DALLAS, Texas, Aug. 14, 2009 – The second day of acrobatic gymnastics competition at the 2009 Visa Championships concluded with senior and age group 12-19 dynamic routines, and finals for the age group 11-16 women’s group and women’s pair. A combined three routine score determines the all-around acrobatic national champion for seniors and age group 12-19. Acrobatic gymnastics concludes on Aug. 15.
Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics’ Jesse Kelly of San Jose, Calif., Alyssa Liardon of Morgan Hill, Calif., and Brooke Rhoades of San Jose, Calif., won the age 11-16 women’s group title with a score of 27.650. Kendall Meyer of Silver Spring, Md., Erica Prestipino of Rockville, Md., and Mackenzie Meyer of Silver Spring, Md./Xtreme Acro finished in second place with 27.400. Olivia Bunton of Owensville, Mo., Abigail Warden of Owensville, Mo., and Kyli Pruitt of Owensville, Mo./Mid-America Acro & Tumbling Team, climbed into third with a score of 26.650.
Maren Merwarth and Taylor Mosher of San Antonio, Texas/Brown’s Gymnastics, took first place in women’s pair 11-16 with a finals score of 27.440. Northwest Gymnastics’ BreeAnna Saur and Harley-Breean Elliott of Lawson, Mo., finished in second with 27.350, with Mariah Cockshell of Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Kennedy Swanson of Blue Springs, Mo./Acro Explosion, in third place with 27.000.
The senior division does not conclude until Saturday, Aug. 15. Empire’s Kailey Maurer of Fontana, Calif., Holli Morris of Beaumont, Calif., and Crystal Johnston of Riverside, Calif., maintained their lead in the senior women’s group after two routines with a score of 53.740. In mixed pairs, Sienna Martinez of Riverside, Calif., and Ryan Ward of Corona, Calif./Realis Gymnastics Academy, are currently in first place with a 54.590. 2009 World Games mixed-pair gold-medalists Kristin Allen and Michael Rodrigues of Livermore, Calif./West Coast Training Center, performed the top dynamic routine but remain in third overall with a 51.946. Axl Osborne and Dylan Inserra of Richardson, Texas/WOGA, are the top senior men’s pair with a 47.590.
Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics women’s group Alexa Vitale, Kelly Phillips, and Jessica Picone of San Jose, Calif., remain in first place in the 12-19 age group with 55.150. Eirian Smith and Jake Kanavel, also of San Jose, Calif./Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics, lead the 12-19 mixed-pair with a 56.150, while Valerie Bryant and Hayley Lemmons of Boerne, Texas/Boerne Gymnastics Center, are in front in the 12-19 women’s pair with a 47.500.
Acrobatic competition wraps on Saturday, Aug. 15 with combined finals for seniors and age 12-19. Rhythmic gymnastics’ senior all-around finals as well as trampoline and tumbling finals will also be held Saturday at the Dallas Convention Center.
Competition for the Visa Championships wraps up on Saturday with women’s gymnastics, trampoline/tumbling, rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics. Tickets for the event are still available, and may be purchased by phone at 800-745-3000; online at www.ticketmaster.com; at all Ticketmaster outlets; or at the American Airlines Center Ticket Office. In recognition of Visa’s longstanding support of USA Gymnastics, the 2009 Visa Championships proudly accepts only Visa cards.
2009 Visa Championships
Dallas Convention Center
Dallas, Texas
Aug. 14, 2009
Acrobatic gymnastics
FINALS
Age 11-16 Women’s Group
1. Jesse Kelly, San Jose, Calif., Alyssa Liardon, Morgan Hill, Calif., Brooke Rhoades, San Jose, Calif./Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics, 27.650
2. Kendall Meyer, Silver Spring, Md., Erica Prestipino, Rockville, Md., Mackenzie Meyer, Silver Spring, MD/Xtreme Acro, 27.400
3. Olivia Bunton, Owensville, Mo., Abigail Warden, Owensville, Mo., Kyli Pruitt, Owensville, Mo./Mid-America Acro & Tumbling Team, 26.650
4. Emery Pechacek, Boerne, Texas, Morgan Anderson, Boerne, Texas, DeShay Eisenmenger, Boerne, Texas/Boerne Gymnastics Center, 26.300
5. Cameron Jones, San Antonio, Texas, Michelle Banowsky, San Antonio, Texas, Scottie Miller, San Antonio, Texas/USA Aerial Athletics, 26.250
Age 11-16 Women’s Pair
1. Maren Merwarth, San Antonio, Texas, Taylor Mosher, San Antonio, Texas/Browns Gymnastics, 27.400
2. BreeAnna Saur, Lawson, Mo., Harley-Breean Elliott, Lawson, Mo./Northwest Gymnastics, 27.350
3. Mariah Cockshell, Lees Summit, Mo., Kennedy Swanson, Blue Springs, Mo./Acro Explosion, 27.000
4. Ashlyn Jarvis, St. Louis, Mo., Allie DeGuire, St. Louis, Mo./Power Club Express, 26.700
5. Olivia Niva, San Jose, Calif., Gabby Titinger, San Jose, Calif./Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics, 26.650
6. Carly Feltz, Livermore, Calif., Rajanique Davis, Stockton, Calif./West Coast Training Center, 26.300
Preliminary
Senior Women’s Pair
1. Kailey Maurer, Fontana, Calif., Holli Morris, Beaumont, Calif., Crystal Johnston, Riverside, Calif./Empire, 53.740
2. Savannah Shields, Grain Valley, Mo., Megan Muehlberger, Blue Springs, Mo., Mallory Henthorn, Independence, Mo./Acro Explosion, 51.450
3. Jillian Giblin, San Ramon, Calif., Hannah Busha, Danville, Calif., Tayler Harris, Pleasanton, Calif./West Coast Training Center, 46.900
Senior Mixed-Pair
1. Sienna Martinez, Riverside, Calif., Ryan Ward, Corona, Calif./Realis Gymnastics Academy, 54.590
2. Nicole Faubert, Danville, Calif., Brian Kincher, Livermore, Calif./West Coast Training Center, 53.000
3. Kristin Allen, Livermore, Calif., Michael Rodrigues, Livermore, Calif./West Coast Training Center, 51.946
Senior Men’s Pair 1. Axl Osborne, Richardson, Texas, Dylan Inserra, Richardson, Texas/World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, 47.590
Age 12-19 Women’s Group
1. Alexa Vitale, San Jose, Calif., Kelly Phillips, San Jose, Calif., Jessica Picone, San Jose, Calif./Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics, 55.150
2. Chelcea Riegel, Kearney, Mo., MacKenzie Porter, Kearney, Mo., Krissy Weidmaier, Holt, Mo./Rising Star Acrobatic Club, 52.850
3. Tiana Terry, , Alayna Davis, San Jose, Calif., Elika Sudo, San Jose, Calif./Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics, 51.950
4. Brooke Handy, Blue Springs, Mo., Chloe Wait, Blue Springs, Mo., Brooke Mummaw, Blue Springs, Mo./Acro Explosion, 51.100
5. Madison Pechacek, Boerne, Texas, Liesl Ziegenhals, Boerne, Texas, Danielle Hovey, Boerne, Texas/Boerne Gymnastics Center, 50.800
Age 12-19 Mixed Pair
1. Eirian Smith, San Jose, Calif., Jake Kanavel, San Jose, Calif./Aerial Tumbling & AcroGymnastics, 56.150
2. Kiley Boynton, Riverside, Calif., Ryan Smethers, Mira Loma, Calif./Realis Gymnastics Academy, 52.900
3. Melissa Gong, Perris, Calif., Dylan Maurer, Fontana, Calif./Empire, 52.000
Age 12-19 Women’s Pair
1. Valerie Bryant, Boerne, Texas, Hayley Lemmons, Boerne, Texas/Boerne Gymnastics Center, 47.500