• MPSF All-Academic Release (pdf)

WOODLAND, Calif. – Six student-athletes from USA Gymnastics Championship Meet-bound Seattle Pacific were named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) All-Academic team announced by conference executive director Al Beaird.

Heading the list of academic honorees from the Falcons women's gymnastics team is sophomore Aditi Kulkarni, who boasts a remarkable 3.99 cumulative grade point average. The sophomore from Lakewood, Colo. is a beam and floor specialist who helped SPU place second at the MPSF Championships at Brougham Pavilion. Kulkarni registered career-high marks of 9.800 on beam and 9.775 on floor at the March 27 conference meet.

SPU junior Laura Willis (Temecula, Calif.) compiled a 3.93 GPA to earn her second straight berth on the MPSF academic squad.

Also receiving academic accolades for SPU was junior Betsy Snook (3.75 GPA/Milwaukie, Ore.) along with a trio of sophomores; Kaysha Heck (3.70/Edmonds, Wash./Chrysalis HS), Texie Gregory (3.59/Auburn, Calif.) and Samantha Taylor (3.45/San Carlos, Calif.).

Heck was the bronze medalist in the uneven bars at the 2009 USAG Championships. Taylor had the Falcons' best bars performance this season with a score of 9.775 posted on Feb. 12.

To be eligible for the MPSF academic team student-athletes must have a minimum 3.0 grade points average, completed one full year at their current school and competed in at least half of the team's meets.

Seattle Pacific will compete this week at the 2010 USAG Collegiate National Championships. The eight-team meet will be conducted April 15-17 at Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas.

SPU has 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.


2010 MPSF ALL-ACADEMIC WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS TEAM
Name, Year, GPA, Hometown (High School)

Air Force
Lisa Wong, Jr., 3.27, Silver Spring, Md. (Montgomery Blair)

Alaska Anchorage
Kristy Boswell, Jr., 3.55, Cherry Hills, N.J. (Cherry Hill West)
Leah Wilson, Jr., 3.45, Port Coquitlam B.C. (Calgary Sports)
Lauren Agostino, Sr., 3.44, Virginia Beach, Va. (Kempsville)
Erin Aitcheson, So., 3.41, Champaign, Ill. (Laurel Springs)
Kelsey Fullerton, So., 3.33, Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus)
Maria Puricelli, Jr., 3.32, Chesterfield, Mo. (JFK Catholic)
Meagan Byrne, Sr., 3.31, Arcadia, Calif. (Arcadia)
Kaelei Spoor, So., 3.21, Rome, N.Y. (Rome Free Academy)
Courtney Williams, Sr., 3.20, Corpus Christi, Texas (Calallen)

UC Davis
Erika Van Dyke, So., 3.97, Sacramento, Calif. (S. Sutter Charter)
Kendall McCann, Sr., 3.56, Belmont, Calif. (Carlmont)
Marcy Miller, Jr., 3.55, Huntington Beach, Calif. (Edison)
Christine Tao, Sr., 3.52, Maple Valley, Wash. (Tahoma)
Jennifer Mueller, So., 3.35, Fremont, Calif. (Mission San Jose)
Lida Gehlen, Sr., 3.21, Sun City, Calif. (Woodcrest Christian)
Tanya Ho, Sr., 3.04, Elk Grove, Calif. (St. Francis)
Michelle Bobonski, Sr., 3.00, Redondo Beach, Calif. (Bishop Montgomery)

Seattle Pacific
Aditi Kulkarni, So., 3.99, Lakewood, Colo. (D'Evelyn)
Laura Willis, Jr., 3.93, Temecula, Calif. (Linfield)
Betsy Snook, Jr., 3.75, Milwaukie, Ore. (Putnam)
Kaysha Heck, So., 3.70, Edmonds, Wash. (Chrysalis)
Texie Gregory, So., 3.59, Auburn, Calif. (Bear River)
Samantha Taylor, So., 3.45, San Carlos, Calif. (Carlmont)