This week...
Thr.-Sat., Apr. 12-14 -- USA GYMNASTICS COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, Recreation Hall, Davis, Ca.
     Thr., Apr. 12, 7 p.m. -- Women's team Prelims & Individual All-Around Final
     Fri., Apr. 13, 7 p.m. -- Women's Team Finals
     Sat., Apr. 14, 1 p.m. -- Women's & Men's Individual Event Finals

Complete Women's Gymnastics Schedule

Seeking the title...
Seeded No. 2 nationally but coming off a fourth-place finish in the conference, Seattle Pacific University hopes to resemble the former more than the latter as the Falcons focus on winning their fourth national title at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships which begin Thursday (Apr. 12) in Davis, Calif. Teams offering six or fewer scholarships are eligible to compete in the meet, which replaced the now-defunct NCAA Division II Championships in 1987.

The national field...
Seattle Pacific qualified for nationals for the 19th year in a row, which comes as no surprise. However, the Falcons were not considered a top contender at the outset of the season. Yet eight scores of 191 points or higher has thrust SPU into a challenger role with a regional qualifying score (RQS) of 192.210. Air Force is the top seed with a 194.165. Texas Woman's, which won its sixth national title in 2000, is seeded No. 3 at 192.000. Host UC Davis, Centenary (La.), UC Santa Barbara, Southern Connecticut and Cornell complete the field. There are also individual qualifiers from Bridgeport (Ct.), West Chester (Pa.) and Alaska Anchorage.

Alison and Cassie...
Two of the Falcons' brightest stars and best bets to win national individual titles--Alison Siegel (Jr., Oakland, Ca./Redwood) and Cassie Althauser (Sr., Centralia, Wa.)‹are coming off solid tune-up performances at the NCAA West Regional in Los Angeles last weekend. Siegel, the national runner-up in the all-around and fourth on beam in 1999, is enjoying her best season, having broken three school records, including the vault mark with a 9.850. She also set new standards for the beam and all-around, but has been competing only on vault since suffering a back injury on a fall in mid-March. Siegel, who hopes to be back in all four event lineups this week, scored a 9.725 on vault to finish second among individual at-large competitors and 19th overall at the regional. Althauser, an All-America on bars last season, hit a 9.525 on the balance beam. She averaged a 9.644 during the season, with six scores of 9.775 or higher. Siegel ranks at the very top of the USAG standings on vault (9.780 RQS) and Althauser is No. 3 on beam to Texas Woman's Michelle Heppner and Air Force's Beth Stott.

Nationals format...
Coach Laurel Tindall (26th year) guided the Falcons to a fourth-place finish in each of the last two national meets. In fact, SPU has been fourth or higher for 18 consecutive years. To keep the top-four streak alive and have a shot at the national title, Seattle Pacific must first survive the preliminary round Thursday night. The first session will determine the four team finalists, the winner of the individual all-around and the finalists for Saturday's individual event finals. The top four teams go on to the team finals Friday night.

Top contributors...
SPU is led by five former All-Americans, including three seniors looking to end their competitive careers at the top of the awards stand. Along with Siegel and Althauser, Kim Carey (Sr., Everett, Wa./Mariner), Erin Kawasaki (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Kennedy) and Kristen Strid (So., Kingsburg, Ca./Kingsburg Joint Union) have individual championship meet experience. Carey and Althauser were members of the national runners-up team in 1998. Kawasaki placed third on the uneven bars as a junior and Strid was seventh on the same apparatus as a freshman. Kawasaki is ranked seventh nationally on bars. Carey earned All-America status on vault and floor exercise as a freshman.

Potential to shine...
Rachael Anderson (Fr., Yakima, Wa./West Valley) and Courtney Stump (Jr., Poulsbo, Wa./Charles Wright) are coming off career highs in the Western Independents Championships on floor exercise. On vault, freshman Jennifer Christman (Fr., Fairfield, Ca./Benicia, Ca.) has been among the nation's leaders all season and enters nationals tied for No. 7. Christman, Siegel and Amber Weddell (Fr., Stockton, Ca./Lincoln) are all from the communities in Northern California, with families within driving distance of Davis. Strid hails from the Fresno area.

Gym shorts...
The national meet returns to a single-session format after using the capitol cup, two-session format in 2000...The Falcons have scored 191 or higher only twice at nationals, winning the '97 crown with a then-school record score of 192.250 and taking second with a 191.625 the next year...The last individual event champion from SPU was Deni Boswell, who won the all-around and bars titles in 1998. The most champions in one years was three in 1986 (Barbara Elliott on vault, beam and floor) and 1996 (Lisa Smith, vault; Boswell, bars; Gina Moody, floor).

Series, opponents notes...
Air Force, which is searching for its first national title, ranks No. 1 on each of the four events. Texas Women's, SPU's longtime national rival, ranks No. 2 on bars, beam and floor exercise while the Falcons are No. 3 on vault and bars, and are No. 2 on the beam...Air Force scored a season-high of 194.675 and Texas Woman's hit a 194.100. Seattle Pacific set a school record with a 193.700 on the night of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake Feb. 28...This will be the Falcons' second meet at Rec Hall this season. They scored just 189.925 in a three-way meet...The Aggies and UC Santa Barbara were the only national-qualifying teams Seattle Pacific met during the regular season. SPU swept two encounters with the Gauchos and split with Davis, although the Ags finished higher at a third meet, the Western Independents Championships, Mar. 24.

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
Annastasia Ahr Fr/C1 Chelan, Wa. Third place on vault against Sac State
Cassie Althauser Sr/3V Centralia, Wa. Ranked third in nation on balance beam
Courtney Amonsen So/1V Redmond, Wa. Made beam line-up against Davis
Rachael Anderson Fr/RS Yakima, Wa. Career-high 9.800 on floor at conference meet
Kim Carey Sr/3V Everett, Wa. Career high on floor at Boise
Jennifer Christman Fr/C1 Benicia, Ca. Career high 9.700 on bars vs. Davis
Erin Kawasaki Sr/2V Seattle, Wa. Second in nation in bars average
Missy McLaughlin Jr/2V Federal Way, Wa. Career high bars score against Davis
Ai Nakayama Fr/C1 Bellevue, Wa. Scored career-high on beam against San Jose
Alison Siegel Jr/2V Oakland, Ca. Western Independents vault champion
Kristen Strid So/1V Kingsburg, Ca. Tied No. 5 all-time mark in all-around vs. San Jose
Courtney Stump Jr/2V Poulsbo, Wa. Career high on floor against San Jose
Amber Weddell Fr/C1 Stockton, Ca. Competed three bar exhibitions so far in 2001
Coach: Laurel Tindall (25 years, SPU record 320-290-1)

Women's Gymnastics Roster

2001 high scores...
Name Vault Bars Beam Floor All-Around
Annastasia Ahr 9.100 dnc 9.800 9.625 dnc
Cassie Althauser dnc 9.775 9.875 9.525 dnc
Courtney Amonsen dnc dnc 9.600 dnc dnc
Rachael Anderson dnc dnc dnc 9.800 dnc
Kim Carey 9.725 9.700 dnc 9.800 dnc
Jennifer Christman 9.700 9.700 9.525 9.700 36.675
Erin Kawasaki 9.650 9.825 9.800 9.525 38.375
Missy McLaughlin 9.675 9.700 7.850 dnc dnc
Ai Nakayama dnc dnc 9.550 dnc dnc
Alison Siegel *9.850 9.700 *9.925 9.875 *39.125
Kristen Strid 9.350 9.725 9.800 9.800 38.675
Courtney Stump 9.225e dnc 9.625 9.750 dnc
Amber Weddell dnc 9.025e dnc dnc dnc
TEAM *48.525 48.400 *48.650 48.850 *193.700
*School record (e exhibition)