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Five Warrior gymnasts earn all-league

Five members of Fallbrook High School’s gymnastics team earned all-league honors during the May 19 meeting of the Avocado League’s coaches.

The coaches selected Warrior junior Janeva Sandoval as one of seven members of the league’s first team, and the ten members of the second team included senior Kayla Alonso, freshman Bryanna Cusimano, junior Linda Duling, and senior Lindsey Ice.

Mount Carmel coach Monique Lamphiere-Tamayoshi was selected as the league’s Coach of the Year, an honor which went to Fallbrook coach Debbie Mericle in 2007.

“I didn’t expect to win it one year,” Mericle said of not repeating the honor. “Besides, that’s not what I’m in it for. I’m totally in it for the kids.”

During the league meet May 6, Sandoval won the optional bars event with a score of 9.075 points and finished second in the optional beam competition with 8.975 points.

“She’s a spectacular person, and I’m just very happy that she continued to be on the team,” Mericle said of Sandoval, who split the season between Warrior gymnastics and club cheer and also missed gymnastics meets due to minor injuries.

The five all-league gymnasts exceed the total number of varsity gymnasts Fallbrook had in 2006. One of the Warriors’ three varsity gymnasts in 2006 was Duling.

“I couldn’t be prouder of her. She’s probably one of the reasons why we have a team at Fallbrook,” Mericle said.

In 2008 Duling qualified for the CIF meet in the compulsory all-around as well as in the individual bar, beam, and vault events. “She has come so far,” Mericle said of Duling.

“Linda is my long-time gymnast. She’s the one who started with me. She’s the one who pulled me through,” Mericle said. “She has taught me, learned with me, pulled me up, been a captain, kept me going, kept me sane, been at everything I’ve asked her to do.”

One of the other varsity gymnasts in 2006 was Maggie Sellers, who made the switch from compulsory to optional in order to provide the team with points for the optional vault.

Mericle believes that Sellers would have earned all-league honors in 2008 had the senior not volunteered to give up her compulsory performances to benefit the team.

The third varsity gymnast in 2006 was Krystal Rhorar, who was homeschooled in 2008 but plans to return to Fallbrook High School for her senior year and compete as an optional gymnast.

Mericle hopes that Alonso will be able to return to the team as an assistant coach in the future. “She’s a go-getter and she has the ability when she puts her all into it, and she’s a born leader,” Mericle said.

Alonso qualified for the CIF meet in the compulsory beam prior to the league meet, and during the league meet she qualified in the all-around.

Ice qualified for the CIF meet in the compulsory vault, although when Fallbrook High School qualified for the CIF as a team she participated in the all-around.

“I’m very proud of Lindsey. She’s very hard on herself,” Mericle said. “She and Kayla and Maggie led very good examples for the newcomers coming in.”

Alonso and Ice both plan to attend Palomar College.

Cusimano qualified for the CIF meet’s compulsory all-around during the league meet. She injured her ankle prior to the start of the season and competed only on the bars for the first two meets. She then added the beam to her events but did not partake in floor or vault competition until the final two meets of the season.

“We’re going to look for big things from her,” Mericle said.

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