Air Force Quartet Heads to NCAA Regional Championships
4/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
April 9, 2010
Four members of the Air Force women's gymnastics team continue competition on Saturday, April 10, as they travel to the NCAA Regional Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. Juniors Brittany Dutton (all-around) and Lisa Wong (balance beam), senior Michelle Denise (floor exercise) and sophomore Jenna Dudley (all-around) will represent the Falcons at the Huntsman Center.
HOW IT WORKS
Six teams, five all-around competitors who aren't on a qualifying team and one specialist per event, who is not on a qualifying team or selected as an all-around competitor were named to each of the six regions - Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Columbia, Lexington, University Park and Morgantown. The top two teams, as well as the top two all-arounders and individual event specialists who are not on an advancing team, will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships on April 22-24.
LET'S MEET THE COMPETITION
Six full squads will compete at the Salt Lake City Regional, highlighted by fourth-ranked Florida. Also included in the lineup are No. 10 Utah, No. 16 Auburn, No. 19 Boise State, No. 22 Denver and No. 23 Washington, as well as event and all-around specialists from Air Force, Utah State, Wisconsin-Stout and Wisconsin-La Crosse.
MOVING AROUND THE GYM
Competing in the all-around, Jenna Dudley will rotate with Florida, while Brittany Dutton will participate with the host Utah squad. As event specialists, Lisa Wong and Michelle Denise will compete with Washington in the rotation.
DAY AND BARRITEAU NAMED TOP MPSF COACHES
Doug Day was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Head Coach of the Year, while Nelle Barriteau was chosen as the MPSF Assistant Coach of the Year.
AIR FORCE TRIO EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Three Falcons accounted for eight all-conference selections. Brittany Dutton claimed a team-best four all-conference honors (vault, uneven bars, floor exercise, all-around), while Jenna Dudley earned three (balance beam, floor exercise and all-around) and Lisa Wong picked up one (balance beam).
DUDLEY EARNS MPSF VAULT TITLE
Jenna Dudley scored a career-best 9.800 for the second straight week to win the vault title at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on March 27. Dudley is the program's first-ever vault champion.
FALCONS FINISH THIRD AT MPSF CHAMPIONSHIPS
As a team, Air Force accounted for a score of 192.500, placing third and clearing the 190-point plateau for the third time in five meets. UC Davis won the meet with a score of 194.150, while host Seattle-Pacific placed second with a score of 192.850. Alaska-Anchorage rounded out the four-team meet with a score of 190.725.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
In addition to her title on the vault, Jenna Dudley tied with Brittany Dutton for third on the floor exercise with matching scores of 9.825. That score is a personal best for both Dudley and Dutton, marking two of the highest floor scores in recent years. Britany Calley was the conference runner-up in the all-around (38.375), highlighted by career-best matching score of 9.775 on the balance beam.
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE FALCONS
The Falcons regroup next week, as they travel to Denton, Texas, for the 2010 USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships. The three-day meet begins on Thursday, April 15, with the team preliminary round.
Players Mentioned
