Air Force Opens 2011 Home Season Hosting Seattle Pacific
1/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 20, 2011
The Air Force women's gymnastics team opens its home schedule this Saturday (Jan. 22), when in hosts Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foe Seattle Pacific at 1 p.m., in the Cadet West Gym. The meet, the first of seven home competitions for the Falcons, will run in conjunction with the Air Force men's gymnastics team's dual meet with Army.
Meet Notes 03: Seattle Pacific 
WE'VE GOT BONUS GYMNASTICS!
Air Force will host its first double-dual on Saturday, Jan. 22. In addition to the women's dual with Seattle Pacific, the men will be hosting service academy rival Army. Both meets will run simultaneously at Cadet West Gym, beginning at 1 p.m.
HOME SWEET HOME
Saturday's match marks the first seven home competitions for the Falcons in 2011. Air Force will also welcome Bridgeport (Feb. 12), Eastern Michigan (Mar. 2, Mar. 5) and Denver (Mar. 14) to the Academy, before concluding the season hosting the MPSF Championships (Mar. 19) and the USAG Championships (Apr. 8-10).
SCOUTING THE OTHER FALCONS
Seattle Pacific, one of the Falcons' MPSF opponents, is currently ranked 10th in the West Region with an average score of 186.013. The SPU Falcons fell to Illinois State (189.600-186.200) on Friday, Jan. 14, before finishing fourth (185.825) at the Washington Quad on Sunday, Jan. 16. Anissa Madrid paced Seattle Pacific during Friday's dual meet, winning the balance beam and all-around titles, while finishing second on the uneven bars and fifth on the vault.
CONFERENCE ROUNDUP
Brittany Dutton leads the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation on the vault, with a 9.650, while Samantha Jones is ranked fifth with a two-meet average of 9.525. Linnaea Hance and Dutton are ranked third (37.125) and fourth (37.125), respectively, in the all-around after one combined meet each.
LOOKING BACK AT THE MARYLAND TRIANGULAR
Air Force earned a third-place finish at the Maryland Triangular on Jan. 15 with a score of 186.475. The Falcons finished behind meet host Maryland (194.525) and 13th-ranked New Hampshire (192.300). Linnaea Hance paced the squad on the uneven bars with a score of 9.500, while Tara Harris was the Falcons' top scorer on the balance beam at 9.375). Lisa Wong posted a 9.675 to lead Air Force on the floor, while Brittany Dutton closed out the night with a team-leading 9.650 on the vault.
FALCONS SHOW IMPROVEMENT ON FLOOR
The Falcons improved their season-best total on the floor exercise by nearly two points at the Maryland Triangular, thanks to strong showings from all six gymnasts. Lisa Wong posted a team-leading score of 9.675, while Samantha Jones and Brittany Dutton captured matching scores of 9.600. Freshmen Jen Larsen and Linnaea Hance improved their career scores to respective scores of 9.300 and 9.200.
VAULTING TO NEW HIGHS
Air Force also improved their overall score on the vault at Maryland, as all six gymnasts scored above a 9.250. Brittany Dutton made her 2011 debut on the vault with a 9.650, while Samantha Jones and Lisa Wong added respective scores of 9.575 and 9.500. Holland Davis added a season-high tally of 9.450, while Jessica Hanner matched her career-best score at 9.375. Tara Harris rounded out the rotation with a score of 9.250.
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE FALCONS
Air Force heads back out on the road next weekend, when it travels to Minneapolis, Minn., for a dual meet with 14th-ranked Minnesota on Saturday, Jan. 29. It will mark the third time in four weeks that Air Force has faced a team ranked among the nation's top 20.
