Nov. 12, 2008

AUBURN - Lindsay DiSalvatore, Carlyn "Toi" Garcia and Petrina Yokay have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Auburn University and participate in gymnastics starting in the fall of 2010, head coach Jeff Thompson announced Wednesday.

"All three of these young ladies have trained their entire lives to reach this goal," Thompson said. "They know what it's like to train hard every day and never quit. We are excited about the possibilities with the three of them on our roster and can't wait to start coaching them next year."

DiSalvatore, who trains at Orlando Metro Gymnastics, is coached by Jeff Wood and Christi Barineau and was the 2008 USA Gymnastics Level 10 Regional floor exercise champion and also finished as the runner-up on both uneven bars and balance beam. At the 2008 Junior Olympic National Championships, DiSalvatore finished fifth on vault and 16th in the all-around competition.

"Lindsay is a great kid from a great family," Thompson said. "Her training at Orlando Metro has her ready to be a great all-arounder at Auburn. It has us even more excited now because Lindsay has taken her gymnastics to an even higher level in her home gym since this summer."

DiSalvatore is a senior at Wekiva High School in Orlando, Fla., and is the daughter of Tony and Cheryl DiSalvatore and is the granddaughter of Margaret DiSalvatore of Brewer, Maine.

Garcia, who trains at Docksider's Gymnastics in Millersville, Md., is coached by Bob Ouellette. In 2008, Garcia was named the alternate to the USA Gymnastics Level 10 national team after finishing as the floor exercise runner-up and placed fifth in the all-around at the 2008 Level 10 Junior Olympic National Championships. Garcia was also named to the Region 7 All-Star team and is scheduled to travel to Puerto Rico to represent her Region in late November.

"We are very proud and excited that Toi has chosen to represent Auburn University for the next four years," Thompson said. "Not only is she a beautiful gymnast; but her energetic and courageous spirit is contagious and will surely lead to her becoming a crowd favorite."

Garcia is a senior at Severn School in Severna Park, Md., and is the daughter of Carlos and Gwen Garcia.

Yokay is coached by Lisa Poarch and trains at Technique Gymnastics in Rancho Cordova, Calif. In 2008, she tied for 11th in the all-around and placed third on balance beam at the Level 10 National Championships. Yokay was honored as the all-around and floor exercise national champion at the Level 10 Junior Olympic National Championships in 2007. She was also the runner-up on uneven bars, placed fifth on vault and fourth on balance beam.

"Petrina is exceptional on both vault and floor," Thompson said. "When we saw her this summer, she warmed up with a double layout on floor. Most kids need to work up to a double layout. It was the very first thing she did that day on tumbling. Her explosive style and sheer power will be an asset to Auburn on every event. She is such a great athlete and is amazing to watch."

Yokay attends Ponderosa High School in Cameron Park, Calif., and is the daughter of John and Angie Yokay.