Penn's Sullivan named NCAA Regional Co-Gymnast of Year

The career of Penn gymnastics senior Molly Sullivan finally came to an end on Saturday at the NCAA Regionals at Penn State. But the conclusion was not without additional recognition for the two-time Ivy Classic all-around champion. The 18 coaches in NCAA Region 5 -- Penn's region -- voted Sullivan the Regional Co-Gymnast of the Year. The Quakers co-captain shared the award with Penn State sophomore Ellen Casey, who won the all-around competition on Saturday. Sullivan finished 16th in all-around competition with a score of 37.525, two points behind Casey's mark. "It was such a great honor to get the award," Sullivan said. "I wasn't really expecting it since the girl I was sharing it with won the meet." According to Penn coach Tom Kovic, however, the coaches take much more into account than all-around scores, including "leadership, academics and other intangibles." Sullivan followed in the footsteps of former teammate Kathleen Gunn, who last year became the first Quaker to earn Gymnast of the Year honors. Sullivan began Saturday's competition on the bars, which is not one of her stronger events. She scored an 8.925, placing 37th for the competition. Beam, the second event for Sullivan, was her most disappointing. Two wobbles prevented her from earning one of her better event scores of the season. Her score of 9.650 still placed her 18th out of 42 gymnasts in the event but was not what she was anticipating. "I was pleased with how I did in every event except for beam," Sullivan said. "I was really nervous -- even more nervous than at ECACs since I was by myself and the competition was so tough." According to Sullivan, the one positive result of her disappointing performance on beam was that it took some of the pressure off and allowed her to relax and enjoy her final two events more. The first of those events was the floor, Sullivan's favorite routine to perform. The Penn floor exercise record-holder earned her best finish in the competition by placing 14th with a 9.625. That score was significantly less than the ECAC Championship record-setting 9.900 Sullivan recorded March 27, but the disparity was not unexpected. The judging at the NCAA Regionals was much stiffer to ensure that the best teams and individuals qualify for the NCAA Championships. Of the six teams competing, the two which qualified for Nationals in Utah -- held April 22-24 -- were favorites Penn State and Arizona State, the nation's sixth- and ninth-ranked teams, respectively. After her floor performance, Sullivan moved to her last event as a Quaker -- the vault. Penn's Regional representative was pleased with her performance, which yielded a score of 9.325. Sullivan's teammates were able to make it to Happy Valley to see her perform, forming what Kovic saw as the second-loudest cheering section -- trailing only the hometown Penn State fans. "For Molly to finally make it to Regionals, it was really exciting for her and for us," fellow senior co-captain Shannon Stafford said. "She's such a strong competitor and spirited gymnast who always keeps the team going and motivated." Sullivan's honors as ECAC Gymnast of the Year and Regional Co-Gymnast of the Year, which were both voted on by coaches, indicate the respect which coaches, gymnasts, and administrators have for the Georgia native both in and out of the gym. "She has contributed so much to us through gymnastics," junior Lizzie Jacobson said. "No matter what she's gone through she picks it up in the gym and is always a great leader and example for everyone." Sullivan joined a struggling team in 1995-96, and with help from Stafford and other Quakers, led Penn to unprecedented success, including the last three Ivy Classic championships. "She helped redirect the team after the '95 and '96 seasons, and you can't give that kind of leadership a 9.9 or any other score," Kovic said. "The lasting mark she's placed on gymnastics is her sportsmanship and the way she's been a delegate for the sport the last four years."