University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Panthers to Compete in EAGL Conference Championships
3/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 23, 2006
PITTSBURGH - The Pitt Panthers (11-10, 3-6 EAGL) are traveling to Rutgers this weekend for the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Conference Championships. The meet is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. EAGL teams include George Washington, Maryland, New Hampshire, NC State, North Carolina, Pitt, Rutgers and West Virginia. Pitt has defeated both Rutgers and Maryland in conference action this season.
"EAGLs is like the regular season all rolled into one meet," said Head Coach Debbie Yohman. "Now is the time to see how we stack up against the teams we've been competing against, chasing and watching all year to see if our team is at its best. Unfortunately for Andrea [Arlotta], she won't be able to stake a claim in the EAGL's all-around race due to an injury which is too bad for us because she's definitely an all-EAGL performer on all four events. We're still looking forward to getting her back for NCAA Regionals, but first things first. And that's the team and our EAGL performance."
Ranked 15th in the EAGL, Andrea Arlotta (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) will lead the Panthers on the vault. Other big performances could come from freshman Victoria McGuigan-Carl (Reading, Pa./Exeter) and sophomore Amanda Rushton (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area). Arlotta also leads the team on the uneven bars, ranked fifth in the conference with a 9.790 regional qualifying score. Also ranked in the Top 15 is sophomore Samantha DeBone (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) with a 9.750 RQS. Both gymnasts have been fairly consistent on the event this season with multiple scores above a 9.800. The Panthers have three gymnasts in the EAGL Top 20 on the balance beam. Arlotta is ranked 11th but won't be competing on the event due to an injury. Freshman Anya Chayka (Germantown, Md./Richard Montgomery) is 13th with an RQS of 9.690. Chayka has score above a 9.700 five times this season and qualified for the balance beam event finals at the Missouri Cat Classic. DeBone is ranked 19th and hold's a team-high 9.900 score on the event this season. Pitt will have several veterans leading the team in the floor exercise. Junior Jessica Garber (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Country Day School) ranks 17th with an RQS of 9.750 and has led the team on several occasions this year. Junior Robyn Marszalek (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) has worked her way back into the floor lineup as well and holds a season-high score of 9.800.
General admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for college students (with ID), youth (under 18) and senior citizens (62 and over). The competition will take place at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. For more information, please contact the Rutgers Ticket Office at (732) 445-2766.
