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Nov. 14, 2012
SEATTLE - Head Coach Joanne Bowers and the Washington gymnastics team announced the 2013 signees Wednesday, the first day to sign National Letters of Intent. Megan DeLallo, Alexandra Yacalis, Stephanie Stowe signed NLI's and Kaitlyn Duranczyk and Jessica Nesis will be joining them as walk-ons. Next year's class, hailing from across the country, features accomplished gymnasts excelling both in and out of the gym. "We feel blessed to have these five young women joining our program," Bowers said. "Already, they are very strong gymnasts but more so, their potential for growth is very apparent and promising. We feel they will blossom in the college environment and make an immediate impact on our team. Due to early recruiting, it is imperative we recruit from gyms with a proven ability in preparing these young women for college and keeping them in peak shape. With this class, we were able to do just that." DeLallo has been a level 10 gymnast since 2008. She trains at Byers Elk Grove in Elk Grove, Calif., where she placed 24th in the all-around in 2010 at JO Nationals. In 2009 DeLallo finished first at regionals on floor, and then finished first the same year on vault at nationals. She finished first at the 2008 nationals in bars and placed third in the all-around. "Megan is a gifted athlete with beautiful lines," Bowers said. "She is very talented on every event and has the capability of competing all-around for us. She started out 2012 really strong and then had an inopportune injury that kept her out of the post-season, but she's back working in the gym and looks great. She loves to compete and will bring that competitive fire into our meets."
Stowe competes for Desert Devils, the same club as current Huskies Aliza Vaccher, Megan Whitney and Sheridan Metcalf. Stowe finished fifth on bars at the level 10 JO Nationals this year. She scored 37.925 for first place in the all-around at the regional championships. Academically, Stowe received the Principal's Honor Roll at Mesa HS for maintaining above a 3.5 average. "Stephanie is a strong, steady all-around gymnast," Bowers said. "She reminds us of current gymnast, Aliza Vaccher. Steph knows how to work hard and is a great competitor. She won many big meets last year and has added even more difficulty this season. I think the sky is the limit for her."
Yacalis competes for STGA of Endwell, N.Y., as a level 10 gymnast. She placed second in vault at regionals and third in vault at state this year, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. She is a three-time JO National Qualifier. The Binghamton, N.Y., native placed first on vault and floor exercise at the JO NIT. In 2011, Yacalis finished first at vault in the I Love New York Cup with a score of 9.9. "Alex is a very powerful tumbler and vaulter and will help raise the level of difficulty on these events," Bowers said. "She is very dynamic and has great quality dance and presentation. She is also a fierce competitor and has a way of turning it on for competitions," Bowers added. "We feel like her personality is one of her best qualities and she is so team oriented that she will be a great addition for us." Despite dealing with a knee injury, Duranczyk placed first at the 2012 Byers Invitational on bars and beam. From Analy HS and Edge Gymnastics Training Center, LLC in California, in 2010, she placed first in the all-around, vault and beam, and second place on floor in the Team OC Classic. She was on the 4.0 Honor Roll her junior year and is a two-time recipient of the Art Department Excellence in Art Award.
"Kaitlyn is a very powerful gymnast," Bowers said. "She injured her knee two years ago and came back last year to win a big meet on bars and beam. She is now back fully on vault and floor and is very hungry to compete again. We are getting Kaitlyn at a wonderful time in her career and we think she will flourish in our team environment." Nesis attends Issaquah HS and competes for Gymnastics East in Bellevue, Wash. Nesis is the 2012 level 10 State UB Champion. She placed first on bars at the Seattle Open, third in the all-around at the Charity Choice Invitational and first place on bars and fourth on vault at the State Championships. Nesis earned Teammate of the Year honors in 2012 and Gymnast of the year in 2010. At Issaquah HS, Nesis has been in the National Honor Society for two years, 2013 ASB Director of Assemblies, Relay for Life Cancer Walk Captain and Student of the Year in 2010.
"Jessica is a local gymnast, who attended our camp, and has continued to impress us with her work ethic and progress," Bowers said. "She could help us on bars right away and is showing big progress on vault and beam. We value her work ethic and positive attitude and are really looking forward to working with her every day. The fact that she has always dreamed of being a Husky and bleeds purple is just a bonus!" I always say we want the whole package: good student, good gymnast, and good person. We are very fortunate to have hit the jackpot with this class." |
