University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Three Panthers Earn Trip to NCAA Regional Championships
3/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
March 25, 2009
PITTSBURGH - Three members of the University of Pittsburgh gymnastics team will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for the 2009 NCAA Northeast Regional championships on Saturday, April 4. The Panthers will compete in the meet with hopes of advancing to NCAA Championships; senior co-captain Alix Croop, junior co-captain Dani Bryan, and freshman Alicia Talucci.
This past weekend at the EAGL Championships in Raleigh, N.C., Pitt took fourth place with a score of 194.675. Croop was the lone champion for Pitt, recording a 9.850 on the uneven bars to take home gold. Freshman standout Talucci captured third in the all-around competition, missing her season-high score by just over a tenth of a point. Bryan, who was the 2007 EAGL vault champion and could not compete last season due to injury, finished 10th on in the event with a score of 9.825.
All three gymnasts will be competing in separate events. Talucci will prepare for the all-around, while Bryan will contend the vault and Croop the bars, beam and floor. This will mark the first time each gymnast has qualified for NCAA Regional action.
These notable Panthers all earned All-EAGL First Team and Second Team honors his season. Croop was awarded first team honors for the both uneven bars and balance beam and was also named to second team for her performances on the floor.
Talucci received first team selections for the beam and all-around and second team marks on vault. Bryan earned her second first team selection on the vault while also earning second team honors on the floor.
On the season, Talucci has continually placed in the top three spots in the all-around, including setting a season-high score of 39.250. In addition, Talucci was awarded EAGL Rookie of the Week twice and Gymnast of the Week once. As the only member of the team consistently competing in the all-around, Talucci has posted impressive season-high scores on individual events. For the year, Talucci has recorded a 9.900 on vault, a 9.775 on the bars, 9.875 on beam and a 9.825 on floor.
Croop was also awarded by the conference multiple times, earning Specialist of the Week twice. She set career-highs on beam (9.875) and floor (9.900) this season, and tied her season-high score of 9.850 on the bars at the EAGL championships.
Bryan is nationally ranked at 32nd on vault, posting a season-high score of 9.900 earlier in the season. Additionally, she was honored as EAGL Specialist of the Week this season. She has recorded season-high scores on bars and floor, with a 9.800 and a 9.875 respectively. The NCAA Northeast Regional meet is set for April 4 Tuscaloosa, Ala.
