Towson University Athletics

Tigers’ lone senior ... should be primed for an outstanding senior year ... will compete as an all-around ... came on strong in second half of junior year ... has overcome ankle and elbow injuries during her career ... school record holder on the balance beam for the Tigers ... has plenty of experience in international competition ... national champion of Finland four times in her career ... has done well in many high-pressure meets in Europe ... teammate of Niina Parjanen, a former Tiger gymnast, in Finland ... enters senior season trying to recover from a back injury ... Dean’s List student with a major in Physical Education.

2008 SEASON: Tigers’ top all-around performer in final weeks of the season ... won ECAC all-around championship with a 39.125 score ... also won ECAC championship on balance beam (9.925) ... ECAC runner-up on vault (9.825) and floor (9.875) ... earned first team All-ECAC honors in vault, beam, floor and all-around ... competed as an all-arounder in 11 of 13 meets ... NCAA Southeast regional qualifier as an all-arounder ... had a 38.05 average as an all-arounder ... won all-around title in three meets ... had career high 39.325 all-around score to lead Tigers to win at George Washington on March 18 ... earned 5th-highest all-around score in school history at GW ... tied school record on beam (9.925) while taking first place at GW ... also won floor exercise with career high 9.85 score at GW ... took third on vault (9.775) and bars at GW ... led Tigers to first place finish at Cornell Big Red Invitational by winning all-around (38.525) ... also finished third on vault (9.65) and floor (9.725) at Cornell Invitational ... finished first on beam in win at Ursinus (9.75) ... helped Tigers win championship at Shelli Calloway Invitational by finishing second on vault (9.80) and all-around (38.425) ... had four first place finishes on beam during season ... tied for first on beam (9.775) in win over William & Mary ... finished first on floor in back-to-back meets in final week of season ... had career high 9.875 on floor in Tigers’ home finale to finish first ... also tied for second in all-around (38.925) in Tigers’ final home meet ... had a 9.825 score on balance beam at NCAA Regionals to finish tenth ... finished 18th in all-around (38.725) at NCAA Regionals ... tied for 25th on floor exercise (9.70) at NCAA Meet ... also had a 9.65 on bars and a 9.55 on vault at NCAA Regionals.

2007 SEASON: Availability was hindered by elbow surgery during summer prior to season ... suffered injury while training in Finland ... appeared in six meets on balance beam ... helped Tigers to a double win over James Madison and William & Mary by finishing fourth on balance beam ... tied for eighth on beam at Shelli Calloway Invitational with a 9.525 score ... earned a 9.25 on beam at North Carolina ... had a 9.20 on beam in double victory over Yale and Rutgers ... earned 9.15 scores on balance beam at Cornell Big Red Invitational and win at William & Mary.

2006 SEASON: Hampered by ankle problems in freshman season ... competed on balance beam in four meets ... helped Tigers to double win over Maryland and William & Mary by finishing fourth on beam with a 9.70 score ... had a 9.475 on beam at William & Mary to place ninth ... also had an 8.875 on beam at Rutgers ... earned a 9.10 on beam at George Washington.

BACKGROUND: Veteran performer at Finnish National Championship Meet ... won 18 gold medals in career at Finnish Championships ... also won seven goal and two bronze medals ... won six gold medals and three silver medals at Nordic Championships ... competed in World Championships three times ... led club team to first place finish at 2003 Finnish National Meet ... winner of Finnish Gymnastics League in 2004 ... made the finals of the all-around competition at the European Championship in 2002 ... younger brother, Ville Almenoksa, is a member of the Finnish National Gymnastics team ... hobbies include listening to music ... favorite actor is Cameron Diaz ... lists "The Sweetest Thing" as her favorite movie ... most memorable experience was competing at World Championship Meet in Anaheim, California in 2003 ... favorite food is chicken salad ... has one younger brother ... daughter of Jarmo and Arja Almenoksa ... born on December 9, 1985 in Turku, Finland ... Dean’s List student ... major is Physical Education.