Gymnastics looks to remain unbeaten in Washington D.C.

Host George Washington is the favorite to win, but the Quakers expect to finish in the top two. From the bars to the floor to the vault and beam, the 1998 Penn gymnastics team will be strutting their stuff at 2:00 p.m. this Sunday at the George Washington Invitational Tournament. The Quakers (1-0) are joined in Washington, D.C., by William and Mary, Temple and George Washington. George Washington has always been a tough competitor for the Red and Blue, consistently competing in the South Eastern Regional Championship in the past five years. This weekend's host is a definite favorite to win the competition. But second place is a realistic goal for the Quakers. "William and Mary as well as Temple are both beatable teams for the girls," Penn coach Tom Kovic said. "Our goal will be to get in there and do the best we can." After opening things up last Saturday with a win against Cornell, the Quakers are eager to perform this weekend against some of the tough, East Coast competitors. The Red and Blue started their competitive season early last year, leaving them no room in their schedule to enter the Invitational prior to regional championships. This season, however, the Quakers added a week of training and preparation, allowing them to return to GW. In the past, the Invitational has invited seven East Coast teams to participate. The tourney was scaled back this season, however, to include just four. In previous years, the Quakers have placed somewhere in the middle, generally around third or fourth. This year --with only four teams -- the Quakers expect a higher finish. With last weekend's meet behind them, the Quakers are expecting to come out even stronger, executing clean routines and minimizing their mistakes. "On Saturday we were unfortunately forced to count a lot of missed mistakes," Kovic said. "This weekend we are looking to increase our hit rate upwards of 85 percent." The debut of two freshmen, who missed the Cornell meet due to injury, should also help the Red and Blue. Coming back from a hyper-extended knee, Sarah Bruscia will be performing on beam, while Kelly Haberer will be performing an exhibition on the bars. The pair's return, coupled with experience gained against Cornell last weekend, should allow the Quakers to improve across the board this weekend -- showcasing their talents as holders of the Ivy Classic Title.