SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Freshman Maria Hundley was the balance beam runner-up and finished fifth on the vault in her collegiate debut Friday for Seattle Pacific, which placed second in a women's gymnastics dual meet at Sacramento State’s Hornets Nest.

The NCAA Division II Falcons amassed 188.475 points for their highest season-opening team score since 2008. Division I competitor Sacramento won the team title with a score of 194.500.

“That’s about where I thought we would be for the team score,” said Laurel Tindall, who began her 38th season as SPU’s head coach. “We started out on bars and we really had a lot of misses. Vault was a little disappointing as well with a couple kids having their hands slip.

“The final two events came out pretty well. For finishing on beam, which hasn’t been our strong suit, we did well.”

Hundley (Littleton, Colo.) received a second-place score of 9.80 on the beam, a mark that was .25 higher than any of her teammates. That was the top mark for a Falcon on any apparatus. Hundley wasalso SPU’s to vaulter with a score of 9.675.

Tindall credited assistant coach Sarah Jean Marshall with predicting Hundley’s prolific performance.

“Sarah called that one and said that she would do really well on the beam. Maria was really good on vault and then she had a great beam routine.”

Sophomore Shannon Escarra (Fayetteville, Ga.) compiled a third-place total of 36.475 in her first all-around competition as a Falcon. That total included matching fifth-place scores of 9.675 on the uneven bars and floor exercise.

“This is the first meet where Shannon did four events. She has some room for improvement and we think she will improve rapidly,” said Tindall.

Seattle Pacific’s top event was the floor with a team total of 47.950. Four Falcons achieved scores of 9.55 of higher in that event, topped by Escarra and senior Stephanie Wagner (Estacada, Ore.) who tied for fifth at 9.675. Sophomore Sydney Clarktallied a 9.625 on floor while Kenley Memmel (West Bend, Wisc.) had a 9.55.

Another freshman excelled in her SPU debut on Friday. Rain Sullivan (Moraga, Calif.) posted a score of 9.525 on vault, the team’s third-best and eighth overall in that event. Sullivan turned in a mark of 9.425 on the floor. 

The host Hornets won all four individual events, including three by Kalliah McCartney en route to her first-place all-around score of 39.300. She was victorious on the vault (9.80), beam (9.85) and floor (9.85).

Sacramento’s Nicole Meiller topped the bars field with a 9.90, the highest score of the night.

The Falcons return to Seattle for their home opener on Friday, Jan. 18. The dual meet with Air Force starts at 7 p.m. inBrougham Pavilion.

NCAA WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

Friday, Jan. 11, 2013

The Hornets Nest/Sacramento, Calif.

Team Scores

1, Sacramento State, 194.500

2, Seattle Pacific, 188.475

All-Around

1, Kalliah McCartney, SSU, 39.300

2, Cassie Benning, SSU, 39.000

3, Shannon Escarra, SPU, 36.475

Vault

1, Kalliah McCartney, SSU, 9.800

2, Cassie Benning, SSU, 9.750

3, Nicole Meiler, SSU, 9.725

  Top SPU finisher – 5, Maria Hundley, 9.675

Uneven Bars

1, Nicole Meiler, SSU, 9.900

2, Cassie Benning, SSU, 9.825

3t, Ashley Wooff, SSU, 9.800

3t, Kallliah McCartney, SSU, 9.800

  Top SPU finisher – 5, Shannon Escarra, 9.675

Balance Beam

1, Kalliah McCartney, SSU, 9.850

2, Maria Hundley, SPU, 9.800

3, Elideth Guerrero, SSU, 9.775

Floor Exercise

1, Kalliah McCartney, SSU, 9.850

2, Cassie Benning, SSU, 9.775

3, Dallas Smith, SSU, 9.725

  Top SPU finisher – 5t, Stephanie Wagner & Shannon Escarra, 9.675

Next Meet

Air Force at Seattle Pacific

Friday, Jan. 18, 7:00 p.m.

Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.

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