Two of UC Davis’ finest gymnasts traveled to Seattle Saturday to represent the Aggies at the NCAA Seattle Regional meet.
Junior Katie Yamamura and freshman Tiana Montell both earned berths to the Regional meet with their performances at last week’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship meet.
Yamamura began her meet with floor exercise where she earned a 9.700 for her routine. She then moved on to the vault, where the Palo Alto, Calif. native has excelled for the Aggies this season. The vault added another 9.775 to her overall total score.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, the seasoned junior suffered a fall during her mount in beam which knocked her score down to an 8.700 for that event.
Yamamura also struggled during her release in uneven bars, resulting in another fall and a score of 8.975.
The junior placed 20th overall in her second NCAA Regional appearance, earning a 37.15, even with the penalties of two falls. UC Davis gymnastics can look forward to another incredible year next season because Yamamura will be returning with all of her talents and the experience she gained at this meet.
“Unfortunately Yamamura didn’t have the day we were hoping for but it was still a great meet overall,” said head coach John Lavallee.
The Aggies’ other competitor was Montell who has proved to be an excellent addition to the UC Davis squad.
Montell has impressed Lavallee all season long with her poise, and this meet was just another example of her ability to compete against the big guns.
“Tiana did a great job going four-for-four. It was a great way to finish off the season,” Lavelle said.
The Hilo, Hawaii native began her meet at the vault where she earned a 9.500. Montell then moved to the uneven bars where she swung another 9.500 to add to her total score.
The freshman’s best event was the beam where she earned a 9.700. Montell finished the meet on floor where she struggled but still earned a 9.475 which brought her total up to 38.175.
Montell’s total score was enough to the land the Aggie at 17th place in the all-around division.
The NCAA Regional brought UC Davis’ impressive season to a close. This year’s squad fought through disappointments early on but they brought it in the home stretch. The Aggies are returning an incredible amount of talent next year and with a little luck they can grab another MPSF Conference Champion Title.
“It’s time to take a little rest and then we are going to start getting ready for next year,” Lavallee said.
KIM CARR can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
