Gymnastics : Maul Gives Santana Lift It Needs to Regain Section Team Title

With two-time San Diego Section optional all-around champion Eileen Maul ailing in last season’s section gymnastics finals, her team, Santana High School, was defeated for the first time in four years by Mt. Carmel.

Maul returned in relatively good health this year, and Santana regained its title by scoring 218.05 points Friday afternoon at San Pasqual High. Mt. Carmel was second with 212.95.

In the individual competition, Tasha Taylor, a 4-foot 11-inch Torrey Pines sophomore, won the vault and the beam to capture the all-around championship with 36.85 points.

It wasn’t so much Maul’s performance as her enthusiastic presence that sparked Santana.

“(Maul’s presence) has helped a tremendous amount,” Santana Coach Steve Butcher said. “Even as far as motivation of the entire team. I would say it is almost a necessity.”

Maul has been troubled by a rotator cuff injury in her left shoulder and competed in only four meets before Friday. She won the uneven parallel bars with 9.35 points, was fifth in the floor exercise with 9.25 points, sixth in the vault with 9.05 points and failed to place in the balance beam. She finished in a three-way tie for fourth place.

“Always, every meet I kept improving, and (the section meet) is usually my peak, but it didn’t come today,” Maul said.

Maul, who was competing in her last gymnastics competition, had plenty of help Friday.

Dawn Hanson was second in the all-around with 36.70 points and Nancy Gawrys tied with Maul and Dawn Cooper of Mt. Carmel for fourth. Santana had at least two girls among the top six in three of the four events.

Taylor, who finished sixth last year as a freshman, has been involved in gymnastics since she was 6 years old. She said her 9.30 to win the vault was her highest score in the event.

Cooper of Mt. Carmel, the only 1987 champion competing Friday, didn’t place among the top seven in the floor exercise, which she won last year.

Alicia Santana of El Cajon Valley had placed first in every meet this season and was expected to compete for the individual title. But she suffered a concussion on her first vault attempt when the momentum from the leap carried her off the mat, and she collided with a doorway.

After being attended to by trainers and coaches, she got up and vaulted again. She continued to compete on the beam and the bars, but almost an hour after her fall, she became dizzy and fainted. Paramedics took her to Palomar Hospital where she was treated and released.

Alicia Santana won the floor exercise, which was held before the vault, with a score of 9.50. She placed among the top six in the beam and the bars.