Dec. 9, 2007

Seattle, Wash. - The Huskies gave fans a sneak preview of the 2008 Washington gymnastics season today in the annual intrasquad meet at Bank of America Arena. Three freshmen made their unofficial collegiate debuts, while a number of returning upperclassmen showcased their new moves.

"What we wanted to accomplish today was get the team down on the real floor in front of the judges and fans so that we can see what we're really going to be able to do under pressure," said second-year head coach Joanne Bowers. "Because we've been practicing all fall, you don't always know where you're at in terms of the pressure. We still have a month before our first real competition, but today, I feel like we showed that we're on the right track."

Senior Raimey Iselin (Puyallup, Wash./Puget Sound School of Gymnastics) made a triumphant return to the floor, winning a share of the title in her first appearance since her sophomore season. Islelin tied for first on floor along with junior Ashley Houghting (Welland, Ont./Sport Seneca), who won vault and picked up a third-place finish on beam. Junior Kristen Omori (Kirkland, Wash./Northwest Aerials) placed first on beam and took third place on vault and floor. Freshman Samantha Walior (Prior Lake, Minn./TAGS) competed on three events, taking first place on bars and second on beam. Fellow rookie Haley Bogart (Woodside, Calif./Airborne Gymnastics) also competed on three events, and in second place on vault.

Due to the limited number of gymnasts on each event, the Huskies competed as one team and no team scores were kept.

"We're going to get a couple people back," added Bowers, "Which is going to help us in terms of numbers. But I was very proud of what the girls did today. Kristen [Omori] put a triple at the end of her floor routine and Ashley led off with a full-in - those are some of the things that we were trying to upgrade. They weren't perfect today, but it was nice to see them do the skills. Haley and Sam both competed on three events and I think it was huge for them to see what they could do in front of a crowd, and they showed us that they're ready to compete, and they're going to help our team. Even Karen Cain, who only did bars for us today, performed a new bar routine and she hit it - so that was huge for her. This was great practice for us today in front of people."

Sunday's meet also included a silent auction and autograph session in the arena Founders' Club, part of the 5th Event function that has become a staple of every UW home meet.

Washington will officially open the 2008 season on Jan. 12 at Denver, and will open the home schedule on Friday, Jan. 25 against California.

Husky Scores

Vault

Emily Epsten	8.975
Kristen Omori	9.575
Haley Bogart	9.750
Ashley Houghting	9.775

Bars

Karen Cain	9.300
Samantha Walior	9.675
Ashley Houghting	9.575
Raimey Iselin	9.625

Beam

Samantha Walior	9.700
Ashley Houghting	9.500
Kelly Gilbert	9.175
Kristen Omori	9.750
Haley Bogart	9.050

Floor

Kelly Gilbert	9.500
Samantha Walior	9.675
Raimey Iselin	9.725
Kristen Omori	9.700
Haley Bogart	9.400
Ashley Houghting	9.725

All-Around

Ashley Houghting

38.575