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Let’s keep it going. Flying high following a huge jump to a season-high score, Seattle Pacific University will strive to sustain that momentum at home. The Falcons (1-5) host San Jose State (3-7), the No. 2 team in the Western Athletic Conference, Friday night (Feb. 16) in Brougham Pavilion. SPU begins a stretch of four consecutive road meets Feb. 23 across town at Washington.

Might as well jump. Sometimes progress is measured in increments, and sometimes in leaps and bounds. Last week was the latter for the Falcons. Their score of 191.500 points was easily a season-high, and a jump of 3.925 points over the previous meet. In fact, it was the biggest one-meet improvement in six seasons. The fact that Coach Laurel Tindall was finally able to fill-out a full lineup was no coincidence. With six competitors on bars for the first time, SPU scored 48.000–0.700 above the previous high. The beam total of 47.600 was 0.475 higher.

On sale now. Tickets for the USA Gymnastics National Championships, presented by Leisure Care, are now on sale at the SPU athletic office. General admission seats are $10 per session or $35 for a three-day pass. Students and seniors are $7 and children ages 12 and under $5. The top eight teams plus individual qualifiers will come to Brougham Pavilion April 19-21. To order by phone, call (206) 281-2085 or complete an order form at the Falcons Online (www.spu.edu/falconslonline).

USAG rankings. Presently, Seattle Pacific is ranked fourth in the USAG statistical rankings. The Falcons, who receive an automatic berth as host, trail Maryland’s Towson, Rutgers and defending champion Texas Woman’s. Louisiana’s Centenary, Temple, Cornell and William & Mary complete the top eight. Next week’s rankings will be based on regional qualifying scores (RQS) rather than raw average. When SPU last hosted the USAG meet in 1997, it won the national championship. Tindall has guided the program to a total of three titles and 26 national meets in her 32 seasons.

Huss on top. Any doubts about her ability to bounce back from last year’s season-ending ankle injury have been erased by the first four meets of Debra Huss (Sr., Orangevale, Ca.). She is unbeaten at home on floor exercise and has won three meets in that event and all-around altogether. Last week she notched her first win on beam (along with floor and all-around) to earn gymnast of the week in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Huss enters this week as the USAG leader on floor and all-around, and No. 2 on beam.

Near-miss. Despite their huge improvement over a week earlier at Air Force, the Falcons could not keep pace with a strong Sacramento State squad, which won the dual with 191.900. Still, Seattle Pacific claimed four of the five places in the winners’ circle. Kristin Bryant (Sr., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) won vault with a solid score of 9.775 for the second week in a row. Huss was first on beam (a season-high 9.800), floor (9.825) and all-around (38.900). The latter was her highest accumulation in two seasons and ties for No. 9 all-time on the school list. As for the team, it was a remarkable comeback after slumping to a four-year low of 187.575 at Colorado Springs. In early 2001, SPU had raised its score 4.300 points in consecutive meets.

Getting better by the day. With as many as four gymnasts out for the season, the gradual return to health of Sarah Sullivan (Sr., Salem, Or./Sprague) has been integral to the team’s fortunes. Sullivan is now back in three lineups and due to add bars later on as her left hand heals. She tied for second on beam (9.775) and third on floor (9.725) last week. Both were season-bests, and she also scored 9.500 on vault. Sullivan was the national bronze-medalist in all-around as a junior.

Gym shorts. Ashley Domres (Jr., Phoenix, Az./Scottsdale Christian) was the team’s top finisher on bars with a team season-high of 9.750. She also scored 9.525 on floor...Bryant has now landed a 9.700 or higher on vault in each meet, and she ranks No. 4 in the USAG...In team event rankings, SPU is No. 2 on vault and beam, and No. 3 on floor and bars...Huss is eighth on bars and ninth on vault. Domres is 10th on bars. Danna Nelson (So., Maple Valley, Wa./Tahoma), out since the second meet, is No. 9 on beam...Brianna Schwartz (So., Bonney Lake, Wa./Sumner) and Amber Lundgren (So., Temecula, Ca./Temecula Valley) joined Huss as all-arounders last week. Schwartz got a season-high 9.725 on bars and Lundgren had a season-best 9.650 on beam...This was the first time since 2003 that it took four meets to get over a score of 190. Last year the Falcons came out strong with three meets above 190, then slipped under that plateau for four of the next six... Melissa Daniels (So., Salinas, Ca./N. Monterey Cty.) vaulted a 9.500 to figure in that team score and Christie Chinaka (Jr., Honolulu, Hi.) swung a 9.625 on bars. Sadie Johnston (So., Wilsonville, Or./North Marion) was inserted into the bars lineup for the first time.

Tickets, please. Ticket prices for all SPU regular season meets are $5 for general admission, with students and senior citizens $3. Group and team rates are available by phoning (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaches. Laurel Tindall is synonymous with Seattle Pacific gymnastics, having either competed or coached each of the program’s 34 years. Under her guidance, SPU has won three national championships (1986, ‘92, ‘97) and, individually, her gymnasts have taken 19 titles. Now in her 32nd year, Tindall has been honored as national coach of the year four times and two years ago, 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 seventh season as an assistant coach. Siwek was a two-time All-America and a member of the 1997 national championship team. Anna Leiferman is in her first year on the staff. She was a member of the team in 2003 and ‘04.

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 Collegiate Gymnastics Information Center or Mountain Pacific Sports FederationWebsites.