Gymnastics faces tough Invite

The Penn gymnastics team already has its sights set on the 190-point barrier as it heads to the GW Invite. In the city featuring the lowly Redskins of the NFL, the NBA's Wizards and the WNBA's Mystics, it can be very difficult to locate a high level of athletic ability. That will not be the case this weekend, however, as some of the East Coast's finest gymnastics programs meet at the George Washington Invitational in Washington, D.C. Penn will join Maryland, North Carolina, William & Mary, Temple and the host school when the competition begins this Saturday at noon. The Quakers have been competing in the invitational for 12 straight years but have never finished first. Last year, Penn finished second out of four teams, its best performance ever at GW. The Quakers scored 184.025 points, placing them three behind perennial winner George Washington and comfortably ahead of William and Mary and Temple. This year, the competition will be even tougher with the addition of Maryland and North Carolina. The Terrapins are ranked third in their region and eighth in the country after posting a 192.375 score earlier this season. The Tar Heels are not currently ranked but bring a tough program to Washington. "It's nice to go up against top teams like these," Penn coach Tom Kovic said. "It gives the team members a chance to rise to that level." Kovic concedes that rising to the level of a school like Maryland would be an extremely difficult challenge. While the Quakers have defeated both the Terrapins and Tar Heels in previous years at the GW Invitational, the task is a little more difficult this year. Maryland is led by junior captains Rachel Dolbin and Christine Holcomb, who are two of the finest gymnasts in the region. North Carolina already defeated William and Mary 188.70 to 187.150 behind an all-around score of 38.475 from sophomore Brooke Wilson. To put those scores in perspective, the Quakers posted 186.075 points last weekend in their win over Cornell. While that score met Penn's expectations, it will clearly have to be raised if the Quakers hope to challenge for first place. "This early in the year it might not be possible for us to get 190," junior Becky Nadler said. "Some people have new routines and skills and need more competitions to get used to them. It's also true that the freshmen haven't seen a big-time invitational like this, which might make them nervous." Kovic predicts that a score between 191 and 193 will be needed to win the Invitational. In order for Penn to score at that level, the Quakers need to hit all 24 routines, according to Kovic. Last year, Penn broke the 190-point mark for the first time in school history when the Quakers closed the season with a score of 190.575 at the ECACs, becoming the first Ivy to win the ECAC championship in the process Penn will be helped by the improving health of both junior Lizzie Jacobson and sophomore Jenn Capasso. While both gymnasts competed last week, they are expected to be able to do so at nearly full strength this weekend. Jacobson will likely be performing on both floor and the beam, and Capasso's lower back will finally enable her to compete in the floor along with her other routines. "We need to improve on our problem areas," said senior co-captain Shannon Stafford, who will be out two more weeks with an ACL injury. "We should be less nervous on the balance beam this weekend, where we had some falls last weekend." One of those falls belonged to senior co-captain Molly Sullivan, who had an otherwise stellar meet. Kovic says that getting her back on track is one of the keys for the Quakers. If Sullivan and other team veterans perform well and the Penn freshmen have another big Saturday, the Quakers could surprise some people at George Washington this weekend. At the very least, the invitational will provide Penn with some valuable experience while helping area spectators forget about professional sports for an afternoon.