<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=192888919167017&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Friday, March 29, 2024
March 29, 2024

Linkedin Pinterest

College Notebook: Local gymnasts advance to NCAA regional meets

Six from county on invitation list for shot at nationals

The Columbian
Published: March 26, 2014, 5:00pm
9 Photos
Diana Mejia, Boise State University gymnastics.
Diana Mejia, Boise State University gymnastics. Photo Gallery

Clark County collegiate gymnasts representing four different schools will be competing in NCAA Division I regional meets on April 5.

Brigham Young and Boise State are two of the six teams selected to compete in the Seattle Regional on Saturday at the University of Washington.

Vancouver’s KayCee Gassaway, a graduate of CAM High School in Battle Ground, is a junior at BYU. Boise State’s Diana Mejia — the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships Co-Freshman of the Year — is a Skyview High School graduate.

Among the individuals also selected to compete in Seattle are Sacramento State juniors Kalliah McCartney of Vancouver in all-around, Dallas Smith of Heisson in floor exercise and Kayla Wonderly of La Center on balance beam.

McCartney and Smith are CAM High School graduates. Wonderly is a graduate of La Center High School.

Southern Utah will compete in the Minneapolis regional. Skyview High School graduate Alyssa Click, a senior at SUU, was an individual regional qualifier in 2012 on balance beam before missing last season because of a knee injury.

Six teams, five all-around competitors not on qualifying teams and one individual event specialist in each event were selected for each of the six regional sites: Athens, Ga.; Baton Rouge, La.; Fayetteville, Ark.; University Park, Pa.; Minneapolis and Seattle.

The top two teams and top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive and automatic berth to the national meet April 18-20 in Birmingham, Ala.

In addition, the event winners at each regional will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not a part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.

Sacramento State won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship Saturday in Davis, Calif., scoring a season high of 195.650 points, while McCartney claimed the conference vault title.

Boise State finished second, Southern Utah third and BYU fourth in the inaugural Mountain Rim Gymnastics Championships last Saturday in Provo, Utah. Denver claimed the team title at the five-team competition.

Southern Utah’s score of 196.125 points was a season high. The Flippin’ Birds were the only team at the championship to score at least 49 points on each of the four events.

BYU will compete at regionals for the 23rd time in 26 seasons, and the fifth year in a row.

Track and field

Arn, Turner on D-III national hurdles lists

George Fox University junior Charity Arn ran the second-fastest time in NCAA Division III while placing fourth in the 100-meter hurdles at a meet Saturday at Pont Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.The Woodland High School graduate’s time of 14.73 seconds leads the Northwest Conference.Bruins senior Alyssa Turner, a Hudson’s Bay High School gradaute, ranks 20th nationally and seventh in the NWC with a time of 15.48 seconds.

Softball

Middelstadt moves up Linfield steals list

With a pair of stolen bases in the opener of a doubleheader Tuesday at Trinity University of Texas, Linfield College junior outfielder Grace Middelstadt moved into third place on the Wildcats’ career stolen bases list. The Prairie High School graduate has 72, trailing only Stephanie Rice (109) and Shelly Steinke (99).With a pair of shutout wins in San Antonio, Linfield (21-5) reached 20 wins for the 19th consecutive season.

Suggestions for College Notebook? Contact Kurt Zimmer at 360-735-4563 or kurt.zimmer@columbian.com

Loading...