Air Force Academy
USA Gymnastics Collegiate Nationals
Women's Gymnastics Slated for USA Gymnastics Collegiate Nationals
4/11/2019 4:36:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
Air Force women's gymnastics will compete against Lindenwood, West Chester and Yale in Session I, beginning Friday
THIS WEEKEND
Air Force will compete at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Nationals, hosted by the University of Bridgeport, Apr. 12-14, in the Wheeler Recreation Center. The Falcons will compete at 2 p.m. ET in Session I with Lindenwood University, West Chester University and Yale, while Bridgeport, Cornell, University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) and Texas Woman's University will compete at 7 p.m. ET in Session II. The top-two teams of each session will compete for the team title in the finals at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday (Apr. 13). Individual event finals will be held at 1 p.m. ET, Sunday (Apr. 14).
LAST TIME AT USA GYMNASTICS COLLEGIATE NATIONALS
The Air Force women's gymnastics team registered a score of 195.675 -- a total that matched the highest team score in Academy history -- as it placed third in the team finals of the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Nationals, which were held at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, Texas.
Air Force, which shattered the previous high score of Doug Day's coaching tenure at the Academy by 0.375 points, equaled the program standard that had stood since 2004. A season-high floor exercise score of 49.000 in the final rotation secured the Academy-record mark for the 2018 squad.
The team total wasn't the only Academy record to be equaled this evening, as Anna Salamone registered a career-best score of 9.925 on the uneven bars to match the program's 15-year-old standard on that event. With that score, Salamone recorded a mark of 9.9-or-higher on the uneven bars for the third time this season and finished first in the full 24-gymnast field.
Analise Howard and Emily Luers led the Falcons on the balance beam, while Tyler Davis, who combined for a career-high 39.125 in the all-around, posted the team's top finishes on the floor exercise and vault. Howard and Luers tied for third on the beam with matching scores of 9.825, while Davis equaled her personal-best of 9.900 -- the third-highest score in program history -- to tie for second on the floor and added a career-best 9.825 to place fifth on the vault.
In addition to her win on the uneven bars, Salamone tied for sixth on the vault (9.800). Howard added a fourth-place finish on the uneven bars (9.825), while Jessica Kirkpatrick finished 11th (9.750) and Davis tied for 12th (9.725) on that event. Cam Barber and Mariana Murphy tied for seventh (9.800) and 10th (9.775), respectively, on the balance beam Brittney Reed tied for 11th on the floor exercise with a 9.800 mark.
Texas Woman's University, the host of last year's USAG Collegiate Nationals, won its 11th team title with a 196.525, while Lindenwood (195.800), Air Force (195.675) and Cornell (193.650) rounded out the team standings. The Falcons' third-place finish in the team finals is the program's highest placement since 2011.
In the individual events portion on Sunday, Davis captured the USAG title on the floor exercise, as seven members of the women's gymnastics team wrapped up competition at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Nationals. Davis, the program's first-ever USAG champion on the floor exercise, was one of three Falcons to medal during the individual event finals.
As the last competitor on the floor exercise, Davis produced a stellar routine that matched her career-high total of 9.900 -- a score that also equals the third-highest total in program history -- to capture a share of the USAG title. Sharing first-place honors with Bridgeport's Maya Reimers and Texas Woman's Schyler Jones, Davis became the program's first USAG champion in four years -- and the eighth overall.
Howard and Kirkpatrick also earned a trip to the awards podium this afternoon at Kitty Magee Arena, as the pair placed within the top six of their respective events during the individual finals. Howard scored a 9.800 to tie for third on the balance beam, while Kirkpatrick notched a 9.775 to tie for sixth on the uneven bars.
In addition to her title on the floor exercise, Davis also accounted for a 10th-place finish on the vault (9.725), while four other members of the Air Force squad also competed in today's individual event finals. Murphy and Salamone finished ninth (9.750) and 11th (9.675), respectively, on the uneven bars, while Luers tied for 10th on the balance beam (9.650)
LAST WEEK
Air Force junior Anna Salamone, representing the Air Force women's gymnastics team individually, concluded her run at the 2019 NCAA Regional Championships Friday afternoon (April 5) in Corvallis. Salamone, making her third-straight appearance at the NCAA Regional, registered a score of 9.800. The Bayport, New York, native finished in a six-way tie for 23rd-place, five positions higher than she finished in last season's regional meet.
Players Mentioned
