Gymnastics aims for elusive 186 mark at Bridgeport

The Penn gymnastics team is traveling to Bridgeport, Conn. tomorrow for their final away meet with the goal of coming out not with a win, but a good team score and good individual performances. The Quakers have been on the edge of breaking the 186-point mark all season. They came close when breaking the school record with a 185.9 score just last week in the Ivy Classic. Scoring 186 would not only add to this season's accomplishments, but would also help their Eastern College Athletic Conference rankings. Currently, the Red and Blue are ranked a close third behind James Madison and William & Mary, but a higher ranking would give them a better rotation in the ECAC championships in the Palestra on March 22. The highest-seeded team earns the Olympic rotation which is considered the least stressful order of events. The remaining teams are one event behind the Olympic rotation. Bridgeport, ranked 10th in the NCAA Regional rankings, will be difficult opponents for the 12th ranked Quakers. The Purple Knights have a significantly higher regional qualifying score than Penn, but both teams are essentially out of the NCAA regional tournament picture this year. "They are a good strong team, deep in talent," Penn coach Tom Kovic said. Although Penn and Bridgeport won't be competing in the Regionals, members from both teams are still fighting for individual competitions. Penn's Kathleen Gunn and Lizzie Jacobson are in position to compete in the event. The Quakers' perfect league record and Ivy Classic win are a result of their depth. This year has seen many newer and younger faces, such as freshman Jacobson and junior Shilpa Rao help the team. Rao, who took last year off from gymnastics to concentrate on her school work, is happy to be back with the team and is just recently returning to peak form. Rao placed first in the uneven bars, third in beam and set a personal best in the vault this Saturday at the Ivy Classic while replacing an injured Gunn on the beam. "It was really hard to come back and get into it again," said Rao about her return this season. Rao and all the other college gymnasts are basically veterans in their sport. With only one more season to compete and perform, she is taking complete advantage and enjoying success on both a personal and team level. "I'm glad I came back," Rao said. "This season has been a lot of fun especially with a lot of new freshmen." Jacobson is one of the group of freshmen which has contributed to the success of the team. Even though she is new to the college gymnastics competitions, Jacobson hasn't been intimidated. She is heading into the end of the season still in contention for a spot at the NCAA Regional individual competitions with an average all-around score of 36.875 -- an unexpectedly high score. "I try not to think about [NCAA qualification] and I go into each meet one at a time," Jacobson said. The freshman's favorite event is the beam, the most difficult apparatus in which to excel consistently, because it "combines grace with overcoming fear on a four-inch beam." Both Rao and Jacobson, like the rest of the team, enjoy performing and competing. The fresh gymnasts have brought new life to the team and the results can be seen with the Ivy championship. With such a young team, Penn gymnastics should continue to be successful for the next few years.