This week...
Sun., Jan. 28, 12 p.m. -- GYMNASTICS at WASHINGTON/STANFORD, Bank of America Arena, Seattle, Wa.

Complete Women's Gymnastics Schedule

Closer to home...
After opening the season with a couple wins and relatively lofty scores on the road, the Seattle Pacific University gymnastics team comes closer to home this week and will face much tougher opposition. The Falcons (2-0) head across town to the newly refurbished Bank of America Arena at Edmundson Pavilion to join Division I national powers Washington (3-1) and Stanford (3-3). The Cardinal are No. 2 in the nation while the Huskies are No. 16. The meet's start time was recently moved up to 12 noon. Next week marks the home opener with San Jose State on Homecoming Saturday (Feb. 3).

Big opening scores...
Laurel Tindall has to be pleased with the Falcons' performances in Anchorage over the weekend. Seattle Pacific posted a 186.175 on opening night and followed with a 187.525 the next day. It was the third-highest opening score in school history, next to the 186.475 in 1997 and the 188.300 in 1992. In each of those seasons SPU proceeded to win a national championship. It also marked the first time in three years that the team won its first meet.

Deep six...
Just seven gymnasts made the trip north to Alaska, making it Tindall's smallest travel squad in recent years. By the next meet at Washington, several more should be ready and available to compete. The team MVP and top all-arounder the past two seasons, Alison Siegel (Jr., Oakland, Ca./Redwood Christian), did see action last week but was held out of the uneven bars lineup due to a sore rotator cuff. Siegel finished runner-up on both the national balance beam and all-around competition as a freshman. In Alaska she won the beam with a near-career high score of 9.800 on opening night and finished first on floor exercise as well (9.675).

Reinforcements ready...
Tindall indicated that she will have at least two more gymnasts at her disposal and in the lineup Sunday. Freshman Ai Nakayama (Fr., Bellevue, Wa./Sammamish) could see action on beam and Courtney Stump (Jr., Poulsbo, Wa./Charles Wright), a regular on beam and floor her first two seasons, could be in the floor lineup.

Dynamic debuts...
A pair of Falcons made some impressive marks in their respective event debuts. For Erin Kawasaki (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Kennedy), her first all-around win must have been a night to remember. After all, it was the first time in her four-year career that she had competed in all four events. Plagued by a hip injury for much of her first two seasons, Kawasaki, a prized recruit as a freshman, had been restricted to the uneven bars. She rebounded to finish her season as an All-America on bars last year. Included in her all-around total of 37.575 was a first-place score on bars. On the second night she won the beam with a career-high 9.800 and repeated her win on bars. Freshman Jennifer Christman (Fr., Fairfield, Ca./Benicia, Ca.) was just as impressive, vaulting to victory in the first two meets of her collegiate career. Christman scored a 9.475 and a 9.500, respectively.

No sophomore jinx here...
One of last year's top freshmen, Kristin Strid (So., Kingsburg, Ca./Kingsburg Joint Union), picked up nearly where she left off. Strid, an All-America on bars her first season, won the all-around on Saturday night with a 37.675 and was third on vault (9.250).

Carey and Cassie shine...
Cassie Althauser (Sr., Centralia, Wa.) finished second on beam the first night with a 9.600 and won silver on the uneven bars Saturday night with a 9.200. Althauser was an All-America on the bars as a junior. Kim Carey (Sr., Everett, Wa./Mariner) earned second place on the bars Saturday night, swinging a 9.550--her best score since 1999. Carey was third on floor exercise both nights with identical scores of 9.600.

Last week's scores...
Seattle Pacific 186.175, at Alaska Anchorage 180.000
Seattle Pacific 187.175, at Alaska Anchorage 180.925

Solid marks...
Among the other travelers who posted credible marks were Christman in the all-around (third place, 36.650) opening night and Missy McLaughlin (Jr., Federal Way, Wa./Decatur) on vault both nights. McLaughlin sprinted down the runway and flipped a 9.350 and a 9.225 on the weekend.

Series, opponents notes...
The Falcons have beaten Washington only three times in 49 meetings, dating back to the inaugural meet of 1974. The most recent win came in 1997. The Huskies scored 192.900 in a road opener and 191.800 in a home win last week... SPU is 0-5 against Stanford, with the last meeting in 1999. The Cardinal scored 195.300 and 194.675 in its first two meets. Three of the teams which scored better in those two meets were ranked among the top five in the nation... The gymnasts will be the first SPU team to compete in Washington's newly-renovated arena. Originally, the men's basketball team was scheduled to face the U-Dub in the inaugural event but construction delays forced that exhibition to be played at Brougham Pavilion Nov. 10.

Gym shorts...
Seattle Pacific's last win over a Div. I program was in 1998 versus San Jose State... Anastasia Ahr (Fr., San Antonio, Tx./Blessed Hope), an early prospect for all-around, is not likely to return to any event lineup until February. Ahr suffered a back injury earlier this month... Courtney Amonsen (So., Redmond, Wa./Inglemoor) is also out indefinitely. A sore heel has hindered her since the Christmas break. Amonsen was a regular all-arounder last season... Last season the Falcons began the year with a total of 183.575 and the year before was 180.300.

S-P-U on the W-E-B...
You can follow Seattle Pacific via the world wide web. The Falcons Online features weekly release, rosters, schedules, updated results, histories and coaching profiles for all 12 varsity sports. You're already here!

Personnel notes...
Name Yr/Exp. Hometown Notes
Anastasia Ahr Fr/C1 San Antonio, Tx. Graduated from Blessed Hope Academy
Cassie Althauser Sr/3V Centralia, Wa. 3rd place on bars at USAG Nationals, All-American
Courtney Amonsen So/1V Redmond, Wa. Key performer on beam and bars in '00
Rachael Anderson Fr/RS Yakima, Wa. Back after reconstructive knee surgery
Kim Carey Sr/3V Everett, Wa. All-America on vault and floor exercise as freshman
Jennifer Christman Fr/C1 Benicia, Ca. Won vault first two meets against Anchorage
Erin Kawasaki Sr/2V Seattle, Wa. Career-highs in AA and on beam at Alaska, won both
Missy McLaughlin Jr/2V Federal Way, Wa. Regular in vault lineup in 2000
Ai Nakayama Fr/C1 Bellevue, Wa. Graduated from Sammamish High School
Alison Siegel Jr/2V Oakland, Ca. Runner-up in all-around and on beam at regional meet
Kristin Strid So/1V Kingsburg, Ca. Won all-around in second meet against Anchorage
Courtney Stump Jr/2V Poulsbo, Wa. Key performer on beam and floor in '01
Amber Weddell Fr/C1 Stockton, Ca. Graduated from Lincoln High School

Women's Gymnastics Roster

2001 high scores...
Name Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around
Anastasia Ahr dnc dnc dnc dnc dnc
Cassie Althauser dnc 9.450 9.600 9.525 dnc
Courtney Amonsen dnc dnc dnc dnc dnc
Rachael Anderson dnc dnc dnc dnc dnc
Kim Carey 9.450 9.550 dnc 9.600 dnc
Jennifer Christman 9.500 9.000 9.200 9.350 36.650
Erin Kawasaki 9.350 9.625 9.800 9.400 37.650
Missy McLaughlin 9.350 8.600 7.850 dnc dnc
Ai Nakayama dnc dnc dnc dnc dnc
Alison Siegel 9.425 dnc 9.800 9.675 dnc
Kristin Strid 9.250 9.500 9.400 9.525 37.675
Courtney Stump dnc dnc dnc dnc dnc
Amber Weddell dnc dnc dnc dnc dnc
TEAM 46.850 47.125 46.350 47.650 187.175
Boldface indicates career-high
*School record (e exhibition)