Brougham opener. Ready or not, the Seattle Pacific University gymnastics team gets its 33rd season underway Friday night (Jan. 20) when the Falcons host Alaska Anchorage. SPU is coming off a third-place national finish last season while the Seawolves took eighth. It’s the first of only three home meets on a schedule that summits at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships in April. After the opener, the next three meets are on the road, beginning Jan. 27 at Washington.

Scheduling note. The core of the 2006 schedule consists of match-ups with fellow Mountain Pacific Sports Federation members San Jose State, UC Davis and Air Force. The MPSF championship meet is March 25 in Colorado Springs. The most glaring omission on the regular season schedule is the absence of Sacramento State, the defending MPSF champion and a staple to the Falcons’ slate of meets for the last nine years. In addition to the conference dual and three-ways, Coach Laurel Tindall has also arranged visits to Boise State, Washington and Oregon State. Senior Night will come nearly one month earlier than usual, when the Falcons host Air Force Feb. 25. The USAG Championships will be held in Ithaca, N.Y., for the second year in a row, April 13-15.

A legacy. It’s been nine years since SPU has lifted the a national championship trophy, but Tindall always seems to have her squads in close contention. Seattle Pacific has finished among the top four in either the NCAA Division II or USAG finals 22 of the last 23 years. With a roster featuring a mixture of proven veterans and raw youth, this could be a campaign in which the Falcons finish on top. Beam, bars and floor are the team’s strengths, while depth is in question, at least early on.

They’ll be everywhere. Three upperclassmen will provide a solid foundation in each of the four event lineups. Debra Huss (Jr., Orangevale, Ca./Bella Vista), the three-time national champion last season and school record-holder in the all-around, is on track to become the most decorated gymnast in team history. Huss is a five-time All-American after winning titles on uneven bars, floor exercise and all-around. She was also second on balance beam. Like Huss, Sarah Sullivan (Jr., Salem, Or./Sprague) and Jaynie Reynolds (Sr., White Rock, B.C./Mariott) are all-arounders with All-America credentials. Sullivan was seventh nationally on floor as a sophomore and fifth on vault as a freshman. Alterations in her tumbling passes and a stronger bar routine should elevate her scores. Reynolds, the team’s sole senior, came back from ankle injuries to place ninth in the USAG bars. Earlier last season, she tied the vault record and had been on pace to possibly join Huss as an all-around qualifier for the NCAA regional. Tindall lost two All-Americans–Kari Kelly and Corrie McDaniel–to graduation, plus the reliable Elisabeth Kingsley.

Picking their spots. A pair of freshmen and a couple returnees are expected to see action in at least two events. Amber Lundgren (Fr., Temecula, Ca./Temecula Valley) is among the leaders on vault, bars and beam and could possibly become an all-arounder. Brianna Schwartz (Fr., Bonney Lake, Wa./Sumner), Kristin Bryant (Jr., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) and Ashley Domres (So., Phoenix, Az./Scottsdale Christian) are among the top performers in two events. Bryant owns the No. 2 mark on vault. Domres was a consistent contributor on bars and beam. Lundgren, Schwartz and Danna Nelson (Fr., Maple Valley, Wa./Tahoma) are all recruits with Level 10 experience. Additionally, Haley Krommenhoek (Jr., Seattle, Wa./ Mt. Rainier) will be in the mix for floor and Christie Chinaka (So., Honolulu, Hi./home school) on beam.

Gym shorts. The last time Seattle Pacific prevailed in its opening meet was 2002, vs. UC Davis and Wisconsin-Stout. The three home meets is the fewest since 1983...Seattle Pacific has scored in excess of 190 points in each of its last 10 home meets...While the Falcons are deep in beam candidates, the bars lineup is presently thin. The preseason was relatively injury-free...The Falcons would like to eclipse not only last year’s opening night score (189.500), but also the top opening night mark of 190.850, set at home against Sac State in 2003...Records set in ‘05 included a team vault score of 48.650 and Huss eclipsing Alison Siegel’s mark in all-around against Alaska Anchorage (39.225)...The team score of 193.650 vs. Alaska Anchorage in last year’s final home meet ranks No. 2 all-time...McDaniel represented the state of Washington at the NCAA Woman of the Year banquet in October.

SPU Coaches. Coach Laurel Tindall is synonymous with Seattle Pacific gymnastics, having either competed or coached each of the program’s 33 years. Under her guidance, SPU has won three national championships (1986, ‘92, ‘97) and, individually, her gymnasts have taken 19 titles. Now in her 31st year, Tindall has been honored as national coach of the year four times and last year she was the MPSF coach of the year. Originally, Tindall competed for the Falcons, winning a national crown on vault as a senior. She then succeeded George Lewis as head coach. Tindall is a charter member of the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame. Kathy Siwek returns for her sixth 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 third year on the staff after having completing her career in 2003 as a three-time All-America and national champion on bars. Four-time all-American Corrie McDaniel joins the coaching staff this season.

Tickets, please. General admission tickets for all SPU home gymnastics meets are priced $5, with students, youth and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Teams or groups can qualify for discount rates by calling 206-281-2085 in advance.

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 Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site. For updated gymnastics standings and statistics, see the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation web site, or the Collegiate Gymnastics Information Center.