University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Danielle Alba Named EAGL Gymnast of the Year
3/30/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Danielle Alba Named EAGL Gymnast of the Year
3/30/1999
PITTSBURGH - Danielle "Freddie" Alba, a junior on the Pittsburgh gymnastics team, has been named the 1999 East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Gymnast of the Year. Alba headlines a total of 10 Panther gymnasts who received postseason EAGL honors.
A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Alba is no stranger to the record books as she currently holds two of the school's top marks. She set new records on balance beam with a 9.925 and the all-around with a 39.40, both of which she already claimed heading in to the 1999 season. Alba is currently ranked 13th in the nation with an all-around average of 38.91. Her third-place all-around finish of 39.175 at this year's EAGL Championships, pushed her past the 1,000 career points mark, making her one of only 10 gymnasts in school history to reach such a feat.
A two-time EAGL gymnast-of-the-week selection, Alba finished first in all-around competition in seven of Pittsburgh's nine meets this year, while also recording career highs on floor (9.90) and bars (9.925). She holds seven All-Time Top 10 all-around scores and nine top 10 beam scores.
In addition to her EAGL honor, Alba was named first team All-EAGL in the all-around and on bars, beam, and floor. She additionally was named second team on vault.
Joining Alba in league honors were juniors Samantha Salyers (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) and Lisa Fronhofer (Salem, N.Y./Salem Central). Salyers earned first team honors on bars where she has been a dominating force all season, setting a new school record of 9.95. Fronhofer, the school's record holder on floor and co-record holder on vault, was named second team on both events.
Eight Panther gymnasts have also earned recognition for their work in the classroom. Fronhofer, who holds a 4.0 cumulative grade point average, heads an impressive list of EAGL All-Academic Team selections. Seniors Janet Highhill (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven), Sara-Claire Campesino (Delta, Ohio/Swanton) and Erika Flamer (West Chester, Pa./Henderson), juniors Pam Lieberman (Parkland, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) and Vanessa Rutherford (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury), sophomore Becky Doll (Elmhurst, Ill./York) and freshman Rebecca Singleton (Poland, Ohio/Boardman) were the other honorees.
