•
Complete Release (pdf)
•
Webcast
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 --
UC Davis at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PDT
Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.
Live webcast at:
www.pennatlantic.com
Seattle Pacific vaults into the 2010 season this week with its only home meet during the first two months of the year. The NCAA Division II Falcons entertain Division I UC Davis in a dual meet on Friday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. The two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rivals will meet again next week at Sacramento State in the first of eight straight road meets for SPU, which doesn’t compete again at Brougham Pavilion until a Mar. 19 visit from the Washington Huskies.
Targeting Texas
The season starts in Seattle. The Falcons hope it ends in Denton, Texas. That’s the site of the 2010 USGA Collegiate Championships, April 15-17. The SPU gymnastics squad competed in 27 consecutive national championship meets before falling just short of a team qualifying berth in 2009. They would like to start the streak up again.
Follow the Action
Are you unable to be at Brougham Pavilion for Friday’s meet? You can still watch the action live via a free webcast at
www.pennatlantic.com Accompanying the video will be commentary from former SPU assistant coach Carly Dockendorf.
Rivalry Renewed
NCAA Division I competitor UC Davis is a member of the same Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) as Seattle Pacific. In their last meeting, the Falcons finished second (191.700) at the 2009 MPSF meet and UC Davis placed third (191.425). Friday marks the second meet of the season for the Aggies, who compiled a score of 191.00 to finish second to San Jose State in a four-team home meet on Jan. 10. Freshman Katie Yamamura posted UCD’s top all-around score of 38.575 in her debut.
Gym Shorts
Three returning Falcons were at-large competitors at the 2009 USAG meet. Kaysha Heck placed third on bars, Laura Willis was 17th in the all-around and Bri Steigauf was 54th on floor. Sherah Veron (floor) and Jennifer Lehman (bars) were nationals alternates ... Seattle Pacific returns its top scorer in three events. Sherah Veron, Lari Wilson, Laura Willis and Anissa Madrid each posted a 9.65 on vault, Kaysha Heck had a 9.775 on bars and Bri Steigauf’s 9.825 was the team’s best floor performance.
Proud History
While the dictionary definition of “consistency” makes no mention of gymnastics or Seattle Pacific University, the Falcons certainly have defined the word. From the very first meet way back in 1974 to a run of 20 consecutive top-four finishes at nationals, including championships in 1986, 1992 and 1997, SPU has made the kind of lasting impression that few programs anywhere can match. The Falcons earned invitations to 27 consecutive championship meets (1982-2008) before narrowly missing a qualifying berth last season. Debbie Halle, then a freshman in the fledgling Falcon program, set the tone in 1974 by winning the uneven bars championship at the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) nationals. From that moment, Seattle Pacific gymnasts have captured 22 national crowns and collected 147 All-America awards.
Strenuous Schedule
Seattle Pacific is an NCAA Division II member that competes for the USA Gymnastics (USAG) Collegiate championship. The Falcons entire regular-season schedule is comprised of NCAA Division I opposition, including a tri-meet in Corvallis, Ore. on Jan. 29 that features host Oregon State and Stanford. Both of those squads were among the 12 teams that qualified for the 2009 NCAA Championship meet.
Get Your Tickets
Tickets to attend Seattle Pacific gymnastics meets are available at the Brougham Pavilion door and are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Groups of 10 or more may qualify for special general admission rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance. SPU students and staff are admitted free with valid i.d.
Coach Tindall
Laurel Tindall (Anderson) was there the very first time a group of Seattle Pacific gymnasts marched onto the competition floor in 1974. Now, 36 years later, she still is an integral part of a program that she helped nurture and lead to a prominent spot on the national scene since taking the coaching reigns in 1976. Whether as an athlete, coach or international-level judge, Tindall has spent a lot of time at the top of the gymnastics world. As she enters her 35th year as head coach, Tindall’s SPU teams have won three national championships. Falcon athletes garnered 22 national crowns, one of which she earned on the vault in 1975. Tindall has been named the national Coach of the Year four times, most recently in 2003. And, in a tribute to all of her accomplishments in the Seattle Pacific gym, Tindall is a charter member of the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame. Tindall also operates the Falcon Gymnastics Center for local youths.
Season Preview
Youth still dominates the roster, but experience is in greater supply for the 2010 edition of Seattle Pacific gymnastics. The team is built around a 10-gymnast sophomore class that saw a great deal of competition last year in their collegiate debuts. The Falcons have just five juniors and no seniors. Laurel Tindall, in her 35th season as SPU’s coach, is optimistic. “We’ve got some great talent. Our top three are reasonably strong on each event, it’s just numbers four, five and six that we need to solidify.” The biggest task will be replacing uneven bars national champion Brianna Schwartz, SPU’s top all-arounder in 2009. Helping fill that void is the full-time return of junior Anissa Madrid, who missed all but the final meet last year. Madrid posted the team’s best all-around score (38.825) in 2008. “She’s easily capable of winning nationals. She has all of the ingredients,” says Tindall. Also expected to compete as an all-arounder is incoming freshman Stephanie Wagner a talented gymnast from Estacada, Ore. The Falcons’ only other newcomer is freshman Ami Khauv, a vault and beam specialist from Monticello, Minn. SPU will rely on a bevy of event specialists in its pursuit of its 28th championship meet berth in the last 29 years. A trio of standouts highlights the vault corps in Sherah Veron, Lari Wilson and Madrid. The bars lineup features sophomore Kaysha Heck, the bronze medalist at the 2009 USAG meet. Madrid and Wagner project as the best beam and floor performers. Bri Steigauf could again top the floor field when she returns from an ankle injury.
Home Sweet Home
The Falcons host three home meets at Brougham Pavilion on the Seattle Pacific campus, including the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship on March 27 at 6 p.m. The arena is located at the corner of Third Avenue West and Nickerson Street (3414 Third Ave. W, Seattle, WA, 98119). Brougham has hosted the national championship meet three times, most recently in 2007 when the Falcons finished second.
NEXT MEET
Friday, January 22 --
Seattle Pacific at Sacramento State Tri Meet (with UC Davis)
Sacramento, Calif., 7:00 p.m.