Gymnastics falls to Yale after a slow start

The Penn gymnastics team got off to a slow start Saturday, and its stirring comeback effort fell just short in a 189.45-188.25 loss to Yale. The Quakers (1-1, 0-1 Ivy League) fell behind early following the vault and bars portion of the competition. "We had a rough time on vault and bars," freshman Emily Petkun said. "It wasn't disastrous, but it was rough. Then we made up everything on beam and floor." Despite sophomore Laura Bouchelle's first-place finish in the vault -- posting a score of 9.575 -- the Quakers trailed 46.575-46.25 after the vaults. Some of the Quakers thought that the poor performance on vault and bars was more an aberration than what to expect. "It was just a fluke," freshman Julie Kikla said. Great performances on the floor from sophomores Leah Moon, Lex Chalat and junior Christy Green -- each of whom posted a second-place score of 9.65 -- brought the Red and Blue back into contention with the beam portion of the competition remaining. Kikla also posted a career-best 9.5 on the floor as part of Penn's 48.05 score on the floor. The Quakers edged Yale by one-tenth of a point on the floor. Moon and freshman Desirae Gaspero led the way on the beams for the Quakers, finishing with a 9.6 and 9.575, respectively. That was good for second and third place overall. Freshman Laura Duros finished fifth with a score of 9.5, while Petkun and Kikla closed out the scoring with scores of 9.325 and 9.275, good for seventh and ninth place. Overall Penn won the beams, 47.725-47.125, but not by enough to make up its earlier deficit. Despite the loss, Kikla was pleased with the team's performance on the beams. "We really pulled through on the beams," Kikla said. "It was awesome. Everyone made their routines, which really almost never happens." The Quakers have two more chances this season to avenge their loss to the Elis this season, and they feel confident that they can. "They had one of the best meets they can have," Kikla said. "If we eliminate a couple of falls, we win. They're going to be our toughest competition in the Ivy League, I think."

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