Seniors lead Gymnasts

This one's for the seniors. After a long year of hard work, the Penn gymnastics team put a fitting end to its regular season and to the careers of three of its finest. Behind Lynn Aronica and co-captains Mary Pedersen and Mona Nedjar, the Quakers routed Bridgeport, 185.325-182.675 Saturday. The Quakers broke records yet again. Penn destroyed its team mark for the fifth time this season, topping the old mark set at the Ivy championships two weeks ago by more than one full point. Junior Monique Burton received a 9.7 to equal the floor exercise record she shares with junior Rebecca Anderson. The Quakers narrowly missed topping three of the team's event records, and set a new mark of 46.675 on the fourth, floor exercise. "From an all-around standpoint, they're the best I've seen," coach Tom Kovic said. "As a coach, I can't be any more happy, any more proud. Everyone stepped up." According to the Quakers, the highlight of the day was the performance of the uneven bars squad of freshmen Shelley Arnheim, Dawn Landua and Lori Taylor, Nedjar, Anderson and Pedersen. Before the season began, bars was Penn's weakest event, but the Quakers have made great strides since. Though the team generally scores in the mid-eights, the Quakers averaged 9.15 Saturday. Taylor showed fantastic improvement, tying for first place in the event with a 9.3. "Going into the meet, I was more nervous than usual," Nedjar said. "It was my last home meet, and I knew it. I didn't want the chance of messing up in my last meet. We were able to pull out an amazing performance today, when we needed it most." All this record-breaking activity was more of a shock because many of their key competitors were sick or injured. Junior Staci Standen was nursing a sprained ankle, junior Nikki LeBrasseur had a sore tricep and Anderson's nagging back was acting up, but each managed to compete in two events. Pedersen won the all-around competition despite having a fever. "It's a long season, and the team has never gone this long before," Kovic said. "Nikki wanted to take advantage of the moment. Her inner desire was there, but her body wouldn't respond like she wanted it to. They wanted to do their best, but physically they couldn't. People have to heal. They've all got to get better." "During competition adrenaline helps to ease some of the pain," Standen said. "We're all sick, but we pushed through and had a great meet. This meet showed the depth of our team. Other people had to jump in and take spots for people that weren't feeling well." The Quakers are sure these small aches and pains will go away by the ECAC championships. Since the tournament will not be held until Sunday, the Quakers have a long training week. They will be able to take things a little easier and give themselves time to heal. "We have to feel out each day," Anderson said. "A lot of us are banged up. The last meet is all or nothing. Everyone will be pushing really hard." "It's an interesting week," Kovic said. "We don't need to step up our intensity. We need to step up our efficiency. There's some kind of formula that's been going all season, and you don't fix what ain't broke." The end of Saturday's meet brought both cheers and tears. The Quakers unofficially learned they would be receiving at least the sixth seed in next weekend's ECAC tournament. But the team also must cope with the loss of its seniors. "Both Mona and I had great meets," Aronica said. "It's a great feeling to break a record in the last home meet and go into ECACs feeling confident. But I'm definitely sad. After four years, I'm going to miss competing here." "They're a very unique and special group of seniors," Kovic said. "As freshmen, they led the team to the first Ivy championship in 1991. They helped bring the program to a new level." The seniors were honored before the meet began. Each was given four roses, representing their years with Penn gymnastics, and the juniors recited a poem composed in their honor. Then the Quakers went out to defeat the Purple Knights with a new spirit. It is that determination and strong work ethic which got the Ivy championship back to Penn, and has led the Quakers into the ECAC tournament for first time ever as a team. The Quakers want to keep this going, for Ivy League gymnastics in general, Penn and especially the three seniors. And they are not done yet.