INDIANAPOLIS, April 9, 2012 – University of Bridgeport (Conn.) hosts the 2012 USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate National Championships as they look to defend the team title this week, April 12-14.


The three-day meet will feature 12 varsity teams. Competition begins Thursday at 1 p.m. ET with two sessions of team semifinals and the all-around finals, which will be located at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium. Team finals will start at 7 p.m. ET on Friday at the Webster Bank Arena, and Saturday will be the individual event finals back at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium at 1 p.m. ET.


The schools competing in the team competition are: Centenary College of Louisiana, College of William and Mary, Seattle Pacific University, Temple University, Texas Woman’s University, U.S. Air Force Academy, University of Bridgeport, and University of Pennsylvania.


Schools with athletes competing for an event or all-around title only are: Brown University, Cornell University, Southern Connecticut State University, and West Chester University.


Bridgeport has won the team title the last two years, and tied with Cornell in 2009.


Past all-around champs Brittany Johnson (2011) and Rashonda Cannie (2009-10), both from TWU, are expected to compete in the all-around. Several past event champions are expected in the field: Monica Mesalles of Bridgeport, 2011 vault and 2010-11 floor champion; Melanie Standridge, 2011 balance beam and Melanie Jorgensen, 2011 uneven bars, both of Cornell; Cannie, 2010 bars champion; and Johnson, 2010 beam titlist.


Tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.com for the team finals, and at www.brownpapertickets.com for the team preliminaries and individual event finals. Tickets will also be available at the venue box office the day of the meet. For more information and directions to the event, please visit UBKnights.com.


The USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships is for Division I, II and III schools with less than seven-and-a-half full scholarships.