Washington Gymnasts Qualify for NCAA Regionals
Tickets can be purchased for the April 10 regional by calling the Oregon State ticket office at 1-800-GO-BEAVS or (541) 737-4455. Reserved seats are $15, and general admission seats are available for $8.
The Regional Field: Washington will be joined by No. 3 Utah, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 15 UCLA, No. 18 Boise State and Sacramento State at the six-team West Regional. This year's NCAA regionals feature a new format. Two of the nations's top-12 ranked teams have been assigned to each of the six regional sites as opposed to the past when the regional championships have only included teams from the respective regional area. Also new this year, only the top two highest scoring teams from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships. In the past, the regional champion and six at-large teams advanced to the finals.
Other Regional Sites:
Region 2 (at Utah State): Georgia, Florida, Denver, Iowa State, Utah State, Minnesota
Region 3 (at Nebraska): Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois
Region 4 (at Louisiana State): LSU, Stanford, Kentucky, Central Michigan, Auburn, Ball State
Region 5 (at Penn State): Penn State, Arizona State, New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, UMass, Rhode Island
Region 6 (at West Virginia): Alabama, Ohio State, Maryland, West Virginia, N.C. State, Towson State
Last Year at the NCAA Regional: Washington won its NCAA Regional championship last year in Seattle. The Huskies scored 196.150 to easily outdistance second-place UCLA (195.100). Washington's Tiffany Simpson and Klara Kudilkova shared the all-around title with identical 39.425 scores. Simpson also took home the floor exercise crown with a 9.950 performance. Lauren Riesenman claimed the balance beam championship with a score of 9.925.
Simpson Is Out: Washington senior All-American Tiffany Simpson will not compete for the Huskies at the NCAA regionals this week. Simpson has been sidelined due to a stress fracture in her right leg all season. She had hoped to possibly return to the UW lineup in time for the Pac-10 Championship. Since she only competed in Washington's season-opener vs. Georgia, Simpson is eligible to petition for a medical redshirt and return to the UW lineup next year.
Last Time Out: Going with a lineup that featured several younger gymnasts, the Huskies defeated Seattle Pacific 192.100 to 190.800 on March 25 at Seattle Pacific. Sophomore Lanna Apisukh set a career high on balance beam with a 9.925 score in her only competition. Senior Amber Erdose also set her career high on beam with a 9.775 performance.
The Rankings: Washington is not ranked in the overall team poll. The Huskies rank 24th nationally on vault with an RQS of 48.5312. Individually, Lanna Apisukh is ranked 19th nationally in the all-around (39.1937).
Record-Setting Night: Washington's 196.000 to 195.600 victory against Oregon State on Feb. 26 ranks as one of the best all-around performances in Husky history. The Husky gymnasts posted 14 career-high scores during the meet. Washington's overall score ranks as its fourth highest. The Huskies' vault score (49.400) crushed the old mark of 49.175 set in 1997.
Riesenman Continues the Hot Hand: Junior All-American Lauren Riesenman enters the NCAA West Regionals coming off four straight all-around performances of better than 39.000. She turned in back-to-back career best performances vs. California and Oregon State. The Clovis, Calif., native, won the all-around in a three-way meet at California on Feb. 19 with a score of 39.125. It was Riesenman's second all-around victory of the season. She bettered that against Oregon State with a score of 39.175. Earlier in the year Riesenman won the all-around at Arizona State with a score of 38.925. Riesenman's victory at California included season high scores in all four events. Last week's outing included career highs on bars (9.875) and floor (9.975) Washington gymnasts have won the all-around competition at five of the Huskies' 10 meets this year.
Apisukh Continues to Impress: Sophomore Lanna Apisukh has proven to be the Huskies' most consistent performer this year. She has racked up four all-around victories and won top event honors ninetimes this year. Against Oregon State, Apisukh set her career high in the all-around with a score of 39.475 to tie the Beavers' Megan Murphy-Barcroft for first-place honors in the dual meet at UW. Her score marked the fourth time this year she has scored above 39.000 in the all-around. The Lake Mary, Fla., native won the all-around at the UW Quadrangular by posting a score of 39.300. A week earlier she had set her career high in the all-around with a 39.125 performance at Boise State. This season she has posted new career highs in vault (9.825, twice), bars (9.900, twice), beam (9.925) and floor (9.950).
Freshmen of Influence: A trio of freshmen are having an impact on the Huskies this season. Allison Bruce, Sidney Field and Celeste Montalvo have become regulars in the UW lineup. Bruce competes on bars and beam, Field in vault, bars and floor and Montalvo in beam and floor. All three competitors have registered at least a 9.700 on one event this year. Field is capable of boosting the Huskies' all-around lineup. She competed in all four events in Washington's first two meets of the season. Freshman Stacy Wong, slowed by a back injury this year, has competed in UW's last four meets on the bars.
Coach Bob Levesque: Bob Levesque is in his ninth year directing the Washington gymnastics program. The past two years Levesque has been named the Pac-10 and West Region coach of the year. He is the first UW coach to lead the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA appearances (1997 & '98). In six of his eight years at Washington, Levesque has seen at least one Husky gymnast compete at the NCAA championships. Levesque is closing in on his 100th career win. He enters this week's meet with a 99-77 record.
All-Arounders: Washington's current lineup features a trio of all-arounders. Sophomore Lanna Apisukh, senior Amber Erdos and junior Lauren Riesenman are competing in all four events. Apisukh has turned in five 39+ scores this season and has four all-around titles to her credit. while Riesenman's best effort was a 39.175 to place second against Oregon State. Earlier in the season she scored 38.925 to claim the all-around in a dual meet with Arizona State. Erdos' top score was her career-high 39.275 to finish third against OSU. She opened the season was a 38.350 effort vs. defending NCAA champion Georgia. Tiffany Simpson, currently sidelined with an injury, and freshman Sidney Field, have also competed in the all-around for UW this year.
Injury Report: Six-time All-American Tiffany Simpson is currently sidelined with a stress fracture in her right leg. Simpson may be able to return to the Huskies' lineup in time for postseason competition. Freshman Stacy Wong competed in her first meet last week. A back injury forced her to miss the first half of the season and has restricted her to the uneven bars.
1999 Washington Gymnastics Results
Record: 12-11
Date Opponent Result UW Score/Opp. Jan. 8 GEORGIA 2nd 190.950/193.375 Jan. 15 at Arizona State 2nd 192.250/193.150 Jan. 22 UW Tri-Meet 1st 193.000 ARIZONA 2nd 190.350 NEBRASKA 3rd 190.250 Jan. 31 at UCLA Quad 2nd 191.475 UCLA 1st 192.350 Maryland 3rd 188.400 UCSB 4th 183.575 Feb. 6 at Boise State 3rd 192.550 Utah State 1st 193.125 Boise State 2nd 192.700 Feb. 12 UW Quad 1st 192.975 Stanford 2nd 192.950 UC Davis 3rd 187.800 Seattle Pacific 4th 187.700 Feb. 19 at Cal Tri-Meet 1st 193.600 California 2nd 192.475 San Jose State 3rd 189.075 Feb. 26 OREGON STATE 1st 196.000/195.600 Mar. 6 at Utah 2nd 193.800/197.150 Mar. 20 at Pac-10 Champ. 6th 194.425 Mar. 25 at Seattle Pacific 1st 192.100/190.800 Apr.10 NCAA West Regional (Corvallis, OR) Apr.22 NCAA Championships (Salt Lake City)UW Home meets at Hec Edmundson Pavilion
