SEATTLE – They're back.
After a one-year absence, Seattle Pacific is headed to the 2010 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championships. The Falcons learned Monday that they qualified for a berth in the eight-team meet scheduled for April 15-17 at Magee Arena in Denton, Texas.
“It is good to qualify to nationals again and is definitely the result of lots of hard work over the last month,” said
Laurel Tindall, who is in her 35th year as head coach at SPU. “The team seems to be peaking for the end of the season and hopefully we can carry the confidence we have had in the last two meets to Texas with us.”
Eight teams and 18 individual qualifiers from across the country will converge on the campus of Texas Woman's University to compete for team and individual national titles. The team semifinals will be conducted in two sessions, taking place on Thursday, April 15. The top four teams advance to the team finals on Friday, April 16.
The top 10 individual finishers, including ties, in each event on Thursday will qualify for the individual event finals on Saturday, April 17.
SPU will participate in the first session and open the meet on the uneven bars. Also in the first group will be Air Force, Bridgeport and Rutgers. The second session teams are Cornell, Temple, Texas Woman's and William & Mary.
The Falcons have won three national championships in gymnastics. They captured the 1986 NCAA Division II crown and the 1992 and 1997 titles after USA Gymnastics took over as the sponsor. The collegiate national championships include primarily NCAA Division II and III members. Some Division I schools that choose to adhere to the limit of 7 1/2 scholarships also compete at the USAG meet.
The Falcons' streak of 27 consecutive national championship meet berths that began in 1982 was stopped last season. SPU did not compete as a team in New Haven, Conn. despite finishing eighth in the qualifying ratings. Only eight teams receive USAG bids and the final spot went to No. 11 Southern Connecticut State due to a provision that grants an automatic berth to the hosting school.
Four SPU gymnasts competed as individuals last year and then-senior
Brianna Schwartz won the uneven bars championship. She became the 22nd individual national champion in SPU gymnastics history.
Current Falcons sophomore
Kaysha Heck (Edmonds, Wash./Chrysalis HS) also medaled on the bars, placing third.
SPU junior
Laura Willis (Temecula, Calif.) placed 17th in the all-around at the 2009 USAG Championships and junior
Bri Steigauf (Richfield, Minn.) was 54th on the floor exercise.
The Falcons are coming off their finest meet of the season with a runner-up performance in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on Saturday at Brougham Pavilion. SPU shattered its previous season-best score with a mark of 192.850. Only three teams among the eight USAG championship competitors have recorded a higher score this season.
Highlighting SPU's stellar score at the conference meet was a school-record team score of 48.775 on the balance beam and the first-place floor exercise mark of 9.90 turned in by sophomore
Sherah Veron (Broken Arrow, Okla.)
Tickets for the USAG Championships are on sale and can be purchased at
www.2010usagnationals.com
A three-day championship pass is $25 for adults and $13 for students (ages 6-17) and senior citizens (ages 55+). Day pass prices are $10 for adults and $6 for students and senior citizens. Children ages five and under will be admitted free for the entire event but do require a ticket which can also be purchased using the online ticket storefront. All seating in Kitty Magee Arena will be general admission only.
2010 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate Championships Field
April 15-17, 2010
Magee Arena/Denton, Texas
Teams
Air Force
Bridgeport
Cornell
Rutgers
Seattle Pacific
Temple
Texas Women's University
William & Mary
