Sophomore Tanya Ho earned her second trip to the NCAA West Regional, this time as an all-arounder.
(Wayne Tilcock, Davis Enterprise)

March 31, 2008

DAVIS, Calif. - Sophomore all-around Tanya Ho, sophomore uneven bars specialist Lida Gehlen and senior floor exercise specialist Michelle Kulovitz have advanced as individual qualifiers to the NCAA West Region Women's Gymnastics Championship, hosted by Oregon State at the Gill Coliseum on April 12.

This is the second regional berth for Ho, who qualified in the vault as a freshman in 2007. Gehlen and Kulovitz will make their first trips to NCAA postseason competition.

The NCAA Championship meets field the country's top 36 teams according to their regional-qualifying score (RQS), then assigns the participating teams to six regionals. Within each region, the top five all-arounders who are not on qualifying teams earn individual berths to their respective regional. Additionally, regional berths are awarded to the top-ranked event performer who is not on a participating team nor among the all-around qualifiers.

Ho finished 18th in the West Region all-around rankings with an RQS of 38.220, boosted by a career-high 39.025 that won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title last Friday. Ho eclipsed the 38-point mark in five occasions this season, including a 38.875 at Sacramento State on March 7.

Gehlen, who captured the MPSF uneven bars title with a personal-best 9.900, moved into 11th in the West's bars leaderboard with a 9.840 RQS. She has posted 9.850 scores in three meets this season and has recorded a 9.800 or better 11 times overall.

Kulovitz holds a 9.790 RQS on floor exercise to rank 27th regionally. Like Ho in the all-around, she finished the regular season strong, scoring a 9.875 at home against Alaska Anchorage and adding marks of 9.800, 9.850 and 9.800 during the last three meets. Kulovitz is also the West alternate in the all-around, compiling a 38.070 RQS for 21st in the rankings.

UC Davis women's gymnastics has advanced 12 individuals and one team to the NCAA D-I West Regional since 1993. Tiffany Chan was the first to do so in multiple years, qualifying on floor in 2003 and vault in 2004. In 1998, the Aggies qualified as a team to the region meet.

Joining Ho among the five West all-arounders are Cal State Fullerton's Alaina Baker, and California's Sophia Hocini, Siobhan Luce and Jessica Kelley. Golden Bear junior Bridgette Glass earned the individual berth on balance beam with her eighth-ranked RQS of 9.840. Titan Maddie Steinauer claimed the regional spot on vault with a No. 14 RQS of 9.835. Her alternate is Aggie sophomore Michelle Bobonski, who finished 24th at 9.805.

The individual qualifiers will join team competitors Michigan, Oregon State, Michigan State, Washington, San Jose State and Sacramento State at the West Regional.

UC Davis finished the regular season by winning its first MPSF title, scoring a school-record 194.700 in Friday's championship meet.