Pitt
West Virginia, James Madison
Panther Gymnasts Finish 1-1 in Tri-Meet Match Up
3/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 7, 2006
PITTSBURGH - The Panthers came into the meet ready to protect their house, and despite a loss to West Virginia this evening, they still showed signs of improvement. Many gymnasts scored season or career highs, and as a team, they finished with their second-highest score of the season. Pitt (11-7, 3-5 EAGL) finished in second with a 193.325. West Virginia took first with a 194.875, and James Madison came in third with a 185.700.
"We dodged some bullets tonight," said Head Coach Debbie Yohman. "We were wonderful in warm ups, but we didn't quite compete the way we like. But we're getting better little by little. We didn't count a fall in the meet, and I think winning against West Virginia is definitely within our reach."
Pitt started out on the vault, scoring a 48.200, consistent with their last two competitions. Junior Andrea Arlotta (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) tied for first on the event with West Virginia's Erica Watson, scoring a 9.800. The win on the vault is Arlotta's sixth event title of the season. Freshman Victoria McGuigan-Carl (Reading, Pa./Exeter) turned in the second highest score for the Panthers, finishing seventh with a 9.675. Teammates April Pearson (Jacksonville, Fla/Wolfson) and Amanda Rushton (Harleysville, Pa./Souderston Area) finished with scores of 9.625 and 9.600 respectively.
Coming from a strong uneven bars performance at the Tar Heel Invitational, the Panthers had some top performances again. Sophomore Samantha DeBone (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) placed third on the with a career-high 9.825. Kaitlin Harrison (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Memorial) scored a season-high 9.750 for fifth place. Arlotta finished sixth with a 9.725.West Virginia's Janae Cox and Mehgan Morris tied for first with a 9.900.
On the balance beam, were again able to put up some personal-best scores. They finished with a 48.225. DeBone tied for third with a 9.725. Sophomore Nicole Drane (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) finished eighth, tying her career-high 9.650. Cassie Minick (Potomac, Md./Richard Montgomery) and McGuigan-Carl tied for ninth with a 9.625. The score was a season high for Minick and a career high for McGuigan-Carl. West Virginia's Cheryl Goldenfield and Cox tied for first with a 9.900.
Pitt finished strong on the floor exercise, scoring a season high 48.900 on the event for first place. Arlotta tied with West Virginia's Mehgan Morris for second with a 9.850. Jessica Garber (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Country Day School) and Robyn Marszalek (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) tied for fourth with a 9.800, a season high for both gymnasts. DeBone finished sixth with a season-high 9.750. West Virginia's Cox claimed her third event title on the floor exercise, scoring a 9.900 on this event as well.
Arlotta finished second in the all-around with a 39.025. She's placed in the top-three in the all-around in every meet this season, earning five all-around titles. Drane competed in the all-around as well this evening, scoring a career-high 38.350 for third place. West Virginia's Cox won the all-around with a 39.450.
The Panthers will head to West Virginia on Friday night for their third consecutive meet with the Mountaineers and their first meet in school history with UC Berkeley. The meet is scheduled for 7 p.m.
