April 12, 2003

WOMEN'S COLLEGIATE GYMNASTICS --- Northern Illinois University's Kristina Campos at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships / at Columbia, MO / Hearnes Center / Saturday / April 12, 2003

FINAL SCORES: UCLA 197.700, IOWA 195.875, OREGON STATE 195.850, ARIZONA 195.450, MISSOURI 194.825, ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 193.200

VAULT: 1---Alisha Robinson (UM), 9.900, 2---(TIE)---Jamie Dantzscher (UCLA), Kate Richardson (UCLA), Veronique Meunier (UIC), 9.875; 5---(TIE)---Onnie Willis (UCLA), Alexis Maday (UI), 9.850. 19---Kristina Campos (NIU), 9.700.

UNEVEN PARALLEL BARS: 1---Jamie Dantzscher (UCLA), 9.950; 2---Jeanette Antolin (UCLA), 9.925; 3---(TIE)---Yvonne Tousek (UCLA), Lindsay Nelson (OSU), Monica Bisordi (UA), 9.900. 25---Kristina Campos (NIU), 9.775.

BALANCE BEAM: 1---(TIE)---Jamie Dantzscher (UCLA), Kate Richardson (UCLA), 9.925; 3---Jeanette Antolin (UCLA), 9.900; 4---Malia Jones (UCLA), 9.875; 5---(TIE)---Yvonne Tousek (UCLA), Onnie Willis (UCLA), Janna Alexandrova (UI), Chrissy Lamun (OSU), 9.850. 26---Kristina Campos (NIU), 9.700.

FLOOR EXERCISE: 1---Jamie Dantzscher (UCLA), 10.000; 2---(TIE)---Ashley Godwin (Southeast Missouri State), Onnie Willis (UCLA), 9.925; 4---(TIE)---Jeanette Antolin (UCLA), Kristin Parker (UCLA), Michelle Conway (UI), Alexis Maday (UI), Tanya Ricioli (OSU), 9.900. 29---Kristina Campos (NIU), 9.775.

ALL-AROUND: 1---Jamie Dantzscher (UCLA), 39.750; 2---Jeanette Antolin (UCLA), 39.550; 3---Onnie Willis (UCLA), 39.500; 4---Alisha Robinson (UM), 39.350; 5---Monica Bisordi (UA), 39.300. 10---Kristina Campos (NIU), 38.950.
-30-

NIU'S KRISTINA CAMPOS FINISHES TENTH IN ALL-AROUND AT NCAA GYMNASTICS REGIONAL MEET

COLUMBIA, MO---Consider it a successful homecoming for Northern Illinois University sophomore Kristina Campos (Gladstone, MO / Oak Park), as the Missouri native finished among the top ten all-arounders at the NCAA South Central Regional Gymnastics Championships here Saturday (April 12).

Campos placed tenth in the all-around competition, posting a four-event total of 38.950. The Huskie sophomore earned marks of 9.775 on the uneven parallel bars and floor exercise plus 9.700 scores for the vault and balance beam in her second regionals appearance.

"Kristina did really well tonight. She was solid on all four events," Northern Illinois coach Mark Sontag said. "She did an awesome job tonight and maintained her consistency. This is definitely something for her to be proud of."

"She did much better than last year," Sontag added, noting Campos' 37.675 tally and 17th-place finish as a freshman in the 2002 regional meet. "Now it's a case of 'been there, done that,' and she has more experience for next year."

Top-seeded UCLA won the team title and advanced to the national meet after a 197.700 performance, while third seeded University of Iowa slipped past second-seeded Oregon State University 195.875-195.850 for the second ticket to the NCAA Championships. The University of Arizona (195.450), host University of Missouri (194.825) and the University of Illinois-Chicago (193.200) rounded out the team competition.

UCLA's Jamie Dantzscher won the all-around title with a 39.750 composite including a perfect 10.000 on the floor exercise. The Bruin standout and 2000 Olympian took the first step toward defending her 2002 NCAA all-around and floor titles and also captured the bars crown with a 9.950 performance while sharing top honors with a 9.925 on the balance beam. The Bruins claimed the top five spots on that event, scoring a near-perfect 49.475 on that event to pull away from the competition. Dantzscher also was the national vault champion last season but had to settle for second place on Saturday as Missouri's Alsiha Robinson edged her out with a 9.900 effort.

With two seasons of eligibility remaining, Campos still has an opportunity to get to the national meet after her second straight regionals appearance. She would become only the second Huskie ever to qualify for the national summit, joining Sandy Menard (1998) in that exclusive group.

-30- -- Copy by Robert Hester