SPORTS FEATURE: Gymnastics builds an Ivy dynasty

After struggling through the early years of its existence, Penn has won six Ivy titles in the 1990s. Between 1977 and 1990, the Penn gymnastics program won a grand total of zero Ivy Classic Championships. Since 1991, however, the Quakers have dominated the conference, winning the title six times. What was once one of Penn's perennial subpar programs has become one of its most consistent winners. But this turnaround did not occur overnight. Penn's varsity gymnastics program began in 1974 under coach Jim Munz. The Quakers competed in the very first Ivy Classic three years later in 1977. The Quakers finished fifth out of six teams -- Harvard and Columbia did not field teams -- with a 76.000 out of a possible 200. To put that score in perspective, Penn won this year's Ivy Classic on February 28 with a score of 188.925. Cornell won that first meet with a 131, and the Big Red combined with Yale to win every Ivy Classic title until 1990, when Brown finally broke through with a first-place finish. During that time both Princeton and Dartmouth dropped their programs, but Penn gymnastics survived despite not having a winning tradition. In 1988, that began to change. Former Penn coach Janet Cantwell's last recruiting class came to Penn in the fall of 1987, but it would not be to compete under Cantwell. The eight-member class was instead forced to work with a newly-hired coach named Tom Kovic. "Jenna Cantwell recruited me, and you really rely on your coach in gymnastics," said former Penn gymnast Sue Butler, one of those freshmen on Kovic's first Penn squad. "Everyone was skeptical when we found out that Tom was coaching." With Cantwell's recruits, Kovic led Penn to a fourth-place finish in the 1988 Ivy Classic with a 168.100. That was not a drastic improvement over Cantwell's last team, which took fourth in '87 with a 166.250. The skepticism regarding the new coach would not last long, however. In 1989, Penn scored seven points higher to finish second at the Classic and was seemingly ready to break through the hold which Cornell and Yale had placed on the Ivy League for so many years. "That class which first competed in '88 built the foundation for us," Kovic said. "The teams in '88, '89 and '90 really helped make the program what it is now." The progress was confirmed by Penn's first Ivy Classic championship in 1991. That was the senior year for Butler's class, and it was the first season for Mary Pedersen, who Kovic calls the "most decorated Penn gymnast in the school's history." "I didn't really think about it at the time, but looking back now, the '91 Ivy Classic was the first step to greater success for the program," Pedersen said. "I didn't really think it was then." The Quakers won the Ivy Classic that year with a school-record score of 182.600, edging second-place Yale. Coming one year after Brown's first Classic win, Penn's title signified a new era of parity in the Ivy League. The win also made recruiting much easier for Kovic. "When you improve, [the] quality of athletics, alumni and recruiting all improve," Kovic said. "1991 to '94 was a very strong era for us." The Quakers added Ivy League titles in 1992 and 1994 while finishing second in 1993. At the 1994 Classic, Pedersen capped off her career with her second Ivy Classic all-around title. Her 38.400 is still a Penn record. The Quakers suffered their only losing season of the decade in '96 as they went 5-6. Two of the top all-around gymnasts on that team retired -- not an uncommon occurrence in gymnastics. "It's really hard to recruit in gymnastics since most people peak when they're 15 years old," Butler said. "It's really hard to keep people healthy for four years. That puts a lot of pressure on recruiting well, which Tom has really done." Thanks in part to Kovic's recruiting, Penn won its third straight Ivy Classic this year. Last year, the Quakers became the first Ivy school ever to win an ECAC championship, scoring a team-record 190.575. That's a far cry from the 76.000 team score 21 years earlier. The Quakers were not able to repeat as ECAC champions this year but the program continued to move forward. Despite injuries, Penn posted its highest-ever Regional Qualifying Score this season. "I can't say enough about how far they've come," Pedersen said. "It's great for the alumni to come back and see all of the improvements." Kovic tries to ensure that the program doesn't take success for granted. "Every year at the first team meeting I get chuckles when I outline the team's goals for the year," Kovic said. "You have to always increase your goals. If you're not moving forward, you're moving backward." Kovic, who plans to stay at Penn as long as it's enjoyable and still feels he is making a positive impact, is also serious about getting gymnastics endowed. This would ensure the program's future in an era of cuts, but would require raising around $3 million. After all, while Penn gymnastics has been enjoying great success in the '90s, the program's first 14 years are proof that winning cannot be taken for granted. If another hard time were to come for Penn gymnastics, everyone who has been associated with the program in the last 20 years would feel a lot more comfortable if the sport were endowed. For now, however, the Quakers can enjoy their success. Fourteen years, zero Ivy Classic titles. Nine years, six Ivy Classic titles. It has been one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of Penn athletics.