THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 28, 1996 TAG: 9606270161
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, BEACON SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: 45 lines
Gymstrada's Alexis Brion had the most successful meet of her career recently when she finished second all-around in the junior portion of the U.S.A Championships - making her the No. 2 junior international elite in the country.
The meet was the same one where the top seven seniors won the right to go to the Olympic Trials.
Brion was not eligible for the Atlanta Olympics because she is only 13. The cutoff for seniors is 14. Her sights are set on the 2000 Games.
While the placement was Brion's best in such a big meet, it wasn't her best effort.
She fell on her opening and probably strongest event - floor exercise.
``But she really came back and proved herself,'' coach Dena Walker said.
Brion battled back to win balance beam, finish third on vault and take sixth on uneven bars. She scored near-perfect marks of 9.975 and 9.75 to take beam. She finished with a two-day overall total of 76.225. Vanessa Atler of California was first with 76.425.
Brion continued to perform well when she and teammates Katie McFarland, Cory Fritzinger and Kit Johnson captured the USAIGC national team championship in Orlando, Fla., the following week.
Gymstrada can now lay claim to being the top school in the country after four years of climbing the ladder.
The school finished sixth in 1993, rose to fourth in '94 and was second last year. It won this year by a mere .075 of a point, despite three falls on beam.
``But we blew everybody away on the other three events,'' Walker said.
Brion scored three 9.8's - just missing perfect 10 on floor because of out-of-bounds and landing deductions.
Fritzinger, 14, scored a 9.9 on bars. She and McFarland, who turned 14 today, are also junior international elites.
Johnson, 16, is a level 10 competitor and the school's next junior international candidate.
The meet features the top eight teams in the country and will be broadcast on Home Team Sports.
Speaking of gymnastics.
Tallwood High's Laura Neaves finished ninth in the nation at the U.S. National High School Championships.
The meet, held several weeks ago in Michigan, is for graduating seniors. by CNB