Beavers Open Season Ranked 12th in Preseason Poll

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State gymnastics team will enter the 2018 season ranked 12th in the nation according to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Preseason Poll, which was released Sunday. The Beavers finished the 2017 season with a 11th-place finish at NCAA Championships.

Eight out of OSU's 12 opponents on the 2018 slate are ranked in the preseason Top 36 poll with the other four receiving votes. In addition, all eight Pac-12 Conference's gymnastics teams are ranked, including six among the Top 20.

Oregon State's five-meet home calendar includes duals against No. 18 Stanford (Jan. 27), No. 31 Arizona State (Feb. 3), No. 26 Arizona (Feb. 17) and No. 34 BYU (March 5). In addition, the Beavers conclude the regular season on Senior Day March 10 when they host Michigan State. The 13th annual DAM Cancer meet has been slated for Feb. 3, when the OSU meets Arizona State.

The road schedule presents several daunting trips, including the season-opener three time zones away at Pittsburgh on Jan. 13. OSU then travels to Salt Lake City to open the conference season at No. 5 Utah (Jan. 19). A pair of road trips to No. 15 Washington (Feb. 10) and No. 6 UCLA (Feb. 25) dot the February schedule before the Beavers close the regular season in a quad meet at Sacramento State (March 16) with ASU and UC Davis.

For the second straight year, Oregon State will host its home opener in week three with a Saturday matinee against Stanford on Jan. 27.

The Beavers will be led by a pair of seniors in Shireen Khamedoost and Dani Dessaints, who was a Pac-12 co-champion and an All-American on vault in 2017. In all, Oregon State adds six newcomers – five freshman and a transfer – to a squad that includes 11 returning letterwinners from last year.

The OSU gymnastics team opens the 2017-18 season with the annual Orange & Black Exhibition this Friday in Gill Coliseum. The event is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start. Admission is free and the team will sign autographs following the exhibition.

Season and single meet tickets are available now at BeaverTickets.com, in person at the Gill Coliseum Ticket Office, or by calling 1-800-GO-BEAVS.

2018 NACGC/W Preseason Poll
1. Oklahoma – 1769 points (33 first place votes)
2. Florida – 1728 (10)
3. LSU – 1692 (7)
4. Alabama – 1584
5. Utah – 1544
6. UCLA – 1477
7. Michigan – 1443
8. Denver – 1313
9. Nebraska – 1214
10. Kentucky – 1213
11. California – 1201
12. OREGON STATE – 1141
13. Boise State – 1125
14. Auburn – 1119
15. Washington – 1114
16. Georgia – 1011
17. Missouri – 975
18. Stanford – 903
19. Arkansas – 872
20. Iowa – 819
21. George Washington – 701
22. Ohio State – 690
23. Illinois-Champaign – 609
24. Southern Utah – 605
25. Penn State – 599
26. Arizona – 569
27. Minnesota – 569
28. West Virginia – 482
29. Iowa State - 450
30. Central Michigan – 376
31. Arizona State - 347
32. Utah State – 265
33. Kent State – 223
34. BYU – 212
35. Eastern Michigan – 189
36. North Carolina - 177

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Players Mentioned

Dani Dessaints

Shireen Khamedoost

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