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Ready to defend. Their hopes buoyed by a record-breaking score in their last outing, the Seattle Pacific University gymnasts are set to defend the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship on their home floor. The Falcons (1-16) are seeded No. 2 behind UC Davis (8-10) for Friday night’s (Mar. 30) conference climax in Brougham Pavilion. Air Force (0-10) and Alaska Anchorage (0-11) complete the four-team field.

Do the math. Following this weekend’s various conference championships across the nation, numbers will be crunched and determinations made on qualification for regional and national competitions. Seattle Pacific has at least two individuals in the running for spots in the NCAA West Regional, Apr. 14 in Berkeley. Also to be decided are the seedings for the USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate Championships, to be hosted by SPU Apr. 19-21.

Flying high now. The Falcons’ confidence is running high following their timely breakout performance and near-upset of Washington last week. Seemingly from out of the blue burst a score of 193.725–nearly four full points above the previous week’s sum at Oregon State. It included a record-tying team vault (48.650) and a season-high on beam (48.525). And it was nearly enough to nip the Huskies’ 194.75. The old team record of 193.700 was set in 2001 and the 192-point plateau had been eclipsed only once in the last two years.

A banner year? Given all the injuries, Coach Laurel Tindall has not devoted much thought to winning titles this season. But now, who knows? SPU has won three conference (‘97, ‘98 and ‘06) and three national crowns (‘86, ‘92 and ‘97). But until last year, the Falcons had not finished higher than third since joining the MPSF in 2003. Top-seeded UC Davis seeks its first title and has finished above SPU in three encounters this season. No. 3 seed Alaska Anchorage has not met Seattle Pacific, whose lone duel win came at Air Force.

Tickets, please. General admission tickets for the MPSF Championships are $5 for adults and $3 for students/youth. There are no discounts for groups or SPU community members.

Top of the heap. Seattle Pacific features three gymnasts who ought to be in the running for individual titles Friday night. Debra Huss (Sr., Orangevale, Ca./Bella Vista) is No. 1 among MPSF all-arounders, plus floor and beam performers. She’s also No. 3 on bars. Sarah Sullivan (Sr., Salem, Or./Sprague) is No. 2 on beam, third on floor and, although she doesn’t have enough all-arounds to figure in the rankings, she should also be among the top four there. Kristin Bryant (Sr., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) is ranked third on vault and fourth on floor. Tanya Ho and Michelle Kulovitz of UC Davis are rated Nos. 2-3 in the all-around. The only Falcon to claim an MPSF title was Jaynie Reynolds on bars last season.

Top 10 things. The senior class was honored following the UW meet and they had plenty to celebrate. Sullivan earned two scores that rated among the school's top 10 all-time, scoring 9.875 (tie/No.8) on floor to match her career-best and 9.850 (tie/No. 6) on beam. Both were good for second place. Her 9.775 on beam tied her season best. Sullivan was named the MPSF gymnast of the week. Bryant matched her own No. 4 vault mark with a career-high 9.850, good for runner-up. Huss took second in the all-around (38.850). She was fourth on beam (9.750) and floor (9.825). Her vault of 9.700 was a career high.

All key contributors. Seniors may have stole the spotlight but the record score would not have happened if not for key performances from the supporting cast. Ashley Domres (Jr., Scottsdale, Az./Scottsdale Christian) finished in a third-place tie on bars (9.700) while teammate Amber Lundgren (So., Temecula, Ca./Temecula Valley) was fifth (9.650), hitting a career high. Christie Chinaka (Jr., Honolulu, Hi.) shook-off falls on bars to achieve a career-best 9.700 on beam, also good for fifth. Brianna Schwartz (So., Bonney Lake, Wa./Sumner) scored a solid 9.775 on floor, again for fifth, and had a career-high 9.650 on beam.

Nationals on horizon. Last week’s score pushed Seattle Pacific’s Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) to 191.125. That still positions SPU at No. 4 among USAG teams. Maryland’s Towson continued as the leader after scoring 193.500 on the road. Defending champion Texas Woman’s (192.110) is second and ’05 champ Rutgers (191.300) third. Centenary (189.700) rounds out the top five. Also likely to make the qualifying cut are Cornell, Temple and William & Mary. The field, including at-large individuals, will be finalized next week.

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).

Gym shorts. The Huskies’ Ashley Houghting broke three Brougham Pavilion records, amassing 39.350 points and earning a 9.950 on vault and 9.975 on floor. Washington also set a new team record on floor (49.100). Kristin Omori won beam (9.850) and Raimey Iselin swung a 9.800 to finish first on bars...Huss is currently No. 2 among contenders for the NCAA West Regional at-large all-arounders. Sullivan is also in the running, as are Ho and Kulovitz of UC Davis...Going into the MPSF meet, UC Davis leads the other three schools in all events except floor, where the Falcons own the edge...In the USAG individual rankings, Huss still holds a grip on No. 1 in floor and moved up one spot to No. 2 in all-around. Bryant is fourth in vault and eighth in floor while Sullivan is No. 4 on floor...Seattle Pacific has now averaged 192.525 over the last seven Senior Nights...The only repeat champion in MPSF history (since 2002) was Sacramento State (‘02-03).

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.