Falcons Head to Alaska for a Pair of Meets
3/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 10, 2010
Following a weekend off from competition, the Air Force women's gymnastics team heads to The Last Frontier for a pair of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation dual meets against Alaska-Anchorage. The Falcons first take on the Seawolves on Friday, March 12, at 7 p.m. (AST), before regrouping on Sunday, March 14, for a 2 p.m. (ADT) faceoff. Both meets will be held at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex in Anchorage.
Meet Notes 07: at Alaska-Anchorage 
LET'S MEET THE OPPONENT
Alaska-Anchorage, 2-13 on the season, is coming off of a third-place finish during a triangular meet with Southeast Missouri State and No. 18 Missouri. With an average of 188.825, the Seawolves are ranked second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Kelsey Fullerton is ranked second in the league with a 9.720 average on the floor exercise, while Courtney Williams is ranked fourth on the uneven bars with an average of 9.620.
HISTORY 101
Air Force leads the all-time series by a 28-16 margin, although the Seawolves are 10-7 at competitions in Anchorage. The Falcons have already face UAA twice this season, narrowly defeating the Seawolves at the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational (184.475-183.475) and at a dual meet at the Academy (185.350-184.400).
DUDLEY CLAIMS SECOND MPSF HONOR
Jenna Dudley claimed her second MPSF Gymnast of the Week honor on March 2, following an impressive performance against No. 18 Denver. The sophomore matched her personal-best score on the floor exercise (9.775) to finish in a tie for second, while equaling her best-ever all-around total of 38.825 to also finish second. In addition, Dudley paced the Falcons on the uneven bars and balance beam, while tying for the top spot on the vault.
OH WHAT A NIGHT
Tallying a team score of 191.725, the Falcons collected their highest team score in over two years at a dual meet with No. 18 Denver on Feb. 22. In fact, that score is their second-highest score since the 2004 season. Although Denver scored a 193.900 to win the meet, the 2.175 margin was one of the narrowest separations in the long history of the two local programs.
MORE NEWS FROM DENVER
Four Falcons set or matched career-best scores, while three others tallied season-best scores at Denver on Feb. 22. Erin Brown set career-best scores on all three of her events, while Jenna Dudley matched career-best scores on two. Holland Davis upped her personal-best mark on the uneven bars, while Tara Harris increased her score on the vault. In addition, Michelle Denise set season-best scores on the uneven bars, balance beam and all-around, while Aftan Boudreaux set a season-high mark on her signature event. Brittany Dutton also tallied a pair of season-high marks.
FALCONS FINISH SECOND AT HOME TRI-MEET
Backed by solid performances from its final three performers on the floor exercise, Air Force scored a 188.000 to edge out Seattle-Pacific (187.050) for second at the Air Force Triangular on Feb. 20. The victory over SPU marked the first win for Air Force over its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foe during the Doug Day era.
HOW IT HAPPENED...
The Falcons held a slight advantage over Seattle-Pacific throughout the first three rotations, but that lead disappeared during the final event. With just three gymnasts left, Michelle Denise tallied a season-best 9.650 to get things started. Brittany Dutton followed with a career-best 9.800 to put the Falcons behind SPU by just .125. Jenna Dudley concluded the comeback with a performance of 9.750 to push Air Force into second.
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE FALCONS
Air Force returns to the Academy to close out the regular season on Monday, March 22, when it hosts local foe Denver at 6 p.m. The Pioneers are currently ranked 20th in the weekly GymInfo poll.
Players Mentioned
