Good vibrations. They’ve got a good thing going and this week gymnasts from Seattle Pacific University believe their positive late season momentum will help them make a definitive run at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship. The conference meet is Friday (March 25) in Davis and Seattle Pacific (4-15), ranked No. 3 among USA Gymnastics teams, will be competing there for just the third time. Joining the Falcons will be heavy favorite and two-time defending champion San Jose State, plus Sacramento State, Air Force, host UC Davis and Alaska Anchorage. The team will then gather themselves and prepare for the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships, Apr. 14-16 in Ithaca, N.Y.

Flying first class. The Falcons will arrive in California with lots of air under their wings as they are coming off three consecutive scores in excess of 192.375. Furthermore, Coach Laurell Tindall’s gymnasts are springing off a record event score on vault (48.650) and the No. 2 all-time team total in the school record books, a sum of 193.650 in a home victory over Alaska Anchorage last week. The previous vault record of 48.525 and team total of 193.700 were both set in 2001 at Brougham, the team score coming against Western Michigan. Seattle Pacific will likely need to score at or above that level to upset the Spartans. Last year, Seattle Pacific finished a disappointing fifth after wobbling a bit on balance beam.

Nationals on horizon. Tindall said a No. 3 seeding for nationals was likely, especially given the success of the team over the course of the last few weeks. The team total against Anchorage pushed Seattle Pacific’s Division II regional qualifying score (RQS) to 191.990, just behind defending national meet champion Centenary (192.424) and top-ranked Texas Woman’s (192.630). At last glance, the Falcons ranked third on vault, bars and floor event-wise, and second on balance beam. Seattle Pacific perched atop the national rankings for a school record five solid weeks at season’s outset, before sliding to No. 2 in early March.

Huss breaks AA record. Saturday night’s contest against Anchorage turned out to be a star-studded performance by all-arounder Debra Huss (So., Orangevale, Ca.). The sophomore managed an eye-popping 39.225 over four events, breaking the old school all-around record of 39.125 set by Alison Siegel in ‘01. Huss earned marks of 9.650 on vault and 9.825 on bars, and hit 9.875 on beam and floor exercise. She finished first overall on bars and beam, leading an SPU sweep on the former, and tied for second on the floor mats with teammate Sarah Sullivan (So., Salem, Or./Sprague). Both Sullivan and Huss remain in the running for at-large berths in the NCAA regional meet Apr. 9 at Washington, and are running sixth and third among USAG all-arounders.

Seniors go out in style. Although Huss’ all-around heroics were paramount in the Falcons’ success on Senior Night the near-record team total would not have happened if it were not for key performances by Tindall’s seniors. Kari Kelly (Sr., Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower), launched a 9.875 during the school record vault rotation, equaling the individual school mark she already shares with current teammate Jaynie Reynolds (Jr., White Rock, B.C./Marriot). Kelly had hit an identical mark at Oregon State in February of ‘04, and tied for first place on vault with Anchorage’s Dominique Ingram Saturday night. Corrie McDaniel (Sr., Lawrence, Ks./Lawrence) danced fourth on floor (9.850) and was sixth on beam (9.625), and will exit Tindall’s program ranking No. 2 all-time on floor and No. 5 in the all-around. Elisabeth Kingsley (Sr.,Kennesaw, Ga./Harrison) has been a mainstay on floor and vault for four years for Tindall, and launched a 9.500 Saturday night to compliment her 9.600 floor tally.

Bars Sweep. The Falcons’ bars total (48.225) was near the squad’s season best and so it was no surprise that SPU managed a sweep. Led by Huss’ top finish, teammates Reynolds and Christie Chinaka (Fr., Honolulu, Hi.) swung 9.775 and 9.700, respectively for second and third place. Chinaka’s mark was a career-high. Reynolds returned to action last week after suffering a double ankle sprain Feb. 12.

Gym shorts. The 49.000 floor team total was one-tenth shy of the school record, and was a season high...Kristin Bryant (So., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) launched a career-high 9.850 on vault, good for third place during the opening rotation, and good for the No. 2 mark on the school’s all-time charts...Ashley Domres (Fr., Phoenix, Az./Scottsdale Christian) negotiated a 9.675 on beam to land her in third place overall...The Falcons scored above the 192 points threshold four times this season, including three times at Brougham. Tradition held true Saturday night as SPU’s highest home score of the season came in the final Brougham performance. The Falcons have not dipped below 191.775 on a Senior Night the past five years...Individually speaking, Huss ranks second on bars, third on floor and sixth on beam among USAG competitors. Kelly is No. 2 on vault and Bryant, No. 10; McDaniel ranks eleventh on floor exercise.

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. .