Gymnastics to work on the little things in first home meet

For the first time this year, the Penn gymnastics team gets the luxury of a home mat advantage.

So far this season, the Quakers have been up and down the Eastern seaboard, competing in Ithaca, N.Y., Washington, D.C. and New Haven, Conn.

Penn will only have a quick walk to this Saturday's matchup against Ivy league foe Brown at Hutchinson Gymnasium.

Penn captain Lauren Hittner wrapped up the team's sentiments towards its long-awaited homecoming.

"Oh God," she said. "So good. We're just so excited to get on our own equipment and just do what we've been doing in practice."

Saturday's match could be a perfect turning point for Penn. Although the Red and Blue have yet to win a dual meet, the Quakers are not discouraged.

At this point, they're just content to not climb onto a bus this weekend.

Unfortunately, for the Quakers, Brown will not be an easy, roll-over opponent.

The Bears are currently 4-2, with wins over Vermont, Southern Connecticut and MIT.

"In all honesty, I have no idea what to expect," Hittner said. "Everything has changed so much this year. I have no idea what to think about Brown."

The Quakers beat the Bears, 185.200-181.975, last year, but have since lost then-star Anna Wilson.

But Penn has been bolstered so far this season by its solid freshman class.

Last weekend, against Yale, rookie Laura Bouchelle claimed first place in the vault competition.

And of the more experienced Quakers, Christy Green has been Penn's most solid competitor in its first three matches. Green clinched a win in the all-around competition last weekend against Yale.

Against Brown, the Quakers are focusing on improving their own team instead of the competition.

"We were really excited after last meet," Hittner, who placed second in the beam competition against the Elis, said. "It's never fun to lose to Yale but there were so many good things that it didn't matter."

For the Brown meet, the Red and Blue are honing in on the details and not worrying as much about the final score. The Quakers are also working on one area that has been somewhat of a weakness this season -- the beam.

"We have been working on the beam a lot, trying to hit our routine," Hittner said. "We working on the smaller things -- straight legs, pointed toes -- little things like that can add up."

The Red and Blue will be home for two weekends in a row, as they host Temple and Ursinus on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.

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