Busy Gymnastics takes third at GW

A strong showing on the beam propelled Penn past three out of six teams. The last week or so has been hectic for the Penn gymnastics team. With three tough competitions in just an eight-day span, the Quakers were given a chance to truly test their mettle, and they have emerged from the fray unscathed. The Quakers followed up a convincing win over Ursinus at home on Wednesday with a third-place finish out of a field of six squads at the George Washington Invitational on Sunday with 187.500 points, losing only to host George Washington (191.875) and North Carolina (190.650). Penn coach Tom Kovic was understandably pleased with his squad's showing. "From a physical and mental standpoint this meet was a very tough test for us," Kovic said. "George Washington and North Carolina are very strong nationally ranked teams." Penn got the best of Temple (183.675 points), Radford (182.750) and William and Mary (183.525) on Sunday. Beating William and Mary, last year's ECAC champion, was an especially good feather for this Penn team to put in its cap . This was not only a high-quality team performance for the Quakers, though. On an individual level, Penn gymnasts proved that they could compete with the best. Jenn Capasso built on her first-place all-around performance against Ursinus by placing fourth this time with 37.950 on the beam and the floor. This all-around clip marked a personal best for the Penn junior. Capasso logged a stellar score of 9.70 on the balance beam, which like her all-around performance, placed her fourth in that event for the meet. Even though her individual feats were notable, Capasso stressed the team's performance as a whole, echoing her coach's sentiments. "This was a great meet for us. This is the best start I can remember since I've been at Penn," Capasso said. Other strong performers for the Quakers included Sarah Bruscia, who placed seventh in the all-around with 37.075 points, and Becky Nadler, who achieved a 9.65 on the floor exercises. Nadler's score on the floor was enough to secure fifth place in that event, and her beam mark of 9.675 placed her sixth, which was a "very strong placing" according to Kovic. Kovic highlighted the fine work done by six Quakers on the balance beam team, who started the meet off for the Red and Blue. "They set the tone for the rest of the competition for us," Kovic said. "We were different from other teams there who did not start out with their best." This strong start on the beam enabled the Quakers to build on their position and come away from George Washington with a good result -- a result that they hope will help get them ready to take on Yale in New Haven, Conn., this coming Saturday. Capasso was also pleased to have completed the stretch of two straight away meets. "An away meet is always going to be harder without the home crowd and using different equipment," Capasso said. However, this Penn gymnastics team may have turned a corner after its season-opening 186.125-186.660 defeat at Cornell on January 15. Although there are certainly areas for improvement, Penn's performance on Sunday was a definite confidence-booster for the Quakers. "The energy of the entire team was very contagious and I thought people [at the tournament] could feel that," Kovic said. Hopefully for the Quakers, this spirit and self-confidence will flow into their next meet, proving that Kovic's optimism is indeed well-founded. "This 2000 team knows how to put meets behind them and push forward," Kovic said "They're a championship team."