Falcon Gymnasts Finish Third at USAG National Meet
April 18, 2003

Day One Results

DENTON, Tx. (Apr. 18)-Despite nearly breaking a school record on floor exercise and hitting season highs on vault and uneven bars, the Seattle Pacific University women's gymnastics team could not surmount a total big enough to beat the host school, Texas Woman's University, as the Pioneers scored a meet record team total 195.600 to win the USA Gymnastics National Championships women's team finals Friday evening at Kitty Magee Arena.

Seattle Pacific scored a 192.400 team total to finish in third place behind the Pioneers and defending team champion Air Force (192.850). Temple University finished fourth with a 191.900 total.

On floor exercise, the Falcons danced a 49.150 team tally behind All-American all-arounder Corrie McDaniel's (So., Lawrence, Ks.) 9.875.

Rachael Anderson (Sr., Yakima, Wa.) and Kari Kelly (So., Yakima, Wa.) flipped a pair of 9.850's and Elizabeth Kingsley (So., Kennesaw, Ga.) and Annastasia Ahr (Jr., San Antonio, Tx.) earned 9.800 and 9.775, respectively.

On bars, Kristen Strid (Sr., Kingsburg, Ca.) swung a 9.825 and McDaniel hit 9.775 to lead the Falcons to a season high 48.625. Seattle Pacific launched a 48.225 team total on vault. Kelly nailed her landing for 9.750.

Texas Woman's scored 48.625 on vault, 49.225 on the uneven bars, negotiated the balance beam for a 48.450 and danced 49.300 on floor for their meet record total. The Pioneers led the entire meet and finished an impressive first on each and every apparatus.

The Falcons had a bit of trouble on beam as they scored a conglomerate 46.400 and were plagued by falls.

Kelly and Anderson are slated to compete in tomorrow night's individual finals (5p.m., PDT) as is McDaniel. The latter pair will vault and McDaniel will perform on floor where she posted the school's second best all-time mark (9.925) earlier in the year. Strid will swing the uneven bars where she earned All-America status as a freshman.

As a team, Seattle Pacific has finished in the top four schools in NCAA Division II in each of the last 20 seasons and Head Coach Laurel Tindall has taken SPU to three team titles (1986, 1992 and 1997).

FINAL RESULTS, USA GYMNASTICS WOMEN'S TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS:
1) Texas Woman's 195.600; 2) Air Force 192.850; 3) Seattle Pacific 192.400; 4) Temple 191.900.