number.