One in the books, gymnastics shoots for No. 2

If the first win is the hardest, things will only get easier for John Ceralde and Penn gymnastics.

Penn looks to improve to 2-1 at home this season in its upcoming meet on Saturday against Temple and Towson.

Penn already faced Towson in its first meet. The Quakers came up short against the Tigers, who have two very strong all-around competitors in senior Christina Ghani and freshman Jackie Schweitzer.

Temple is sitting at 0-2, also including a loss to Towson, under first-year head coach Aaron Murphy.

The Quakers are coming off a strong home win against Yale, but are quick not to become too confident.

"Our focus is still the same," Ceralde said. "We're just taking one meet at a time. The girls understand that they just need to be consistent."

That consistency remains the biggest hump for the team to collectively surmount.

Ceralde will also be looking to work some injured gymnasts back into the lineup this week, as the team strives to get depth into each rotation.

Freshman Marissa Rosen looks to have another strong meet this weekend - and if she continues dominating the way she has lately, that should happen.

Rosen and junior Stefanie Navarro were honored this past week by the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Rosen, after just her first two meets of her collegiate career, was named gymnast of the week while Navarro earned the coaches' choice award.

"It was a huge honor, especially because I was out last season with an injury," said an excited Navarro. "I had surgery last February, so it's really motivating to keep going and to keep pushing."

Navarro, who registered two strong performances on the beam and the bars, looks to replicate her success from last week, admitting that the meet gave her a much-needed boost of confidence.

"I feel like now that I've hit last week and the week before, it gives me confidence to go into the routine to stick it - and not just to hope to make it," Navarro said.

The young squad is extremely optimistic and has had a newfound focus in practice. The team hopes its work ethic can translate into continued success in the meets, but they know that all that matters in the end is how well they stick their routines on meet day.

"It's pretty much just a matter of time before we put everything together and everyone hits," Navarro said without a second thought. "It's inevitable, we'll have it."

After all, the second win can only be easier than the first.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.