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Title to be settled here. Eight teams and selected individuals from across the nation are coming to Seattle this week, and the question is whether the championship trophy will again find a home here, at Seattle Pacific University. The USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships, presented by Leisure Care, will commence Thursday (Apr. 19) with preliminary competition at 3 and 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. Team finals are Friday night (Apr. 20) at 7, and individual event finals are Saturday (Apr. 21) at 4.

Tough crowd. While the Falcons will have solid backing from their fans, they face a tall task in taking their first national title since 1997 and their third overall. Maryland’s Towson arrives as the No. 1 seed and a regional qualifying score which exceeds defending champion Texas Woman’s by a hefty 1.610 points. SPU is seeded fourth, behind ‘05 winner Rutgers.

Success formula. The top two teams from each prelim session will advance to Friday’s finals. Seattle Pacific will be joined by Texas Woman’s, Cornell and William & Mary in the evening. Towson, Rutgers, Centenary and Temple will perform in the afternoon. Those individuals finishing among the top five (including ties) of their respective session qualify for Saturday’s finals. All-around awards will be settled Thursday.

Deja vu all over again? Ten years ago, when the USAG meet was last hosted by Seattle Pacific, it served as a coronation ceremony for the Falcons. They won the championship–ending a four-year reign by Texas Woman’s–and also claimed two individual crowns. Coach Laurel Tindall has said history is unlikely to repeat itself, but she also did not expect SPU to upset favored UC Davis and win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship back on Mar. 30. That, too, occurred at home.

Coming on strong. For the past 10 years it has required a score in excess of 192.425 points to win the USAG championship, and in four of the last five years the winner has scored more than 193. Fortunately, the Falcons are tracking toward those kind of numbers. They have totaled more than 193 points in each of their last two outings after some injury-induced fluctuations earlier in the season. The 193.725 Mar. 23 was a new record.

Outstanding seniors. Although it will require a significant contribution from throughout the ranks, Seattle Pacific’s title hopes are pinned squarely to a trio of seniors. All-arounders Debra Huss (Sr., Orangevale, Ca./Bella Vista) and Sarah Sullivan (Sr., Salem, Or./Sprague) have capably shouldered much of the load for four seasons. Huss won national titles on bars, floor and all-around in 2005. Sullivan was third in vault and all-around last year. Both have bounced back from injuries to win MPSF event titles and qualify for the NCAA West Regional last week. Kristin Bryant (Sr., Anchorage, Ak./West Anchorage) is the MPSF vault champion and took fourth in the USAG last season.

Final exams. Seattle Pacific features at least three individual title contenders in Huss, Sullivan and Bryant. Huss finished the regular season ranked No. 1 (by her RQS) among USAG gymnasts in the floor, No. 2 in all-around and No. 4 on beam. Sullivan is No. 2 in all-around and No. 7 on beam. Bryant is No. 4 on vault–and tied for first in the MPSF–and eighth on floor. Ashley Domres (Jr., Scottsdale, Az./Scottsdale Christian) is a dark horse contender on beam (ranks 14th nationally) or bars, where she is coming off a runner-up finish in the MPSF. Brianna Schwartz (So., Bonney Lake, Wa./Sumner) rates 11th nationally on floor and was fourth on bars at conference. Falcons have won a total of 21 individual national titles, with five of those coming in 1996-97 when the USAG was held in Seattle.

On the mend. Throughout this season, Tindall and her team have been realistic about their chances at nationals. The reason: injuries, and lots of them, dating back to more than a year ago. Huss missed the last half of ‘05 with a dislocated tendon in her left ankle. She didn’t begin training again until September and her all-around availability was in doubt until January. Sullivan sustained a fractured hand in November and did not receive clearance to train again until January. She quickly earned a spot in two lineups and was competing all-around by mid-February. Add to that list the loss of top recruit Kelli Bates (Fr., Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap), lost for the entire season with a shoulder injury, and the absence of beam and floor specialist Danna Nelson (So., Maple Valley, Wa./Tahoma), and Tindall’s lineup has often been a patchwork. Before the return of Sullivan and development of depth, scores stayed below 190 for the first three meets, including a four-year low of 187.575 Feb. 2.

Conference recap. It was a come-from-behind effort at the conference meet, with the Falcons spotting UC Davis a lead of 0.850 points after two rotations. But Huss (9.900), Sullivan and Bryant (both 9.875) swept the floor and led a surge which carried over to the vault. SPU finished with 193.050 points to repeat as champion, followed by the Aggies (192.825), Alaska Anchorage (187.850) and Air Force (185.575). Huss (38.550) and Sullivan 38.475) were 1-2 in the all-around. Huss also led the league with four first-team all-conference honors (bars, beam, floor and all-around). Bryant made first team on vault while Sullivan was second team on vault, beam and floor. Domres was second team bars. Kathy Siwek shared Assistant Coach of the Year.

National pedigree. Seattle Pacific has won a total of three (one NCAA in 1986; two USAG, in ‘92 and ‘97) national championships, and has finished among the top four 23 times, including 22 of the last 24 years. The Falcons are coming off the poorest national finish (8th in 2006) since failing to qualify in 1982. Texas Woman’s leads all programs with eight national titles. Three different teams have won in the last three years.

Gym shorts. Huss enters the week with a tender left ankle after landing short on vault at the West Regional. Sullivan totaled a 38.600 in the all-around to place 15th overall. She was strong on all four events and scored her highest on vault (9.700), followed by floor exercise (9.675). Huss had scored 9.700 on both floor exercise and bars prior to her vault. After her fall, she withdrew from beam...The last time the Falcons hit a season-high team total at the national meet was in 1997, the year of their last title…The prelim winner has gone on to claim the national title nine out of the last 12 years...Schwartz returned to the bars lineup after missing the previous three meets with a sore shoulder and swung a 9.700. She also danced a 9.775 on floor to start the rally. Huss’ floor count of 9.900 ties for No. 3 all-time at SPU...Tindall’s recent lineups have included Amber Lundgren (So., Temecula, Ca./Temecula Valley), Melissa Daniels (So., Salinas, Ca./N. Monterey County) and Tracey Smith (So., Mokena, Il./Chicago Christian) on vault and Lundgren and Christie Chinaka (Jr., Honolulu, Hi.) on bars and beam.. Five gymnasts–Domres, Huss, Lundgren, Schwartz and Sullivan–have competed all-around this season, matching the highest number in 14 years. In her 32 seasons, Tindall has taken Seattle Pacific to either the NCAA or USAG meet 26 times.

About Leisure Care. Leisure Care, the national meet’s exclusive title sponsor, is one of the largest privately owned and most innovative operators of senior living communities in the United States and Canada. Its inventive 'Five-Star Fun' philosophy is changing the perception of senior living by providing amenities commonly associated with a luxury hotel and which support a healthy, active lifestyle. Leisure Care currently manages 40 communities and nearly 7,000 units throughout the United States. Leisure Care is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. For more information, please visit www.leisurecare.com

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.