• Final Scoresheets (pdf)

NORMAL, Ill. – Texie Gregory unexpectedly found herself competing in all four events Friday. She responded with the finest performance of her collegiate career.

Gregory recorded career-high scores in two events and the all-around, helping the Seattle Pacific women's gymnastics team to a third-place finish in the Illinois State Quad Meet at Horton Field House.

The Falcons registered their second-highest team score of the season, a tally of 190.825 that marked their fifth consecutive result above the 190-point plateau.

“It was a very solid meet,” described SPU coach Laurel Tindall. “There was nothing really outstanding, but we were very good across the board. We didn't count any falls.”

Host Illinois State compiled a winning total of 194.000 points, Ball State was second with 192.750 and Wisconsin-La Cross was fourth at 189.875.

Gregory (Auburn, Calif.) was planning to participate on the bars and floor until Tindall inserted her into the beam lineup right before the meet. After the Falcons got through three events, a teammate's injury while warming up for the fourth propelled Gregory into the vault competition.

“Before the meet we didn't warm her up at all on vault, we ended up putting her in at the very last minute,” Tindall explained. “We were warming up vault and Bryn (Larson) missed her hand on the horse and came in short on her ankles. She was supposed to go up first, so we told Texie that she was first up. She hadn't even flipped a vault.

“At the time I didn't even think that she was an all-arounder, we just threw her in there.”

Friday's first foray over the vault resulted in a score of 9.250, completing Gregory's sixth-place all-around score of 37.875. That surpassed her previous career-best mark by 2.65 points. Gregory matched her top career performances with tallies of 9.650 on the floor and 9.550 on the uneven bars and received a season-high score of 9.425 on the beam.

SPU senior Bri Steigauf (Richfield, Minn.) finished in a four-way tie for third place on the floor with a score of 9.775, her best of the year.

Hannah Deutsch of Illinois State was the top floor performer, receiving a 9.825. She was also victorious on the beam with a 9.925. Sophomore Stephanie Wagner (Estacada, Ore.) turned in a 10th-place score of 9.675 to lead SPU on the beam.

Illinois State's Erica Schick topped the all-around field with a score of 38.950 and Ball State's Brittney Emmons was second at 38.900. They tied for first place on the bars with matching scores of 9.750.

Falcons junior Samantha Taylor (San Carlos, Calif.) received a season-best score of 9.675 to finish fifth on the bars.

Ball State's Nicole Allen won the vault with a mark of 9.800. Junior Sherah Veron (Broken Arrow, Okla.) was SPU's top vaulter with a sixth-place score of 9.650.

NCAA Division II teams and Division I schools choosing to limit their scholarships vie for invitations to the eight-team USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships based on a qualifying score. That figure is calculated by eliminating the top score and averaging their next six highest scores, including at least three from meets away from their home gym.

The SPU gymnasts started the season slow with a home score of 186.200 and road mark of 185.825 before reeling off five consecutive 190-point performances. Friday's effort removes the 185.825 from being tabulated in their qualifying score.

“We're going to drop that 185, replacing it with a 190. That's going to make our average go up a lot,” Tindall said. “Next week hopefully we get that 186 out of there and put in another 190 or 191.”

The Falcons return to Seattle for their final home event, Friday, Feb. 25 against Air Force. The dual meet starts at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.


NCAA WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS
Friday, February 18, 2011
Horton Field House/Normal, Ill.

Team Scores
1, Illinois State, 194.000
2, Ball State, 192.750
3, Seattle Pacific, 190.825
4, Wisconsin-La Crosse, 189.875

Vault
1, Nicole Allen, BSU, 9.800
2, Kim Genereux, ISU, 9.750
3t, Erica Schick, ISU, 9.725
3t, Brittney Emmons, BSU, 9.725
Top SPU finisher – 6, Sherah Veron, 9.650

Uneven Bars
1t, Apollonia Barrien, ISU, 9.750
1t, Erica Schick, ISU, 9.750
1t, Brittney Emmons, BSU, 9.750
Top SPU finisher – 5, Samantha Taylor, 9.675

Balance Beam
1, Hannah Deutsch, ISU, 9.925
2, Nicole Allen, BSU, 9.850
3, Melissa Mann, ISU, 9.800
Top SPU finisher – 10, Stephanie Wagner, 9.675

Floor Exercise
1, Hannah Deutsch, ISU, 9.825
2, Brittney Emmons, BSU, 9.800
3t, Bri Steigauf, SPU, 9.775
3t, Erica Schick, ISU, 9.775
3t, Apollonia Barrien, ISU, 9.775
3t, Christa Booman, UW, 9.775

All-Around
1, Erica Schick, ISU, 38.950
2, Brittney Emmons, BSU, 38.900
3, Kim Genereux, ISU, 38.875
4, Nicole Allen, BSU, 38.800
5, Christa Booman, UW, 38.625
6, Texie Gregory, SPU, 37.875
7, Morgan Shene, UW, 37.600


Next Meet:
Air Force at Seattle Pacific
Friday, Feb. 25, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.