Gymnastics transfer Hittner leads Quakers to a flying start

In the fall of 1997, Penn gymnastics coach Tom Kovic attempted to recruit a high school senior from Natick, Mass., named Lauren Hittner. Unfortunately for Penn, this "little gymnast" decided to try her luck at William and Mary in Virginia instead. However, two years down the line, Hittner finds herself at Penn firmly ensconced on the Penn gymnastics team. Describing her achievement with unexpected delight, the ECAC women's gymnastics Co-Athlete of the Week demonstrates a laid-back attitude to a sport which has been a part of her life since she was four -- an age when most can't even pronounce "gymnastics." "My brother wanted to learn to dive, but because it was winter he was enrolled at a gymnastics club, and I joined in, too," Hittner said. "It's my brother's story really." So how did Hittner end up a member of the Penn gymnastics squad? Having only applied to Penn and William and Mary, the New Englander chose to head to Virginia. "I was very interested in having her at Penn, but ultimately it was her decision," Kovic said. Things did not work out quite as planned, though. For a number of academic and social reasons, Hittner decided to transfer to Penn. "Lauren has made a very smooth adjustment to the team," Kovic said, echoing Hittner's own sentiments concerning the sporting side of her transition from William and Mary to Penn. Life apart from the somersaults and back flips, though, has not been so easy. "Its been a bit of a rough adjustment to Penn for me," Hittner said, "but things are going well now." According to Kovic, "Lauren is tough and resilient." Her performances so far this season add further weight to Kovic's words. "You only have to look at Lauren's score sheets so far this season to see that she consistently performs well," Kovic said. Hittner performed outstandingly well in her Penn debut on January 15. Although the team lost its season opener, Hittner finished first in the vault with 9.60 points and also claimed top marks in the beam with 9.75 points. While the Quakers came up just short against Cornell that day, the results for Penn have substantially improved. According to Kovic, "Lauren is leading the gymnastics team to their strongest start in the history of the program." Hittner competed in all four events last weekend at the George Washington Invitational, where Penn finished third out of a strong field of six. Still, her main goal for this season is to get her uneven bars up to scratch. "The beam is my highest scoring event and the floor probably my favorite, but I want to perform consistently in all four areas," Hittner said. "Each event uses totally different motions which can make it hard to master them all." Described by Kovic as a "very outgoing, dynamic individual" with "a witty sense of humor," Hittner helps keep things loose among the athletes. Hittner has three years left in the Red and Blue kit before entering a world where gymnastics can no longer be such a mainstay of her life. However, when asked what lies ahead after gymnastics, she replied with a shrug of the shoulders, "After senior year it all just stops -- no more gym." "No more gym" will be a big departure for someone who has spent most of her life hanging around the mats. Like many young gymnasts, Lauren competed at a private club rather than for her school, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Massachusetts. Her talents caught a number of eyes as she successfully negotiated her way through club, state and regional meets, reaching all the way to the junior nationals. In fact, Hittner made the nationals a total of four times and finished 61st her junior year in high school. It almost makes you wonder what would have happened if her brother had been given a chance to dive.