Sports

Matsunami's career-best performance sparks UAA gymnastics team

M'rcy Matsunami put on a show Friday night at the Alaska Airlines Center, chalking up wins in all four events and posting the best all-around score of her career to lead the UAA gymnastics team to victory over Centenary College.

Matsunami's 38.95 all-around score is the third best in the 31-year history of UAA gymnastics.

Matsunami, a junior from Omaha, Nebraska, shared victories in floor exercise and uneven parallel bars with teammates.

She and Kallie Randolph, a sophomore from Anchorage, tied for first place in floor with scores of 9.75, and she and Marie-Sophie Boggasch, a junior from Germany, both posted scores of 9.725 on bars.

Matsunami topped the vault with a 9.775 and the balance beam with a 9.7.

Her all-around score ranks third behind the 39.125 posted by Dominique Ingram in 2004, and the 38.975 recorded by Leah Wilson in 2009. Matsunami owns three of the top eight all-around scores in school history.

The Seawolves won the meet with 190.675 points, their fifth 190-plus score in seven meets this season. Centenary scored 185.475.

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The teams meet again Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

UAA 190.675, Centenary College185.475

Vault -- 1) M'rcy Matsunami (UAA) 9.775, 2) Morgan Cook (UAA) 9.725, 3) Noel Stubbs (CC) 9.650, 4) Simone Penker (UAA) 9.625, 5) Emily Ramberg (UAA) 9.575.

Uneven parallel bars -- 1) tie, M'rcy Matsunami (UAA) and Marie-Sophie Boggasch (UAA) 9.725; 3) Nicole Larkin (UAA) 9.625

4) Simone Penker (UAA) 9.600; 5) Stefany Bryan (UAA) 9.550.

Balance beam -- 1) M'rcy Matsunami (UAA) 9.700, 2) tie, Noel Stubbs (CC) and Allison Scates (CC) 9.500, 4) Simone Penker (UAA) 9.425, 5) Megan Desjardins (CC) 9.325.

Floor exercise -- 1) tie, M'rcy Matsunami (UAA) and Kallie Randolph (UAA) 9.750; 3) Julia York (UAA) 9.700; 4) Morgan Cook (UAA) 9.600; 5) Kellie Slater (CC) 9.575.

All-around -- 1) M'rcy Matsunami (UAA) 38.950; 2) Allison Scates (CC) 37.775; 3) Simone Penker (UAA) 37.625; 4) Morgan Cook (UAA) 36.600; 5) Ashley White (CC) 36.400.

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