Pitt to Host Penn State, West Virginia and Temple on Senior Day

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh gymnastics team will host Penn State, West Virginia and Temple on Senior Day this weekend at the Fitzgerald Field House.

THE MEET

With a late addition to the meet in Temple, the Panthers (4-10, 3-1 EAGL) will now face the Nittany Lions (4-5, 1-4 B1G), Mountaineers (7-7, 0-3 B12) and the Owls (15-5, 3-0 ECAC) Sunday, March 4. Action is set to begin at 2 p.m. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m.

MEET PROMOTIONS

Senior Day
- Join us as we recognize our five seniors.
- We will be honoring gymnasts Catie Conrad, Dani Hall and Taylor Laymon as well as student managers Maegan Higdon and Julia Schindel.
Club/Youth Day
- Club Gymnasts and youth can use promo code CLUBGYM online to purchase $1.00 tickets.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt fell to No. 14 Nebraska, 196.425-193.600, Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Devaney Sports Center.
The Panthers best event of the day was bars, where they earned a team score of 48.800. They followed that with a 48.750 on floor, a 48.050 on beam and a 48.000 on vault.
Individually, freshman Haley Brechwald led Pitt on vault with a 9.850. Sophomore Lucy Jones posted the top team score on bars with a 9.800. Conrad earned the top mark on beam with a 9.800 and sophomore Alecia Petrikis led the Panthers on floor with a 9.825.

RELEVANT RANKINGS

Pitt ranks fourth in the North East Region and 44th in the nation with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 194.440.
The Panthers rank third in the North East Region on floor with an RQS of 48.890, fourth on both bars at 48.810 and vault at 48.595 and seventh on beam with a 48.290.
Pitt's RQS of 48.810 on bars also ranks 33rd in the nation.
Individually, Brechwald ranks 35th in the all-around with an RQS of 39.125, is tied for 53rd on floor with a 9.860 and is tied for 80th on bars with a 9.825. Sophomore Lucy Brett is tied for 96th in the nation on bars with an RQS of 9.810 and Conrad is tied for 96th on beam with a 9.805.

CONFERENCE COMPETITION

The Panthers have competed against three EAGL foes so far this season. Pitt defeated New Hampshire, 196.225-195.175, in its record-setting dual meet Jan. 20. In the Panthers' home meet Feb. 3, they defeated Towson while falling to NC State. Pitt faced NC State for a second time in a quad meet at TWU Feb. 11, coming out with a 196.100-195.925 victory over the Wolfpack to improve to 3-1 in conference competition on the season.

Pitt is slated for two more meets against EAGL opponents in the regular season. The Panthers will face George Washington in a tri-meet March 11 before squaring off against North Carolina in a dual meet March 17.
The EAGL Championship is scheduled for March 24 at Towson.

SENIOR SEND-OFF

The Panthers will be recognizing five Pitt seniors Sunday in gymnasts Conrad, Hall and Laymon as well as student managers Higdon and Schindel.
Higdon and Schindel both competed with the Panthers during their first two years at Pitt before transitioning into roles on the staff. The duo, along with Hall and Laymon, all competed on the 2016 team that won the EAGL Championship for the first time in program history.
Conrad transferred from Eastern Michigan to Pitt for her final season of eligibility, where she has earned four individual titles through seven meets.
Hall has spent the past four years competing on bars, beam and floor for the Panthers. She earned EAGL All-Tournament Second Team honors in 2016 and All-EAGL Floor Second Team honors in 2017, while also being a three-time EAGL All-Scholastic Team honoree.
Laymon has also been with Pitt for the past four years, where she has competed on bars, beam and floor. She was an NCAA Individual Regional Qualifier on bars in 2017 and an alternate in the same event during the 2015 season. Laymon is also a three-time member of the All-EAGL Bars Team and a two-time member of the EAGL Bars All-Tournament Second Team.

A FRESHMAN TO FEAR

Brechwald has been named EAGL Rookie of the Week four times so far this season.

Brechwald has collected 11 individual titles through seven meets. She earned the bars title in Pitt's meet at WVU and then took all-around title in Pitt's quad meet at TWU. Brechwald also earned the bars, floor and all-around title in Pitt's home meet against NC State, Temple and Towson. Versus New Hampshire, Brechwald took home the bars, floor and all-around title. Against Oregon State, she won vault, bars and the all-around title.
She currently owns an RQS of 9.860 on floor, 9.825 on bars and 9.780 on vault, while sporting a 39.125 in the all-around.

PITT VERSUS PENN STATE

Pitt will face Penn State for the 45^th time in program history, with the Nittany Lions owning a 42-2 all-time series edge against the Panthers.
The Nittany Lions defeated the Panthers in their most recent meeting, earning a 195.200-193.525 victory Feb. 25, 2017.
Both Pitt wins against Penn State have come in home meets, with the Panthers earning their victories in 1984 and 2004, respectively.

SCOUTING PENN STATE

The Nittany Lions are 4-5 on the season and 1-4 in Big Ten competition. Most recently, Penn State fell to No. 22 George Washington, 196.475-196.150, in a home dual meet Saturday, Feb. 24.
As a team, Penn State is tied for 14th in the nation on bars with an RQS of 49.100, ranks 31st on vault with a 48.875, 35th on floor at 48.955 and 44th on beam with a 48.530.
Senior Briannah Tsang owns the team's top RQS in every event this season. Tsang has an RQS of 9.880 on floor (tied for 28th in the nation), 9.855 on beam (tied for 40th in the nation), 9.850 on bars (tied for 46th in the nation) and 9.800 on vault (tied for 95th in the nation). Her all-around RQS of 39.375 also ranks 12th in the nation.

PITT VERSUS WEST VIRGINIA

The Panthers will square off against West Virginia for the 76^th time in program history, with WVU controlling the all-time series with a 60-13-2 advantage.
The two teams have already faced each other once this season, with the Mountaineers earning a 196.225-195.250 victory over Pitt at WVU's tri-meet Feb. 18.
The Panthers and Mountaineers also met three times in the 2017 season, with Pitt recording a 194.025-193.875 win in their first meeting of the season Jan. 13, 2017.

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia owns a 7-7 overall record and a 0-3 mark in Big 12 competition. Most recently, the Mountaineers fell to No. 1 Oklahoma, 198.025-195.750, in a road dual meet Feb 23.
As a team, WVU ranks 15th in the nation on vault with an RQS of 49.075, 30th on bars with a 48.695, is tied for 31st on floor at 49.000 and ranks 41st on bars with a 48.695.
Junior Kirah Koshinski leads the team on vault with an RQS of 9.895 (tied for ninth in the nation) and on floor with a 9.855 (tied for 59th in the nation). Junior Carly Galpin ranks first on beam with an RQS of 9.795 and senior Zaakira Muhammad heads the team on bars with a 9.785.

PITT VERSUS TEMPLE

For the second time this season, Temple will visit the Fitzgerald Field House. The Owls lead the all-time series 20-9 after defeating Pitt Feb. 3, 193.875-193.125.

SCOUTING TEMPLE

Due to inclement weather, Temple was unable to make it to their previously scheduled meet, Friday, March 3 at Maryland with Penn and Yale, thus giving the Panthers their third competitor Sunday afternoon.
The Owls arrive in Pittsburgh with a 15-5 overall record and a 3-0 mark in ECAC competition after falling to Air Force and New Hampshire last weekend.
Temple is currently ranked No. 1 in the ECAC with a RQS of 194.190.

UP NEXT

Pitt will travel to Washington, D.C., for a tri-meet against George Washington and West Virginia Sunday, March 11 at the Charles E. Smith Center.

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Pitt to Host Penn State, West Virginia and Temple on Senior Day

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Haley Brechwald

Lucy Brett

Catie Conrad

Dani Hall

Lucy Jones

Taylor Laymon

Alecia Petrikis

Pitt to Host Penn State, West Virginia and Temple on Senior Day

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Haley Brechwald

Lucy Brett

Catie Conrad

Dani Hall

Lucy Jones

Taylor Laymon

Alecia Petrikis

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