University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Gymnastics to Open 2005 Season at Penn State
1/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Gymnastics to Open 2005 Season at Penn State
1/12/2005
PITTSBURGH?Fresh off a school-record 17 victories and a fourth-place finish in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League, the Pittsburgh gymnastics team will open the 2005 season on Saturday, January 15 at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa., against No. 19 Penn State and Illinois.
Although it will be the first meet for the Panthers, the host Nittany Lions (1-4) and Fighting Illini (2-0) opened their seasons last weekend. Penn State finished fifth at the six-team Super Six Challenge with a team score of 193.0 points. Illinois won a tri-meet against host Illinois State and Central Michigan with a total of 193.825 points.
The 2005 Panthers are young but exciting and head coach Debbie Yohman said it's refreshing to have so many newcomers and the new Pittsburgh Panthers Gymnastics Training Center, opened this past fall.
"We've been able to train routines that were impossible with our old setup," Yohman said. "It's been exciting for our coaching staff and I know our gymnasts have appreciated it as well."
The Panthers upset Penn State, ranked No. 21 at the time, for their first win over the Nittany Lions in 20 years and had a school-record 196.35 points in the process. This will be the first time Pittsburgh and Illinois competed in the same meet since the 2002 season.
Pitt opens the home schedule the following Saturday, January 22, against EAGL rival West Virginia at 7 p.m. and hosts New Hampshire in the first-ever BEAUTY and the BEAST meet on Saturday, January 29. Fans can enjoy the Panthers' gymnastics and wrestling teams competing at the same time at the Fitzgerald Field House at 1 p.m.
