Youth as well as experience will be served Saturday night at the NCAA West Regional in Seattle — and that’s just Sacramento State.

The Sacramento State gymnastics team is sending three competitors to this year’s NCAA West Regional in Seattle, two of which are freshman.

Alexis Tsurumoto and Melissa Genovese will be led by senior Stefanie Aeder in their meet against the top schools in the region, including No. 34 Boise State, No. 24 Washington, No. 14 Central Michigan, No. 11 Penn State and No. 2 UCLA.

The meet will consist of the six complete teams, five all-around competitors and one event specialist per event. Each specialist must have a Regional Qualifying Score of at least 9.400. The top two teams and top two all-around competitors will be given automatic berths to the national championships in Auburn, Ala.

As a team, Sac State just missed qualifying for the meet with a regional qualifying score of 193.455 behind Boise State’s 194.835.

Aeder, the Hornets floor specialist, currently holds the school record on floor at 9.950. The senior has placed first eight times in 13 meets. She also won the event at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships two weeks ago.

Aeder’s parents and extended family are scattered throughout the Northwest and all of them are expected to attend and cheer — loudly.

Tsurumoto is headed to regionals with a 9.855 regional qualifying score as an uneven parallel bars specialist. Tsurumoto has won the event eight of a possible 13 times this season and won the top spot at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference championships with a score of 9.900.

Perhaps the Hornets’ most accomplished freshman, Genovese, will be competing as a beam specialist with a regional qualifying score of 9.825. The freshman competed to earn a spot on the 2004 Athens Olympic team before even beginning her collegiate career.

Though the odds are stacked against the Hornets, coach Kim Hughes sees that as an opportunity — not a death knell.

“We have to go after the school with the most successful history in gymnastics,” Hughes said of two-time defending champion UCLA. “It could possibly bring out the best in us.”

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Brad Alexander can be reached at [email protected]