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Home at last. It’s the omega and the alpha, the end and the beginning. Friday night (Mar. 23) marks the gymnastics regular season’s end, and the hopefully the first of several strong showings for Seattle Pacific University. The Falcons (1-15) are returning home after four consecutive meets on the road to face Washington (4-9) on Senior Night. Next, they prepare to host the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships Mar. 30. The final three meets, including the USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate Championships, will be at home.

A new outlook. Certainly, Coach Laurel Tindall is hopeful that her team can finish strong. They will have the support of the SPU fans from here forward, and the stress of traveling and winter quarter exams are now in the past. A solid sign that Seattle Pacific is capable of claiming a conference or national championship would be to score near 192 points. The Falcons last hit that mark at home two years ago, although they did manage a 192.050 on the road earlier this month. In their last six Senior Nights, they have averaged 192.321 while never scoring below 191.

End of the road. When SPU reached the end of the road last week, it was not the prettiest of sights. For the first time in six meets the score fell below 190 at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational in Corvallis. Beginning with a shaky start on bars (46.575), it was a tough time for many. The fact that the meet coincided with the end of finals followed by a long van ride might have been a factor. The Falcons earned a decent score of 48.425 on floor, but could not sustain that momentum on either vault (47.350) or beam (47.400). Seventh-ranked Utah won a thriller duel with host Oregon State, 196.675 to 196.600. Washington was third (193.625) and SPU fourth (189.750).

MPSF picture. If Seattle Pacific is to have a shot at defending its MPSF title, it will undoubtedly have to raise its performance level on beam (47.750) and bars (48.350). Current frontrunner UC Davis has packed lineups in both. At last glance, the Aggies (192.180) were out in front in the conference rankings, followed by SPU (190.060), Alaska Anchorage (187.645) and Air Force (185.165).

National rankings. With two meets remaining before the national meet seedings are determined, SPU is No. 4 in the USAG division, with plenty of room above and below. Maryland’s Towson continues to be No. 1 with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 193.355. Defending champion Texas Woman’s (191.815) and ‘05 champ Rutgers (191.030) are next. The only change among the top eight last week was Centenary overtaking Cornell for No. 5. Temple and William & Mary are the other likely qualifiers for the USAG Championships, presented by Leisure Care, Apr. 19-21 at Brougham Pavilion.

Hard to say goodbye. Five seniors will get a sendoff immediately after Friday’s meet. The triumvirate of Debra Huss (Sr., Orangevale, Ca./Bella Vista), Sarah Sullivan (Sr., Salem, Or./Sprague) and Kristin Bryant (Sr., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) has had a profound impact on the record books over four seasons. Huss is a three-time national champion and school record-holder in the all-around. Sullivan, a co-captain for three years, is a five-time All-American, and Bryant was All-America and MPSF runner-up on vault last season. Rounding out the Class of ‘07 are Haley Krommenhoek (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Mt. Rainier) and Brianna Piedmonte (Sr., Chandler, Az./Desert Vista). Krommenhoek has made the floor and bars lineups in the past while Piedmonte has worked on beam.

Friday night highlights. Two gymnasts managed to match their season- highs at OSU, both on bars. Ashley Domres (Jr., Scottsdale, Az./Scottsdale Christian) paced the team with a 9.750 and Huss had a 9.725. On the same rotation, Christie Chinaka (Jr., Honolulu, Hi.) made it three solid meets in a row with a 9.725. Bryant (9.650) slipped below 9.700 on vault for the first time this season yet still led her team. Huss was the top beam performer (9.625) and had another solid floor routine (9.800) following her 9.900 Mar. 9. Her all-around total of 38.750 was good for seventh place–the highest finish by any Falcon for the night.

Gym shorts. Individually in the USAG rankings, Huss remains No. 1 on floor, but dropped to No. 3 in all-around. She is No. 4 on beam and the team’s top-ranked bars performer (12th). Bryant is No. 5 on vault and No. 8 on floor. Sullivan is on seventh on floor and 11th on beam. Within the MPSF, Huss is the leader in beam, floor and all-around, and second on bars. Bryant’s fourth on vault...Tindall has been able to field a full six athletes per lineup for the last three weeks thanks to healing injuries. Brianna Schwartz (So., Bonney Lake, Wa./Sumner), an all-arounder earlier this season, is still recovering from a sore shoulder and has been competing in beam and floor the past two meets. Schwartz scored 9.525 and 9.700, respectively, last week...Sullivan’s mended hand (preseason fracture) seems to be holding up. She swung a 9.350 on bars. Top recruit Kelli Bates (Fr., Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap) and classmate Katelyn Degner (Fr., Hillsboro, Or./Glencoe) were lost for the season early on. Danna Nelson (So., Maple Valley, Wa./Tahoma) and Aubrie Stavig (Jr., Albuquerque, NM/Sandia) went down in February…Tracy Smith (So., Mokena, Il./Chicago Christian) made the lineup (9.350 on vault) for the first time last week...Altogether, SPU had 10 scores of 9.375 at OSU...Huss ranks 11th among NCAA all-arounders in the West Region, and remains in the running for an at-large invitation to the regional meet, hosted by California Apr. 14.

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.