Patterson finishes first in junior division

Cleveland – 2001 national champion and 2001 World Championships bronze medalist Tasha Schwikert (Las Vegas, Nev.) won her second consecutive national title at the 2002 U.S. Gymnastics Championships tonight at Gund Arena. Schwikert, with a total score of 75.550, was 0.925 points ahead of Tabitha Yim (Irvine, Calif.), who placed second with 74.625. Ashley Postell (Cheverly, Md.) placed third with a score of 73.425.

“This is awesome,” said Schwikert. “I am very happy overall and I’m looking forward to a fun year, and hopefully I’ll do well internationally. I was more nervous this year than last year because that was my first year. The second time was a lot more pressure, but it gives me even more confidence to know that I went out there and did it.”
“I had a lot of fun at this competition,” said runner-up Yim. “I was happy to win the silver, but it doesn’t mean as much to me as having a good meet. It was just a really fun competition.”
The 2002-2003 U.S. Senior National Team was named following the competition. The following athletes will comprise the team, which will represent the U.S. in national and international competition:

Tasha Schwikert (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Tabitha Yim (Irvine, Calif.)
Ashley Postell (Cheverly, Md.)
Annia Hatch (West Haven, Conn.)
Elizabeth Tricase (Itasca, Ill.)
Nina Kim (Houston, Texas)
Terin Humphrey (Bates City, Mo.)
Courtney Kupets (McLean, Va.)
Ashley Miles (San Antonio, Texas)
Ashley Kupets (Gaithersburg, Md.)
Samantha Sheehan (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Nicole Childs (Plano, Texas)


Junior Division

Carly Patterson (Baton Rouge, La.) won the junior all-around competition with a score of 74.150. Patterson came into the competition with the lead from Thursday’s preliminary competition. Finishing second was her World Olympic Gymnastics Academy teammate, Hollie Vise (Dallas, Texas), with a score of 73.525. Chellsie Memmel (West Allis, Wis.) finished third with 72.925.
Following the all-around finals, the 2002-2003 U.S. Junior National Team was named. The following athletes will comprise the team and represent the U.S. in national and international competition:

Carly Patterson (Baton Rouge, La.)
Hollie Vise (Dallas, Texas)
Chellsie Memmel (West Allis, Wis.)
Allyse Ishino (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Tia Orlando (Souderton, Pa.)
Melanie Sinclair (Orlando, Fla.)
Marcia Newby (Virginia)
Susan Jackson (Houston, Texas)
Nicole Harris (Allentown, Pa.)
Sarah Shire (Blue Springs, Mo.)
Kristina Comforte (Addison, Ill.)
Sarah Curtis (Corvallis, Ore.)
Annie Fogerty (Allentown, Pa.)
Carley Janiga (Tempe, Ariz.)
Nastia Liukin (Dallas, Texas)
Kassie Price (Plantation, Fla.)

Junior Women’s Quotes:

Carly Patterson: On winning the national title… “I’m just really happy right now. It means a lot. I’ve wanted it since my first nationals.”
On competing against friend Hollie Vise… “I think it’s good because we really push each other. We both really want to win and it helps us get better.”
Hollie Vise: On winning the all-around silver… “I’m really happy with it. I met my goals here. I wanted to hit all eight of my routines and I did, so I’m very excited.”
Chellsie Memmel: “My goal was to finish in the top three, so I was really happy with this placement.”
On where she’s going to go from here… “I’m going to go back to the gym and train really hard.”