Two seconds, two records for Gymnastics

The Penn women's gymnastics team finished the 2001 regular season the same way that it started it -- with a record-breaking performance. The Quakers (8-3) pulled in a pair of second-place finishes in two triangular meets with Division II Centenary College (La.) and host Air Force Academy over spring break at the Cadet Gymnasium's West Gym in Colorado Springs. And in the process, Penn freshman Anna Wilson set two school records in Sunday's meet. She scored a 9.800 in the bars and a 39.075 in the all-around competition to capture those records. Wilson also placed first on the vault (9.775). The Quakers had opened the season in January with a team scoring record of 191.600 at home against Cornell. Penn finished ahead of Centenary but fell short of Air Force on both days last weekend. The final finishing order was Air Force (194.325, 194.325), Penn (190.575, 189.500), and Centenary (189.875, 187.875) on Friday and Sunday, respectively. "It is hard having two meets in one weekend," Penn freshman Christy Green said. "I think we did well and really stuck together as a team." It is fitting that the final meet of the regular season for the Red and Blue was a showcase for the old and new gymnasts. In Friday's meet, senior tri-captain Sarah Bruscia finished first on the balance beam with a personal best 9.825. Meanwhile, Wilson turned in yet another solid performance, with third-place finishes on the vault, bars and floor on her way to a second-place finish in the all-around with a 38.500. Wilson saved her best, however, for Sunday's record-breaking performances in the all-around and the bars. In addition to those records, Wilson also holds the all-time Penn mark on the vault (9.850) and the floor exercise (9.925). Perhaps the most impressive statistic is that Wilson has broken or tied school records in six out of 11 meets this season. Wilson was not the only Penn athlete to perform well on Sunday, though. Green finished eighth on the vault with a score of 9.575 and placed fourth on the bars with a score of 9.725. Sophomore Meaghan Sanders finished fifth on the balance beam with a 9.700, and junior Sarah Tudryn finished eighth with a 9.650. The Quakers will have little time to rest from their journey to the Rocky Mountains. They must now focus their attention on the ECAC Championships, which take place this Friday in Ithaca, N.Y. This season has been a constant struggle for Penn, as the Quakers have had to battle injuries to field healthy gymnasts for each meet. "It has been really draining, both emotionally and physically," Green said. "People have had to push through and compete anyway." Penn coach Tom Kovic acknowledges his team's perseverance. "No coach can be any prouder of a team than I am," Kovic said. "The girls have dealt with many adversities this season."

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