• Complete Release (pdf)
      • VIDEO: Aditi Kulkarni

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 --
UC Davis at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion • Seattle, Wash.

• Webcast:
www.pennatlantic.com/main.php?module=event-detail&eventId=23131
• LiveStats:
www.spufalcons.com/sports/2012/2/19/GYM_0219124644.aspx

The Seattle Pacific gymnasts make their final home appearance of the 2012 season on Friday, Feb. 24 against UC Davis. The dual meet starts at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. The Falcons will be signing autographs for fans after the meet.

Senior Salute
Friday is the final home meet at Brougham Pavilion for Seattle Pacific seniors Texie Gregory, Kaysha Heck, Aditi Kulkarni, Brittany Malone, Samantha Taylor, Sherah Veron and Lari Wilson. Those seven Falcons, along with classmate Corrine Wise, will be honored in a ceremony prior to the 7 p.m. start of the meet.

Welcome Back
A large contingent of former SPU gymnasts will be in attendance Friday, taking part in annual Alumni Night festivities. Alums should call 206-281-2744 for details.

Get Your Tickets
Tickets to attend SPU home gymnastics events are available at Brougham Pavilion on meet nights and are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Groups of 10 or more may qualify for special general admission rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance. SPU students and staff are admitted free with valid i.d.



Home Sweet Brougham
Friday is the Falcons last of three home meets at Brougham Pavilion on the Seattle Pacific campus. The arena is located at the corner of Third Avenue West and Nickerson Street (3414 Third Ave. W, Seattle, WA, 98119). Brougham has hosted the national championship meet three times, most recently in 2007 when the Falcons finished second.

Friday's Field
UC Davis is a member of the same Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) as SPU. The NCAA Division I Aggies are ranked No. 54 nationally with a high score of 193.875. Seattle Pacific ranks 54th among all college teams (192.575) in the rankings that are dominated by Division I squads. The Falcons are rated No. 4 among teams that will vie for the USA Gymnastics (USAG) collegiate championship.

Gym Shorts
Ten different Falcons have been the team's high scorer in at least one event during a meet this season ... Fifteen of the 17 gymnasts that competed for SPU this year have posted an event score of 9.500 or better and nine of them achieved a mark of 9.70 or higher ... The Feb. 3 score of 192.575 was SPU's best team output since Mar. 27, 2010.

Recent Recap
Senior Sherah Veron tied for third place on the floor (9.825) and was the top vaulter (9.525) for Seattle Pacific, which finished third in the team competition at the Washington Tri-Meet on Feb. 17. The Falcons registered a team score of 190.800, their third-highest of the season. They compiled season-best totals on the uneven bars (48.100) and floor (48.600). The 13th-ranked LSU Tigers had a first-place score of 196.450 and host UW was second at 194.975. They are both NCAA Division I competitors. Texie Gregory topped SPU on the bars (9.70) and Aditi Kulkarni on the beam (9.75).

Bridgeport Bound?
The season starts in Seattle. The Falcons hope it ends in Bridgeport, Conn., the site of the 2012 USA Gymnastics (USAG) Collegiate Championships, April 12-14. SPU is a perennial championship contender, qualifying for 29 of the last 30 national meets for NCAA Division II schools. Since 1982, the Falcons only missed out in 2009.

Proud History
From the very first meet way back in 1974 to a run of 20 consecutive top-four finishes, including national championships in 1986, 1992 and 1997, SPU has made its mark on collegiate gymnastics. The Falcons earned invitations to 29 of the last 30 championship meets (1982-2008, 2010). They narrowly missed a qualifying berth in 2009. SPU gymnasts have won 22 national crowns and collected 160 All-America awards.

Season Preview
The Seattle Pacific women's gymnastics team reached the four-team finals at the 2011 USAG Collegiate Championships. They seek do replicate that feat in 2012 and improve on the fourth-place finish. That is an attainable goal according to Laurel Tindall, in her 37th season as SPU's coach. “Some things are going to have to fall into place for us, injuries are always a factor in that. We again have some good kids, we have some standouts on certain events and some All-Americans returning that will really help us in that quest.” Despite the departure of six letterwinners, including All-Americans Anissa Madrid and Bri Steigauf, the Falcons have a foundation of 13 letterwinners on which to build. Heading the list of returnees are three All-Americans who competed in the event finals at the 2011 USAG championships. Corrine Wise placed third on the beam, Samantha Taylor was fifth on the bars and Sherah Veron was 13th on the floor. A talented group of seven newcomers joins the roster and Tindall expects some of them to contribute immediately. “Shannon (Escarra) and Sydney (Clark) are both coming in as experienced freshmen ready to compete. We also have transfer Jenna Dudley from the Air Force Academy who has two years of collegiate experience under her belt and will come in and help us on vault and bars particularly.” SPU will rely on a bevy of event specialists in pursuit of its 30th championship meet berth in the last 31 years. “Sam Taylor did great last year getting All-American on bars and she'll be great again on that this year. Sherah Veron on vault and floor is doing really well. Stephanie Wagner will excel on beam and floor and she's also done a great job on bars this year.”

Coach Tindall
Laurel Tindall (Anderson) was there the very first time a group of Seattle Pacific gymnasts marched onto the competition floor in 1974. Now, 38 years later, she still is an integral part of a program that she helped nurture and lead to a prominent spot on the national scene since taking the coaching reigns in 1976. Whether as an athlete, coach or international-level judge, Tindall has spent a lot of time at the top of the gymnastics world. As she enters her 37th year as head coach, Tindall's SPU teams have won three national championships (1997, 1992, 1986). Falcon athletes garnered 22 national crowns, one of which she earned on the vault in 1975. Tindall has been named the national Coach of the Year four times, most recently in 2003. In a tribute to her myriad accomplishments in the SPU gym, Tindall is a charter member of the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame. She also operates the Falcon Gymnastics Center for local youths.

Next Week
The Falcons visit Colorado Springs, Colo. for a dual meet at Air Force on Friday, Mar. 2 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, 6 p.m. Mountain Time.