Final stop. A final send-off for three seniors and the entire Seattle Pacific University gymnastics team will come this Saturday night (Mar. 19) as the Falcons host their final home meet. Ranked No. 3 among USA Gymnastics teams, SPU (3-15) faces Alaska Anchorage (6-9) to conclude the regular season. The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships are Mar. 25 in Davis, Ca., and the USAG Championships Apr. 14-16 in Ithaca, N.Y.

What’s a buck? Admission to Senior Night has been rolled back to the days of when three all-arounders constituted a full team and a score of 9.0 was big time. All spectators, young and old alike, can purchase general admission tickets for just $1 (one dollar), down drastically from the regular price of $5.

The last dance. It’s the swan song for the Class of 2005, as the three Seattle Pacific seniors get special treatment from their teammates following Saturday’s meet. Corrie McDaniel (Sr., Lawrence, Ks./Lawrence) is a two-time all-American in all-around. McDaniel ranks No. 2 all-time on floor and No. 5 in all-around. She was the Division II Honda Award winner as a freshman, and is a two-time team MVP. Another two-time All-American, Kari Kelly (Sr., Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) has made her mark, particularly on vault. Last year Kelly set the school record (9.875), and she currently ranks No. 3 nationally in scoring on that event. Elisabeth Kingsley (Sr., Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison) has been a mainstay of floor and vault for four years. Last season Kingsley was all-MPSF team on floor. Like McDaniel, she is a two-time academic all-conference selection.

Holding steady. The Falcons are again building up steam. They are coming off a season-high score of 192.650 at Boise State’s quadrangular. That elevated Seattle Pacific’s regional qualifying score (RQS) to 191.560, thus solidifying its spot at No. 3. Centenary (192.280) and Texas Woman’s (192.025) traded places for the third time in as many weeks, with Centenary (La.) now No. 1 in USAG. Seattle Pacific is third, followed by Rutgers (191.480) and UC Davis (191.100). Event-wise, the Falcons moved up to No. 3 on floor exercise and remained No. 3 on bars and No. 5 on vault. They dropped to third on beam.

Addition and subtraction. Coach Laurel Tindall has spent the last two months concocting lineups in preparation for the MPSF and USAG postseason meets. Just as Jaynie Reynolds (Jr., White Rock, B.C./Marriot) returned to action, Tindall lost another athlete in Idaho. Priscilla Morgan (Fr., Bakersfield, Ca./East Bakersfield) sustained a knee injury while vaulting. Still, the Falcons posted a season-high 48.450 on bars, with all five scores at 9.550 or higher. Despite raising its season-best score by 0.275, SPU took fourth behind three Division I teams. Penn State, ranked 13th in the NCAA, scored 196.025, followed by host Boise State’s 195.950 and San Jose State’s 193.450. Seattle Pacific’s 192.650 ties for No. 9 all-time on the school charts.

Home advantage. The Falcons have scored above the 192 points three times this season, including each of the last two home meets. Historically, their highest home score has come in the final Brougham Pavilion performance. In fact, over the past four years, SPU has not fallen below 191.775 on a Senior Night. Last year, it scored 192.875 to upset Washington. Two of the existing individual school records were set on a Senior Night, including Mindy Lee Ferguson’s 9.950 bars in 1997 and Callie Field’s 9.950 on floor in 2000.

Rockin’ all-arounders. All-arounders Debra Huss (So., Orangevale, Ca.) and Sarah Sullivan (So., Salem, Or./Sprague) remain in the running for at-large berths in the NCAA regional meet Apr. 9 at Washington. At Boise, Sullivan finished third in the all-around with a career-high total of 38.925. It was also the best all-around score by a Falcon this season and ranks No. 7 all-time. She is No. 5 on the USAG all-around list, 10th on bars and 11th on floor. Huss swung a career-high 9.825 on bars to tie for third with Cecile Allen of Penn State and Carla Chambers of Boise State. Nationally, she ranks No. 2 on floor, No. 3 on beam and all-around and No. 5 on bars.

Gym shorts. Sullivan hit a season-high 9.775 on beam and matched her highs on vault and bars (both 9.700)...Kristin Bryant (So., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) scored a career-high 9.725 on beam. Reynolds hit a respectable 9.650 on bars in her return following a four-meet absence. She is recovering from a double-ankle sprain, suffered on floor exercise Feb. 12. Reynolds had broken JKelly’s vault mark earlier in that same meet...Kelly landed a 9.800 on vault and swung a career-high 9.700 on bars...McDaniel finished with a 9.675 on beam and had a 9.650 on floor...Kingsley scored 9.500 on vault and 9.350 on floor. Christie Chinaka (Fr., Honolulu, Hi.) competed in three events, scoring a 9.500 on vault, 9.550 on bars and 9.350 on beam. Ashley Domres (Fr., Phoenix, Az./Scottsdale Christian) was in the bars, beam and floor lineups, with a high of 9.675 on beam...Huss, whose all-around total was 38.375, had troubles on beam.

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. .