Gymnastics places No. 2 at GWU Invite

Moving right along in their 1998 season, the Penn gymnastics team is forging ahead with the hopes of topping last year's stellar competitive season. In the George Washington Invitational Tournament held in Washington, D.C., Sunday, the Red and Blue took second out of four teams. The Quakers finished with a final overall score of 184.025. Finishing a full two points over William and Mary (182.025), and five points over Temple (179.650), the Quakers fought until the very end, losing to George Washington (187.075) by a margin of three points. "Overall, I think that we had a lot more confidence with our first meet behind us going into the competition," said all-around finisher Lizzie Jacobson. "We were much more focussed, which was necessary for us to finish ahead of Temple and William and Mary, and our hard work really showed." Starting off the competition on the right foot, the Red and Blue performed clean and consistently on the beam, beating every other school with an overall score of 47.225. "The girls' performances on beam really sparked the competition," Penn coach Tom Kovic said. "Their energy levels were high, and they were all mentally in the zone." The second place performance gave the Quakers their best finish in Washington, D.C. since 1984. Beating two strong schools was no easy feat for the Red and Blue. Freshman Sarah Bruscia competed for her first time in collegiate competition, having been sidelined with an injury since early in the season. "This was an important meet for us because it was a turning point for our season," Bruscia said. "When we got out there we just decided to go all the way and be more aggressive in attacking the events." Overall in competition, the Red and Blue had only four missed routines out of 24 for the day. The Quakers met their original goals by achieving the 85 percent success rate. For the day, the Quakers ended in good standing, with all-around finishes by Jacobson, Kathleen Gunn and Molly Sullivan. All three women finished in the top six. The freshmen women on the team have made their presence felt at these competitions, competing this weekend in all events. Amanda Tiffany performed a clean exhibition on the vault, Bruscia on the bars and Jennifer Capasso on the beam, with exhibitions on the bars and floor. "After this meet, the confidence level of the entire team is high," Kovic said. "This weekend proved to the girls that they know what they can do. All in all it was a good, solid day." Heading into another competition next weekend at Yale, the aim of the team is simple: consistency. The Quakers are looking for each woman to improve on an individual basis, and hopefully work towards achieving routines with a 10.0 start value.