Mexico's Ericka Garcia will compete for Louisiana State University beginning this winter, LSU Gymnastics announced Tuesday.
Garcia, who finished 43rd in the all-around at the 2009 World Championships, is expected to help LSU atone for the loss of 2009 NCAA vault and co-floor champion Ashleigh Clare-Kearney.
Her presence also gives the Tigers a more competitive edge as a team. Louisiana State perenially advances to the NCAA Championships, but the team has never really challenged for the overall title. LSU is ranked no. 6 in the NCAA pre-season coaches poll, behind Georgia, Utah, Alabama, UCLA and Florida.
"She is a difference maker,” LSU head coach D-D Breaux said in the LSU press release. “She is an elite level athlete, and having her injected into this team will make us instantly better. She gives us the depth that we need in four events."
Garcia, who previously trained in Monterrey, Mexico with Elsa Garcia, joins incoming freshman Kaleigh Dickson, Lainie Fleming, Janelle Garcia and Shelby Prunty. LSU begins its season Jan. 8 against Maryland.
Scouting Ericka Garcia: Garcia's highest scoring event at the 2009 World Championships was vault, but she also has a nice assortment of skills on balance beam -- at the 2008 Blume Memorial, she did a press-handstand full pirouette mount, backhandspring layout to two feet flight series, front aerial, front somie and two back handsprings to a double back dismount.
On floor in 2008 she opened with a full-twisting double back and ended with a double pike. For an elite gymnast, her bars at the 2009 World Championships were weak, but she does do a double front dismount, a Geinger and a toe-on stalder full to Tkatchev combination.
Ericka Garcia, 2008 Pacific Rim Championships, Floor Exercise:
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