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ATHENS, Ga.–When LSU’s Ashleigh Clare-Kearney stumbled in the afternoon session and Florida’s Melanie Sinclair’s opening session best 39.525 sat as the all-around score to beat, the all-around title was wide open once the evening session rolled around. A familiar face in the all-around picture took full advantage of her opportunity, but it was not top-ranked all-arounder Ashley Postell who did it.
2005 NCAA all-around National Champion Tasha Schwikert book-ended her college career with her second all-around title. Schwikert’s 39.600 prevented Postell-who spent the 2008 season as the all-around front-runner-from capturing the individual title that has alluded her during her college career.
While Postell admitted that it would be an added bonus to win the title, it was not her primary concern Thursday night. She was more focused on helping her team make the Super Six, which it did by finishing second in the evening session.
“The good thing is we get to come back tomorrow,” Postell said. “We came here to win a team title.”
Postell, who is the reigning beam national champion, seemed to receive impartial judging, although she was a little surprised to see she only scored a 9.875 on beam.
“I felt really good about (beam),” Postell said. “I was really shocked, but the scores had been tight all day everywhere. That’s just how it is when the competition gets to nationals.”
Schwikert, who wasn’t even sure she was going to compete in the all-around, let alone contend for the ultimate individual honor, had no idea she was even in the running for the all-round championship as she too was locked in on helping her team accomplish its postseason goals.
“My main focus was the team,” Schwikert said. “I was talking to (UCLA head coach) Val (Kondos Field) and she said, ‘Well that’s why you won, because you weren’t focused on yourself at all, you were focused on your team.'”
Although Schwikert took home the individual all-around, she said afterward that she would trade her national title for a chance for her team to advance to the Super Six.
“If I could trade in my individual championship just for a chance for my team to compete tomorrow night, I would do that in a heartbeat,” Schwikert said.
Postell finished Thursday with a 39.550, which was good enough for second place. It marks the third-straight season Postell has finished as the all-around runner-up. In 2006 and 2007, it was Georgia’s Courtney Kupets that acted as Postell’s impediment.
“There were a lot of gymnasts that could win it and it was really close,” Postell said. “There were just some things here and there that separated everyone.”
Schwikert was as surprised as anyone to finish as the top all-arounder.
“I’m shocked to be honest with you,” Schwikert said. “It didn’t even cross my mind that I’d come here and do anything in the individual all-around,” Schwikert said. “I’ve been sitting out on floor for most of the year.”
Because of an Achilles tendon injury, Schwikert only competed in the all-around in the seven of UCLA’s 13 meets this season. The Bruin senior sat out on floor each of the six times she missed the all-around and contemplated sitting out of the event again in Thursday evening’s preliminary round.
“I really counted myself out with this injury,” Schwikert said. “I wasn’t even sure I could go floor. I wasn’t sure I could go vault. I really thought, ‘I’m only doing three events tonight.’ I literally blocked out the pain and said, ‘This is it.'”
After starting off with a 9.9 on bars and a 9.825 on beam, Schwikert turned it on when the Bruins rotated to floor and scored a 9.925. The two time all-around champion then scored a 9.950 on vault to set what proved to be the winning mark.As UCLA sat out the final evening session rotation on a bye, Postell had to score a 9.950 or better on vault to earn at least a share of the all-around title. Postell wound up taking a small hop on her vault landing which trimmed her score to a 9.9. Thursday night was the first time in 11 meets that Postell did score higher than a 9.9 in at least one event.
Four gymnasts tied for third place in the all-around with scores of 39.525, including afternoon session winner Melanie Sinclair of Florida, Georgia’s Katie Heenan and Tiffany Tolnay, and Utah’s Kristina Baskett.