Pitt
EAGL Championships
Pitt Struggles in Conference Championship
3/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 26, 2006
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Panthers headed to Rutgers for the 11th East Atlantic League Gymnastics (EAGL) Conference Championships. With some new additions to the lineup and veterans not competing because of injuries, Pitt finished in eighth with a score of 190.225.
The Panthers had several falls on the balance beam, finishing with a team score of 46.425. Freshman Andrea Konesky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) led the team in just her second collegiate competition with a 9.550. Sophomore Samantha DeBone (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) finished with a 9.425 while junior Jessica Garber (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Country Day School) scored a 9.250. The balance beam champion was New Hampshire's Maria Pena Trestini with a 9.925.
Pitt only had five competitors on the floor exercise and had to count all scores, finishing with a 47.350. Freshman Victoria McGuigan-Carl (Reading, Pa./Exeter) was the Panther's top scorer after tying her career high of 9.825. She finished in seventh place. Garber tied for eighth with a 9.800. Sophomore Nicole Drane (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) earned a 9.725 to tie for 21st. North Carolina's Courtney Bumpers, the reigning national champion on this event, won with a 9.950.
Pitt improved on the vault, scoring a 47.875. Pitt's highest scorer was freshman Anya Chayka (Germantown, Md./Richard Montgomery). She finished tied for 26th with a 9.675, her second-highest vault score of the season. Sophomore Amanda Rushton (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) scored a 9.650, and senior April Pearson (Jacksonville, Fla./Wolfson) earned a 9.625. Pitt sophomore Melissa Davidson (New Brighton, Pa./Rochester) scored a career-high 9.400 as well. Taking first in the vault competition was North Carolina State's Leigha Hancock with a 9.900.
The Panthers finished on the uneven bars, their strongest event of the competition, scoring a 48.575 four a fourth-place finish among the teams. Junior Andrea Arlotta (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) was Pitt's top performer, tying for eighth with a score of 9.800. Arlotta was named to the All-EAGL First Team on this event. DeBone, an All-EAGL Second Team selection and freshman Alix Croop (Allentown, Pa./Bridgeway Academy) tied with a 9.725. North Carolina captured another event title with Christine Robella taking first on the uneven bars with a 9.900.
Because of injuries, the Panthers didn't have any all-around competitors. North Carolina dominated the all-around competition, with Bumpers finishing in first with a 39.525 and Robella in second with a 39.475. Pitt's next competition will be Northeast Regionals hosted by Michigan on April 8.
Final Team Standings:
1. North Carolina - 195.325
2. NC State - 195.075
3. West Virginia - 194.900
4. New Hampshire - 194.450
5. Maryland - 194.175
6. George Washington - 193.775
7. Rutgers - 191.425
8. Pitt - 190.225
