UW Seeded No. 2 at NCAA Gym Regional
March 31, 2003
Seattle - The NCAA today announced the field for the 2003 Women's Gymnastics Championship Regional sites. Washington, ranked 11th nationally, is seeded second in the West Regional that will be held at Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on April 12 at 5 p.m. The top two teams from the regional will advance to the NCAA Championships April 24-26 in Lincoln, Neb.
Second-ranked Nebraska received the top seed in the west. LSU is seeded third, Boise State is fourth, Cal State Fullerton is fifth and San Jose State is sixth. In addition to the team competition, five individuals have also been invited to each regional site to compete for event and all-around championships. Those winners, if not part of a qualifying team, will also advance to the NCAA Championships.
"We knew going into the Pac-10 Championships on Saturday that we needed to have a good score to move up into the rankings and to secure a number-two seed at the regional," said Husky coach Bob Levesque. "We accomplished that. Now we have to take advantage of competing at home to get back to the NCAAs. If we hit our routines, we can do it."
Washington's last appearance at the NCAA Championships was in 1998, the last time the Huskies hosted a regional championship. This season marks the UW's 22nd consecutive year it has appeared in an NCAA Regional. Last year Washington placed fourth at the West Regional at Oregon State.
The Huskies face a tough challenge during the West Regional. Washington's draw sees the Huskies start on floor, end on beam and sit out the final rotation as one of their two byes during the six-rotation event.
"The scores generally go up as the meet progresses, so we have a real challenge because floor is typically our best event," Levesque says. "We're going to really have to get off to a quick start. Sitting out the final rotation is very difficult. It's what we drew and we'll have to make the best of it."
All seven Pac-10 schools qualified for this year's championship. UCLA, the Pac-10 champions, will be the top seed in the South Central Regional. Stanford drew the number-one seed in the North Central Regional and Arizona State is the top team in the Northeast Region. California joins the Cardinal in the North Central and Oregon State and Arizona will compete with the Bruins at Missouri.
West Region
April 12 at Seattle, Washington
Washington
Teams
1. Nebraska
2. Washington
3. LSU
4. Boise State
5. Cal State Fullerton
6. San Jose State
All-Around Competitors
1. Zaher, Sacramento State
2. Hoffman, Sacramento State
3. McDaniel, Seattle Pacific
4. Currie, Alaska Anchorage
5. Burdick, Alaska Anchorage
Individual Event Specialists
Vault - Narasaki, Sacramento State
Alt. - Schwaebe, UC Davis
Uneven Bars - Schwaebe, UC Davis
Alt. - Stanton, Seattle Pacific
Balance Beam - Naito, UC Davis
Alt. - Doherty, UC Davis
Floor Exercise - Chan, UC Davis
Alt. - Diamond, Sacramento State
North Central Region
April 12 at Salt Lake City, Utah
University of Utah
Teams
1. Stanford
2. Utah
3. California
4. Brigham Young
5. Denver
6. Minnesota
South Central Region
April 12 at Columbia, Missouri
University of Missouri
Teams
1. UCLA
2. Oregon State
3. Iowa
4. Arizona
5. Missouri
6. Illinois-Chicago
Central Region
April 12 at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
University of Alabama
Teams
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Auburn
4. Kent State
5. Central Michigan
6. Michigan State
Northeast Region
April 12 at Ann Arbor, Michigan
University of Michigan
Teams
1. Arizona State
2. Michigan
3. Iowa State
4. New Hampshire
5. Penn State
6. Pittsburgh
Southeast Region
April 12 at Athens, Georgia
University of Georgia
Teams
1. Georgia
2. Florida
3. Ohio State
4. North Carolina State
5. North Carolina
6. Maryland
In case of ties for selection to regional competition, the team, all-around competitor or individual event specialist with the highest score, not including the six used for the regional qualifying score, will qualify. If a tie still exists, the process is continued until the tie is broken.
For more information regarding the National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships, log on to www.ncaasports.com.
