Falcons Travel to Eastern Michigan for Dual Meet
2/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 16, 2011
The Air Force women's gymnastics team travels to Ypsilanti, Mich., for a dual meet with Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 19. The two programs, which will face off a total of three times this season in dual meet action, will open the home-and-home series at Bowen Field House on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m.
Meet Notes 07: at Eastern Michigan 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Eastern Michigan is coming off of a 189.550-185.750 victory over Bowling Green last weekend in Mid-American Conference action. The win improved the Eagles to 2-5 overall on the year. Nikole Viltz (9.720 vault), Brittany Cassar (9.625 bars; 9.413 beam) and Stacie Wood (9.619 floor) account for the team's top averages on the four events. In the national standings, Eastern Michigan is just one place above Air Force, holding a narrow 189.590-189.567 average advantage.
WE'LL BE SEEING YOU
Saturday will mark the first of three competitions between the Falcons and Eagles this season. Following the meet in Ypsilanti, Air Force will host Eastern Michigan for a pair of meets on March 2 and March 5.
HANCE NAMED MPSF GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
Linnaea Hance was named the MPSF Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 12, after posting three personal-best totals to help the Falcons to a season-best team score of 192.400. Hance improved her scores on the uneven bars (9.800), floor exercise (9.600) and all-around (38.575), while tying for first on the balance beam (9.725) and placing second on the bars and all-around.
FALCONS SHINE IN HOME DUAL
Backed by a career-best night on the uneven bars, Air Force improved its overall team score to 192.400 in a narrow loss to Bridgeport, the defending USAG national champions, on Feb. 12. The score, a seasonal improvement by nearly one point, is the third-best total of the Doug Day era.
TOP 10 SCORES UNDER COACH DAY
193.300 - at Alaska-Anchorage (Mar. 14, 2010)
192.500 - at MPSF Championships (Mar. 26, 2010)
192.400 - Bridgeport (Feb. 12, 2011)
192.275 - at MPSF Championships (Mar. 29, 2008)
191.725 - at Denver (Feb. 22, 2010)
191.625 - Denver (Mar. 24, 2008)
191.500 - at Minnesota (Jan. 29, 2011)
191.475 - Seattle Pacific (Jan. 22, 2011)
191.050 - MPSF Championships (Mar. 20, 2009)
190.975 - at Alaska-Anchorage (Mar. 16, 2008)
CONFERENCE ROUNDUP
Air Force continues to rank second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, with an average score of 189.567. Individually, Brittany Dutton is ranked second on the vault (9.665 average) and all-around (38.075), while standing fourth on the uneven bars (9.592) and sixth on the floor exercise (9.667). Linnaea Hance is ranked third in the all-around (37.992) and fifth on the balance beam (9.508), while Samantha Jones is ranked fifth on the vault (9.600) and sixth on the uneven bars (9.508).
FALCONS SHINE ON UNEVEN BARS
As the final competitor, Brittany Dutton's 9.825 on the uneven bars capped an amazing rotation for the Falcons, who earned four of the top five scores. All six gymnasts recorded personal highs on that event, including Linnaea Hance, who placed second with a 9.800. Samantha Jones and Holland Davis tied for fourth (9.750), while Jen Larsen (9.625) and Jessica Hanner (9.525) also improved their marks. As a team, the Falcons scored a 48.750 - a tally just shy of the program record of 48.900.
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE FALCONS
Air Force heads to the West Coast on Friday, Feb. 25, for a dual meet with Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foe, Seattle Pacific. It will be the first of two trips to Seattle, Wash., for the Falcons this season, as the squad will take on SPU and Washington in its final road trip of the season.
