Second Ivy loss tough to take for Gymnastics

the Elis bounced past Penn by just over one point, making the Quakers' loss a bitter pill to swallow. This will not happen again. That was the overriding message coming from the Penn gymnastics team after Saturday's disappointing 189.175-188.000 defeat against Yale in New Haven, Conn. "Yale is a tough team, but the next meet with them on a neutral site is going to be our win," Penn coach Tom Kovic said. However, far from coming away from Connecticut with nothing to show for themselves, the Quakers produced some laudable performances. Penn won the balance beam with Jenn Capasso placing first with 9.650 points, building on her fourth-place finish at the George Washington Invitational the previous weekend. For the previous showing, she was named ECAC Gymnast of the Week. Sophomore Lauren Hittner achieved a personal best with her all-around score of 37.725 points, which included a 9.75 on the floor exercise. Becky Nadler again showed how valuable she is to the Red and Blue with a team-high 9.825 on the floor and a better-than-average 9.450 on the beam. Despite Saturday's loss, Kovic was pleased with some of what he saw out of his team against the Elis. "We matched up very well with Yale," Kovic said. "We were stronger on the beam, and we produced our best vaulting and bar performances of the season." Yale proved too much for the Quakers in three of the four events on Saturday. A convincing Red and Blue victory on the beam was overshadowed by a 48.200-45.425 Yale win on the uneven bars and by narrow Eli victories on the floor and vault. "It's disappointing to lose, but what really matters is that we've been making improvements and our team scores are really good," Nadler said. Nadler, a senior, has experienced Penn's winning Ivy League formula throughout her years in West Philadelphia. This success has always been predicated on the fact that team achievement far outweighs individual honors. "I only have control over myself, and I work hard at doing well for my team," Nadler said. "It's nice to do well on an individual level, but it's much more satisfying for the team to do well and for me to have done my part in contributing to that." This philosophy certainly appears to have paid dividends for Nadler and the Red and Blue, as the Quakers have been Ivy Classic champions in each of the past three seasons. Nadler, however, does not think that the loss against Yale, which was the Quakers' second to the Elis in the past three seasons, was without its bright spots. "I'm really proud of some of the freshmen who have stepped up and contributed to our team," Nadler said. Another senior, Joci Newman, agreed with Nadler. "Although we were really tired after our previous three meets, we didn't give anything away," Newman said. "We were disappointed with the score, but not with ourselves." So how do Penn's coaches and gymnasts turn the tide and win their Ivy meets in the hopes of retaining Ancient Eight bragging rights for a fourth successive year? "We are implementing a new training program," Newman said. The Quakers will focus primarily on endurance and strength in order to prepare the team for the season's homestretch. Hopefully for the Red and Blue, this targeted training can infuse the Quakers with the energy and determination required for Penn to return to its winning ways. The Red and Blue may get an added boost with two home meets coming soon on the schedule. The Quakers face their third Ivy opponent, Brown, on Saturday and city rival Temple the following Friday. Maybe the third time will be a charm for the Penn gymnasts against Ivy foes.