Gymnasts continue heated rivalry against talented Elis

Not all Penn sports rivalries are with Princeton. The gymnastics team does not even compete against the Tigers. But the Quakers will have a tough challenge tomorrow, when they face their biggest rival in the form Yale in a dual meet in New Haven, Conn. "This meet is an incredible rivalry," Penn coach Tom Kovic said. "It is critical that we perform when we travel to New Haven. We want to be solidly hitting close to 100 percent of our routines." This is not the first meeting between these two squads this season. They competed against each other last Friday at the George Washington Invitational. Yale rotated on the apparatus ahead of Penn, so the Quakers could watch the Elis during their bye rounds. Being able to see their Ivy rivals in advance has increased Penn's confidence levels. "They looked okay," Penn senior Lynn Aronica said. "They weren't throwing any harder tricks than us. We know we can win if we just hit our routines." At the Invitational, Penn came out on top, but only by .425 points. The Quakers hope they will repeat as victors, and that the differential between the teams will be even larger. After a week of tough practice, Penn believes it is ready for the Elis. "They've been given a lot of flexibility this week," Kovic said. "They're a smart team. They know their weaknesses and what they need to perfect. There has been a strong emphasis on performing routines and conditioning." Last year, the Elis beat the Quakers on their way to the Ivy Championship. That victory snapped Penn's two-year Ivy title streak. The Quakers are determined that things will be different this year. "We're more focused," Aronica said. "Everyone's been doing routines to the best of our ability, and we've really come together as a team. This year we know we can win, if we just hit our routines." The teams have strengths in the same events -- beam and floor exercise. However, Yale stresses simpler routines with more precise presentation, while Penn includes more impressive tricks. The Quakers will be forced to stick their routines if they want to win. "I think we have a stronger level of difficulty," Kovic said. "Yale does scaled-down routines, but performs them cleanly. We've been maintaining the level of difficulty, and practicing making things cleaner and crisper." Though Yale has not lost any team members to graduation, the Elis have not had many additions to their team either. But the combination of tough competition and travel still puts the Quakers at a disadvantage. Going into New Haven, they expect to have to battle, but a victory is not improbable. "They picked up a couple of new recruits, but no superstars," Kovic said. "They're a balanced team, good competitors. And they compete even stronger when we have our duals." "It's always tough to travel to Yale," Aronica said. "They're our competition in the Ivies. Yale is the team to beat."