Pitt
Rhode Island
Gymnastics Opens Season With Home Victory Over Rhode Island
1/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 14, 2002
PITTSBURGH-The Pittsburgh gymnastics team opened the 2002 season with a 188.100-185.025 victory over Rhode Island at Trees Gym on Saturday, exacting a bit of revenge from 2001.
The Panthers missed out on an NCAA Regionals appearance last year, while the Rams gained the sixth and final spot in the Northeast. Pittsburgh, without the services of starters Jamie Briner (Downers Grove, Ill./Montini Catholic Lombard) and Jennifer Easter (Dover, Del./Caesar Rodney), used two all-arounders in a meet for the first time in three seasons.
Junior Heather Launse (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) and sophomore Diandra O'Connor (Owasso, Okla./Owasso) competed in all four events for the first time in their respective collegiate careers and Launse's 37.75 edged O'Connor by one-tenth of a point for the top spot.
Pittsburgh's vault team put together a 48.125 team score with all five gymnasts earning a 9.6 or above. Sophomore Alyse Zeffiro (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem) had a meet-best 9.675 to lead the Panthers and was followed by Launse's 9.65. Marcy Blitz (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) had a career-best 9.6, one of three career bests for the Panther sophomore. The Rams' Brooke Hamilton tied Launse for second place on the vault with a 9.65.
Senior Raya Mullin (Runnemede, N.J./Triton) picked up where she left off last year on the uneven parallel bars by earning the top score with a 9.65. Blitz was second for the Panthers with a 9.575 and Sivan Atzmi of Rhode Island received a 9.45 from the judges.
The balance beam was unkind to both teams as only two of the 12 competitors were not penalized for falls. Those two gymnasts, O'Connor and JoAnna Judge of the Rams, earned 9.6 scores to place them in a tie for first. Rhode Island's Stephanie Clarke was in third place with a 9.225.
Five of the six Panther floor routines were career highs, starting with O'Connor's meet-best 9.775 score. She was followed by Launse with a 9.7 and junior Lisa Yarosh (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) with a 9.6. The other career highs were Blitz's 9.475 and Zeffiro's 9.325.
The Panthers (1-0) travel to Morgantown, W.Va., for an East Atlantic Gymnastics League tri-meet with defending EAGL champion West Virginia and Rutgers this Saturday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m.
