THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE GYMNASTICS ...
 
Fri., Feb. 6 – 5 pm AST – Cadet West Gym – Colorado Springs, CO
Alaska Anchorage (2-1) at Air Force (7-3) & vs Utah State (7-2)
&
Mon., Feb. 9 – 4:30 pm AST – Dee Glen Smith Spectrum – Logan, UT
Alaska Anchorage at Utah State quad meet
(UAA, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, Utah State)
 
LIVE VIDEO: Both meets at themw.com
 
LIVE SCORING: Check GoSeawolves.com on meet days for updated links

THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING: The Alaska Anchorage gymnastics team returns to the road this week for multi-team meets in the Mountain time zone, competing Friday at the Air Force tri-meet and Monday at the Utah state quad meet ... the Seawolves are aiming to improve on a three-meet average of .190.142 as they aim for upset victories.
 
KNOW THE FOES: Two of UAA's opponents this week find themselves in early NCAA qualifying contention, with Southern Utah sitting No. 26 (195.606 average, 195.675 season high) and Utah State at No. 27 (195.600 avg, 196.075 high) ... Air Force has averaged 194.538 with a high of 195.225, while Sacramento State is averaging 193.788 with a high of 194.125.
 
THE SERIES...
vs Air Force: AFA leads 37-20 overall, 15-5 at AFA
Last: AFA 193.200-188.950 (1/29/23 at UCD)
Streak: AFA 7
Notes: UAA's last win came 194.125-191.975 on Mar. 13, 2016 in Anchorage ... AFA is UAA's second-most common opponent, having competed for many years in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation ... first meeting was in UAA's inaugural season in 1985.
 
vs USU: USU leads 7-0 overall (4-0 at USU, 3-0 neutral)
Last: USU 194.600-191.750 (3/3/23 at UCD)
Notes: This will mark the first time the teams compete twice in the same season ... closest meeting was 194.925-192.675 in 2019 ... first meeting was in 1987.
 
vs Sac State: Sac State leads 52-10 overall, 25-3 at Sac
Last: Sac State 195.100-191.500 (3/10/24 at Sac)
Streak: Sac State 6
Notes: This is the ninth consecutive non-pandemic season the teams have met in regular-season competition ... Sac State has won every meeting since 1993, with the exception of UAA's 193.125-191.625 victory in 2019 at UC Davis ... last neutral meeting came in 2020 at Seattle Pacific ... Sac State is UAA's most common opponent with 68 regular-season meetings, beginning with the Seawolves' inaugural season in 1985.
 
vs SUU: SUU leads 4-0 (all neutral)
Last: SUU 193.100-185.825 (2/3/06 at Boise)
Notes: This marks the first time the programs will meet in 'dual' competition as members of the MPSF ... first two meetings occurred in March 1992.
 
COOKIN' AT HOME: The Seawolves got their first dual victories of 2026 in their home openers Jan. 23 & 25, facing first-time opponent Wilberforce at the Alaska Airlines Center ... on the first night, sophomore Jordan Grindol paced a big effort on beam and UAA got strong three-event showings from junior Jamilia Duffus and senior Madelyn Gomez to earn a 190.275-171.300 victory ... the Seawolves recorded the 19th-best beam total in 40 years of program history at 48.550, led by career highs from Grindol (9.775), senior Breeann Spain (9.75) and freshman Alexandra Karkowski (9.725) ... junior Claudia Lessig also had a 9.75 on beam on her way to a 37.625 all-around ... UAA swept the podium on vault, bars and beam, including victories for Duffus on both vault (9.65) and bars (9.675) ... Grindol's victory on beam was the first of her career ... sophomore Maribelle Albert and Gomez scored 9.55 and 9.475, respectively, on vault, while Gomez was runner-up on bars with a 9.6 ... in the rematch, Duffus won three events and Lessig delivered a 37.700 all-around to lead a 190.100-173.125 win ... Duffus scored 9.675 on vault, 9.775 on bars and a career-best 9.675 on floor exercise, while Lessig placed third on bars with a 9.575 ... the Seawolves swept the podium on all four events, with Karkowski taking top honors on beam with a personal-best 9.75 ... the Seawolves performed best on bars with a 47.825 team total, getting a runner-up 9.6 from Avery Tillmanns and a 9.55 from Gomez ... Verena Wong (9.575) and Albert (9.525) delivered podium finishes on vault, and Gomez was runner-up on floor with a 9.65.
 
FOR OPENERS: UAA got the season started with a 190.050 total in its Jan. 11 dual loss at Sacramento State, led by a 38.000 all-around from junior Claudia Lessig ... the effort marked the fifth 190-plus score for UAA in a season-opener and the first since 2020 ... the   Seawolves performed best on bars with a 47.700 total to start the meet, led by a 9.675 from junior Avery Tillmanns and a 9.625 from junior Jada Niles ... Lessig earned 9.6 on bars, a 9.525 on balance beam, and tied for third on floor exercise with a 9.65 ... junior Jamilia Duffus also scored 9.65 on floor to record a career high and lead a 47.625 team score on that apparatus, while seniors Ariana DeSouza and Madelyn Gomez added 9.625 and 9.5 on floor, respectively ... Duffus also paced the team on vault with a 9.625, alongside a 9.6 from sophomore Verena Wong and 9.475s from DeSouza and sophomore Jordan Grindol ... freshman Alexandra Karkowski debuted with a team-best 9.575 on beam, while DeSouza earned a 9.55.