Gymnastics takes first at Ivy Classic

With 185.950, Penn set a school scoring record in the Quakers' victory. Penn's gymnastics team broke the school scoring record and the Ivy championship scoring record on their way to their fourth Ivy Classic Championship in seven years. The Quakers, with a 185.950 score, held off a strong Brown squad with a 183.425 score, followed by Cornell, 180.475, and injury-ridden Yale finished last with a 144.550 score. While the whole Penn team pulled together to pull off this victory, the competition was highlighted by many personal best scores. Each event had at least two Quakers place in the top six. Molly Sullivan, who came in second in the all-around title, which she won last year, set a personal best score of 37.375 and another on the floor with a 9.60 score. Penn tri-captain Kathleen Gunn injured her head on the bars and was replaced by Shilpa Rao, who stepped up and stuck two routines on the beam and vault and set personal bests of 9.55 and 9.225, respectively. Rao also won the uneven bars competition. Two freshmen, Kirby Thorpe with a 9.275 and Lizzie Jacobson with a 9.30, also set personal bests on the bars this weekend. Although Brown was behind Penn by more than two points, it had a good day and was consistently adding pressure to the Quakers' quest for the championship. This year, Yale did not come in as the usual favorites because they were saddled by many injured performers. While Cornell also had a good day, no one could deny that the Quakers just came into the competition at a higher level than any of the other teams. The Red and Blue came in having defeated all the Ivy League teams, but still needed to prove they could score well in a non-dual competition to win the championship. Penn's gymnasts made 22-of-24 routines, completing an almost perfect meet. The two falls came after the injury to Gunn when the team was still shaken up and scared for their teammate and captain. Penn freshman Joci Newman was first up after Gunn's fall and although she did fall early in her routine, she pulled herself together and managed to score well. In addition to overcoming the bars event, the key to the Quakers' victory was their strong start. They pulled out to a commanding lead and the two falls in their final event didn't effect their score dramatically. "The scores represent how they performed all season," Penn coach Tom Kovic said. "They needed to maintain poise and they did." Keeping their poise was extremely difficult because the Quakers came in as the clear favorites, but they remained confident and pulled off the victory. The win was special for Penn senior tri-captain Lori Taylor, who was happy to see that the team, which for the past few years had been small and struggling, is now so strong. "It's a good feeling to go out on a good note," said Taylor. The Classic is not the end of the Quakers' season. The team must now look towards the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships at the Palestra on March 22.