After a rough meet last weekend against some of the top programs in the country, the Penn gymnastics team was ready to throw down against Yale in its first home meet of the season.
And throw down they did: with music blaring and cheering fans, the Quakers dominated the match, winning every event except for vault, where they lost only by a fraction of a point.
For the first time in almost two decades, Penn did not win under Tom Kovic, as John Ceralde notched his first win as the Quakers' head coach.
To get that win, Penn turned in its strongest events on the bars and the floor.
Junior Kim Chin contributed the strongest score on the bars, registering a 9.6 and a perfectly stuck landing. She also hit a solid beam routine, scoring a 9.5 despite a difficult warmup. Chin credits her teammates for such a strong showing.
"The motivation from my team helped me a lot," said Chin, who was ready and focused when it was her turn to compete.
In addition to Chin's routine, sophomore Stefanie Navarro, junior Stephanie Ortiz and freshman sensation Marissa Rosen delivered strong routines on the bars.
Rosen placed in the top two in all-around for her second consecutive meet. She had the highest all-around score with a 37.825. Stephanie Ortiz came in second with a cumulative score of 37.05.
Despite a fall on the beam, Rosen bounced back to nail her floor routine, receiving a 9.825, the highest score of the day. Asked how she recovered from her disappointing fall, she responded in the way gymnasts have to.
"I just put it behind me, I get on the floor and it's a whole new start for me," Rosen said. "I just go out there and do what I know I'm capable of doing. I know I have to do it for the team."
Rosen is one of the Quakers' strongest competitors but does not seem to feel the extra pressure of carrying this team.
"I just do the routines the way I do them in practice," Rosen said. "I'm not really under pressure."
The Quakers also dominated the floor, where in addition to Rosen's best score of the day, sophomores Sarah Wexler and Jordan Brewer received 9.525 and 9.55, respectively.
Wexler's routine was energetic and vivacious, getting the team and crowd excited with swinging hips and a smiling face.
At the end of the meet, with a victory in hand, Ceralde had been given not just his first win at the helm of the Penn program but a triumph over a former employer. (He been an assistant coach at Yale.) He also credited the hometown fans with contributing to the win and was excited about such a turnout.
"The team always feels more comfortable at home," Ceralde said.
The biggest difference from last week's loss to this week's win was the ability to convert sharp warmups into competition, according to Ceralde.
Yale's day had some ups, but was plagued by downs. The Elis hit parts of their routines perfectly, only to fall a moment later.
Penn had few such problems.
"It was a very big win and the team really came together," Rosen said. "We really stepped it up."
Chin agreed with Rosen.
"It feels really good because everyone worked so hard this week" Chin said. "We worked all the kinks out and now everyone's ready to go. This feels like the start to a really great season."
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