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______________________________________________________________________________________________Kathleen Gunn may not be a 'big-skill gymnast,'_______________________________________________Kathleen Gunn may not be a 'big-skill gymnast,'but her hard work and versatility make her the_______________________________________________Kathleen Gunn may not be a 'big-skill gymnast,'but her hard work and versatility make her theonly current member of the Penn gymnastics_______________________________________________Kathleen Gunn may not be a 'big-skill gymnast,'but her hard work and versatility make her theonly current member of the Penn gymnasticsteam to compete in all four events_______________________________________________Kathleen Gunn may not be a 'big-skill gymnast,'but her hard work and versatility make her theonly current member of the Penn gymnasticsteam to compete in all four events_______________________________________________ "Kathleen is probably the most balanced gymnast I've ever had," Kovic said. "She is the only one I feel confident in all four events." Gunn, born and raised in San Diego, got involved in gymnastics when she was 12 years old. She joined a local gymnastics club because her sister's best friend was a participant. Gunn was already a fan of the sport, after watching Mary Lou Retton's performance in the 1984 Olympic Games. After moving to Virginia as a ninth grader, Gunn joined a local club team. It was there that she began to develop her trademark versatility. "The club that I went to taught me the basic skills really well, so it's easy for me to have consistency in my skills while also adding new ones," Gunn said. Kovic went after Gunn -- who he called a "sleeper" recruit -- aggressively, making weekly phone calls and even a recruiting visit to Gunn's home in San Diego, Calif. Kovic said he was attracted not only to Gunn's talent on the mats, but also to her dedication in the classroom. Gunn made Kovic's intense recruiting pay off by deciding to apply to Penn early decision, after considering Brown, Cal-Berkeley, William & Mary and North Carolina. Gunn cited coach Kovic and Penn's academic reputation, as well as the strength of the Quakers gymnastics program, as reasons for deciding on Penn. That decision is paying dividends for Kovic's program. After a shaky beginning to her freshman year, Gunn started to shine. She recorded the highest score in Penn history on the beam (9.70) in a meet against West Chester and Ursinus. In addition, she placed first in the all-around competition with 36.85 points at the 1995 meet with Cornell and Indiana (Pa.). "She did well freshman year," Kovic said. "It's very difficult to make that transition from the West Coast to the East Coast. It was challenging for her, but once she got home from Christmas, she was fine. She was our strongest all-around last year. And, as a freshman, that's quite a feat." This year, Gunn continues to improve. She finished third overall against cross-city rival Temple Monday, almost leading the Quakers to victory. However, Kovic does not believe she has reached her full potential. "She's doing great," Kovic said. "She has not put together a 100 percent performance yet. We're waiting for that one meet in which she can put it all together."