Perched and primed. After pushing through a set of back-to-back meets, the Seattle Pacific University gymnastics team stays on the road for one more meet this weekend, facing two Pac-10 programs in Corvallis. The Falcons (2-10), ranked No. 1 among USA Gymnastics teams for the fifth consecutive week, will try to reverse a recent downward scoring trend when they meet host Oregon State (8-3), ranked No. 13 in Division I, and California (5-4) before what promises to be the biggest crowd of the season Friday night (Feb. 25). SPU will host two of the three remaining regular season meets, beginning Mar. 5 against Sacramento State.

Extending the stay. Nothing seems to affect the Falcons’ perch at No. 1 among Division II programs. Not the efforts of their peers and not even a few slips and falls on the part of Seattle Pacific. This extends what had already been a record-breaking run at the top. Last year, SPU stayed No. 1 for only a week. This year, it has known no other home. Even after a disappointing season-low 188.275 score at San Jose State, No. 2 Rutgers barely closed any ground on the frontrunners. Seattle Pacific is averaging 190.461 points per meet overall, and continues to hold the No. 2 spot in vault, bars and floor.

Still, a win. Without the services of two proven performers, Coach Laurel Tindall probably wasn’t expecting much in the way of results in Northern California last week. Still, she picked up the second win over the season, defeating Cal State Fullerton for the first time in seven attempts, 190.025 to 188.950, and just being clipped by host UC Davis (190.325) on the final rotation. The Falcons surpassed both competitors’ scores on floor exercise for their best event score of the night. The next night in San Jose, they counted a number of falls and finished third in a three-way meet with defending Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion San Jose State (191.150) and UC Davis (188.600). Contrary to last week’s season-high on balance beam at home, the event proved to be SPU’s downfall, with two scores under 8.850 counting toward the total. Consequently, it dropped to third in the USAG on beam.

Quite a homecoming. It was a road trip, and yet it was a homecoming for one of the SPUGs. Debra Huss (So., Orangevale, Ca.), who hails from the Sacramento area, collected plenty of travel trinkets, coming back to Seattle with four event titles, plus her second and third consecutive all-around crowns. That earned her co-gymnast of the week in the MPSF. In the first meet, Huss won uneven bars and tied for first with Julia Richards of UC Davis on beam with identical scores of 9.675 en route to winning all-around (38.675). At San Jose, she won the all-around contest again with 38.650 after placing first on beam (9.675) and floor (9.850), to tie her season-high floor score. Huss continues to be ranked No. 1 in USAG on beam, floor and all-around, and she’s third on bars.

Mixing it up. The absence of All-American all-arounder Jaynie Reynolds (Jr., White Rock, B.C./Marriot) to a double ankle sprain the week prior meant shifting the typical lineups and allowing some fresh faces to compete. Huss, Kari Kelly (Sr., Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) and Sarah Sullivan (So., Salem, Or./Sprague) gave Tindall a sound foundation. Kelly launched a season-high 9.800 on vault at Davis to win that event and put her at second in the USAG. Sullivan was the only other Falcon to finish in the top three, tying for third on floor with Tiffany Chan of Davis with a 9.750. Sullivan, who will be competing before family and friends this week, continues to compete solidly in all-around, ranking No. 3 overall. She also is sixth on floor, seventh on vault and ninth on bars.

Gym shorts. The score at San Jose State was lowest in over two years, going back 26 meets to a total of 188.200 at Davis in 2003. Until last week, SPU had improved its score in each of the first five meets, topped by 192.100 vs. Oregon State Feb. 12...Corrie McDaniel’s (Sr., Lawrence, Ks./Lawrence) best scores came at UC Davis as she negotiated a 9.500 on beam and danced a 9.500 on floor. McDaniel is No. 10 in the USAG on floor...Kristin Bryant’s (So., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) 9.600 vault score was second-highest on the team at Davis and put her at No. 6 in the rankings. Her weekend highlights also included a 9.600 on floor and a 9.400 on vault at San Jose...Christie Chinaka (Fr., Honolulu, Hi.) vaulted a 9.500 at Davis and swung a season-high bar score of 9.650 at San Jose...Elisabeth Kingsley (Sr., Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison) traveled last week but missed her second and third meets with a knee injury. Kingsley has been a fixture on vault and floor throughout her career...Ashley Domres (Fr., Phoenix, Az./Scottsdale Christian) competed as an all-arounder at Davis, scoring 37.050 over the four events. Domres’ all-around score featured a 9.450 on floor...Haley Krommenhoek (So., Seattle, Wa.) moved into the bar lineup for both meets, swinging a 9.100 at San Jose...In the MPSF rankings, Huss and Sullivan are running 1-2 in the all-around. Sacramento State (191.269) is the No. 1 team, followed by SPU, Alaska Anchorage and UC Davis.

Tickets, Please. General admission tickets for all SPU women’s gymnastics meets are priced $5, with students, youth and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Teams can qualify for special discount rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaches. Coach Laurel Tindall is a veteran of the sport and is synonymous with the university. Originally, she competed for the Falcons, then replaced her mentor, George Lewis, immediately following graduation. Subsequently, she has served in her position for 30 years. Under her guidance, SPU has won three national championships and, individually, her gymnasts have taken 15 titles. Four times Tindall has been honored as national coach of the year. Kathy Siwek returns for her fifth season as an assistant coach. Siwek was a two-time All-America and a member of the 1997 national championship team. Kristen Strid is back for her second year on the staff after having completing her career in 2003 as a three-time All-America and national champion on bars.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation web site at www.mpsports.org, or the Collegiate Gymnastics Information Center at www.troester.com/gym. .